Luke 16:19-31 (Devotion)

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS - "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’"

It has been said, "What we do in life echoes in eternity," and no greater example is found in the Bible than the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It is a sobering reminder of how dangerous selfishness can be in the heart of someone who is monetarily rich, yet spiritually bankrupt. In certain ways, it convicts our desire to acquire fortune because the consequences of selfish behavior are magnified by our wealth management. In other words, "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required" (Luke 12:48b). God provides an allotment of resources spanning varying degrees of accumulation (or lack thereof) to test how responsible we are, how deep selfishness resides in our hearts, and whether we manipulate life in our favor at the expense of His glory. Make no mistake, the further we delve into the mind of the rich man, the more convicted we should become to heed the warning Jesus gives to help gauge our spiritual tempterature. For Scripture reminds us, "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds" (Jeremiah 17:10). Therefore, identifying with Lazarus should not consume our attention because very few of us have or will ever experience extreme poverty like he did. Rather, what we must discern is simply whether we love our neighbor enough to sacrifice ourselves and our resources for his/her betterment at the expense of our own. And that is why (for example) military, law enforcement, firemen, first responders, etc., deserve our utmost respect and admiration, because they risk their lives every day to preserve and protect the freedoms and privileges we claim as citizens. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

In contrast, the rich man had no desire to protect those less fortunate than himself because God provided countless opportunities for him to help Lazarus and he declined. Day after day, Lazarus laid at the gate of his mansion needing no more than the absolute minimum to survive, and remained there disheveled, stricken, malnourished, and assaulted by wild dogs until the day he died. In contrast, the rich man lived in lavish splendor with elaborate material possessions and countless resources. He feasted sumptuously, which conveys that the most luxurious and expansive smorgasbord of food and beverage awaited his consuming pleasure each day. He lacked nothing whatsoever except the desire to help those less fortunate than himself, and eventually God repaid him for his hardheartedness when his day of reckoning arrived. What we must ask ourselves as we consider the rich man's plight is this: "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" (1 John 3:17). Let us first clarify that wisdom is vital to discern how to help someone in need. For example, it would not be wise to blindly give money to those who are begging for help without first taking time to understand exactly what they need. It is a matter of discernment, not avoidance, because accountability is required if for no reason but to protect others from further hurting themselves or others if they struggle with addiction. That is why providing specific resources according to genuine need always trumps monetary handouts to avoid being inconvenienced or convicted. In other words, see a need—meet a need! And if we're worried about giving money to those who are panhandling, let us instead attempt to discern and wisely meet their need without enabling potential destructive behavior. "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother" (Romans 14:13).

Scripture exhorts, "If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday" (Isaiah 58:10). As self-proclaimed Christians, we are tasked by the authority of Almighty God to cast off fear and passivity, and embrace opportunities which stretch our comfort levels. The ultimate goal is expanding our capacity to love others by humbling ourselves. Jesus set the stage for us at the last supper when He washed His disciples' feet. "For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:15–17). The minute we think more highly of ourselves than we ought, the more we fall victim to the rich man's pride. Though "religious" enough to affiliate himself with father Abraham, the rich man felt no compulsion to share a fraction of his wealth, even as a sacrificial testimony to his faith. He was blinded by love of self and status, and could not fathom himself having any interaction with Lazarus whatsoever. However, what is most convicting is that he purposely ignored Lazarus' needs. This was not a case of not knowing Lazarus was in need because he beckoned Abraham for Lazarus to help quench his thirst while he anguished in hell. This is a powerful revelation we cannot miss! The rich man knew Lazarus by name. The problem is he assumed he knew who Lazarus was according to his appearance and labeled him a filthy beggar, undeserving of grace and mercy. He judged Lazarus according to his own personal bias and preconceived notion, and thus ruled in favor of enabling his starvation unto death by remaining idle and indifferent toward his needs without the slightest remorse.

In order to grasp the true magnitude of Jesus' parable, we must take inventory of all we have been given. Salvation alone should drive us to live each day with gratitude words cannot express, but faith is not measured by empty words. Faith must produce application, otherwise it is void and meaningless. That is why Scripture affirms, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). Yet in many cases, we allow ourselves to be deceived. We assume others are more capable and/or equipped to help others, so we profess our innocence and justify passivity in an attempt to appease our conscience. The truth of the matter is that a man's deeds are on full display for the Lord's judgment. Any man naive enough to think he can exploit a loophole in God's Word, whereby he can avoid accountability, is foolish enough to assume he is guaranteed eternity regardless of his actions. Jesus taught, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Keep in mind, God allots each one of us provisions which have the ability to either draw us closer to Him or provide opportunity for the flesh. That is the essence of free will. God does not force our hand but loves us enough to let us choose our own path. However, His Word warns, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Galatians 5:13–14). Therefore, yes we are free indeed, but our freedom comes at an immeasurable cost and an expectation that we live our faith out in application, not simply by the might of our words.

The Bible teaches, "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways" (Proverbs 28:6). Righteousness in God's economy has absolutely nothing to do with economic fortune or status. If anything, favorable wealth presents greater temptation for failure than simply not having any to begin with. The rich man learned this lesson the hard way without the ability to repent for his actions or warn those he loved from committing the same mistakes. In desperation, he attempted to convince Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his former household, but Abraham responded with the same rationale we are faced with today. We live in a day and age where we have immeasurable access to God's Word. Truthfully, many of us have multiple copies of the Bible at our disposal in our homes which far more resemble a paper weight or dust catcher than a worn and tattered treasure map. Think about it. If we believed there was a treasure to be discovered and we had THE map to lead us to its whereabouts, we would exhaust all time, energy and resources necessary studying it till we memorized every detail. Yet what many of us fail to realize is that God has freely given us the greatest treasure map known to man, which inevitably leads to eternal life. All we have to do is read it, study it, and apply its knowledge unto righteousness, and the treasure is ours! Therefore, how different would our outlook on life be if our attitude and perspective toward God's Word reflected the heart of the psalmist? "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7–11).

In the end, it makes no difference what we say we believe if our actions do not testify to heart change. Make no mistake, the rich man was presumably a "religious" man, but his heart did not bear witness to the faith he likely proclaimed. Rather, he allowed his heart and mind to be consumed with selfishness and suffered the ultimate price, eternity in Hades (Hell), because saving faith never took root in his heart to begin with. That is the danger with "religion" because it provides false security that eternity in heaven is guaranteed when specific man-made rules are followed. What religion lacks is a relationship by grace through faith with God the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our salvation, and the Holy Spirit who illuminates the application of our faith unto righteousness. Therefore, what our response to this parable must entail begins with ensuring we are not misled by religion, but grounded in personal relationship and intimate communion by faith with God. Only then can we begin taking inventory of our attitudes toward those in need and assess how willing we are to get our hands dirty, meeting their needs as the Spirit prompts. For Scripture is clear that ignoring the needs we see all around us, knowing full well we have the ability to make a difference, is as powerful a litmus test we could ever find to gauge how "Christian" we truly are. "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:14–17). Therefore, how will we respond to the treasure we've been given? Will the sacrificial love Jesus has shown inspire us to love our neighbor unconditionally? Perhaps if we examine our heart just as the attached testimonial below does, conviction will produce not only a desire to meet the needs of those around us, but the courage to step out in faith and literally be the hands and feet of Jesus to a hurting world desperately in need of salvation.

"Apathy" by Trip Lee

Sometimes I'm hurtin' and I'm burdened when I'm gazin' inside—

Cause I ain't concerned with other persons, the foundation in pride—

Feel like a fake and a lie—

It's the comforts of my Lord cause I be raisin' Him high—

Until the day that I die, I surely struggle with this apathy invading—

I try to front, like I'm Mr. Compassionate and my ratings are high—

And meanwhile these folks is hurtin everyplace, I should cry—

But I lose sight like bullets grazin' my eyes, what should I do now?—

When I drive through my city, and I see these folks' hurtin'—

Yea, I'm certain that I care till' I'm home and close the curtain—

It's like they ain't even there, man my heart is so disturbin'—

I should be prayin for em, findin' ways that I can serve em—

The bottom line, Lord I'm praying that I'll be on the grind—

Pursuing service, never out of sight, out of mind—

Preaching truth and trying to model my Lord 

till He's back and them knees hit the floor—

I'm waitin!

"Apathy" - Audio Version