Daily Bread 2010 - Luke 16
Daily Bread 2010 – Luke 16
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
Sometimes we look at the world and see injustice happening all around us. We conclude, “Life isn’t fair!” We often see rich people getting richer, and the poor people getting poorer. We see those who deserve justice getting off easy, and it makes us mad.
Let me first say that it is important to say what this passage is not teaching. Being rich in itself is not a sin, in fact it may be a result of being faithful in a little As the passage before that said, “If you are faithful in a little you will be given much more.” In fact, many who are wealthy have gotten that way because God feels that they can be entrusted with more because of their faithfulness.
On the flipside we can’t assume that all people who are poor are rich in God’s eyes either. Maybe God has given them many chances or opportunities and because of laziness or some other personal character defect, they remain stuck in their situation.
The bottom line in this passage is that the Rich Man had a chance to help the poor man, Lazarus, and he neglected to do it. Apparently part of that came from the fact that he had rejected God, and money had become his master. Also when given the chance to use his abundance to help someone in need he ignored it. When the day of reckoning came he was accountable for his unfaithfulness. On the other hand the beggar was rewarded for his suffering and patient trusting in God despite his suffering here on earth.
Prayer: God help us to be faithful with what we have been entrusted here on earth. We know one day the injustices of this world will be righted. While we are here help us to bring your Kingdom on earth as it will be in heaven. We know if we do this we have nothing to fear upon your return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
Sometimes we look at the world and see injustice happening all around us. We conclude, “Life isn’t fair!” We often see rich people getting richer, and the poor people getting poorer. We see those who deserve justice getting off easy, and it makes us mad.
Let me first say that it is important to say what this passage is not teaching. Being rich in itself is not a sin, in fact it may be a result of being faithful in a little As the passage before that said, “If you are faithful in a little you will be given much more.” In fact, many who are wealthy have gotten that way because God feels that they can be entrusted with more because of their faithfulness.
On the flipside we can’t assume that all people who are poor are rich in God’s eyes either. Maybe God has given them many chances or opportunities and because of laziness or some other personal character defect, they remain stuck in their situation.
The bottom line in this passage is that the Rich Man had a chance to help the poor man, Lazarus, and he neglected to do it. Apparently part of that came from the fact that he had rejected God, and money had become his master. Also when given the chance to use his abundance to help someone in need he ignored it. When the day of reckoning came he was accountable for his unfaithfulness. On the other hand the beggar was rewarded for his suffering and patient trusting in God despite his suffering here on earth.
Prayer: God help us to be faithful with what we have been entrusted here on earth. We know one day the injustices of this world will be righted. While we are here help us to bring your Kingdom on earth as it will be in heaven. We know if we do this we have nothing to fear upon your return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment