Several years ago I was flying home from a trip and witnessed a funny exchange between a passenger and a Flight Attendant. Our plane had been reassigned from the one that had been scheduled, and the seats were not configured the same way. This meant that all of our boarding passes had to be reissued with the new seat numbers. For the most part, people were assigned the same seat they originally had, but one lady had lost her economy class window seat and was given an aisle seat. She was furious and argued with the Flight Attendant that she deserved the window seat and how dare they give her an aisle seat! She would not sit down until her needs were met, blocking the aisle and delaying the boarding process. The Flight Attendant apologized and tried to calm her down, but the plane was full and there were no empty seats available. Finally a second flight attendant came from the back and leaned over to speak to a gentlemen seated at the window seat that was a few rows behind the lady’s row. The man got a big smile on his face and agreed. They swapped seats and the crisis was over. I looked up at the row numbers and instantly saw why he was smiling: the woman’s new seat had been upgraded to Comfort Plus. She now sat in Economy while he enjoyed the free drinks, upgraded snacks, and free entertainment that was meant to be hers. Did I mention that this happened at night? What could she possibly see from her window?

Today’s passage comes from the book of Luke and has a mysterious story that Jesus told in an effort to school the Pharisees about their self-justification about their wealth, status, and privilege. While not a parable, this story is intended to be educational and confrontational. Some scholars suggest that Jesus is sharing a scene that he witnessed during a mystical and divine visit to the afterlife. They believe that it is a story he observed from his eternal perspective. In any case, the rich man he described is meant to represent not only the Pharisees, but all who feel entitled to their riches on earth. And so it offers us a chance to consider our own sense of superiority.

Luke 16 (Common English Bible)

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were money-lovers, heard all this and sneered at Jesus. ¹⁵ He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before other people, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued by people is deeply offensive to God. ¹⁶ Until John, there was only the Law and the Prophets. Since then, the good news of God’s kingdom is preached, and everyone is urged to enter it. ¹⁷ It’s easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest stroke of a pen in the Law to drop out. ¹⁸ Any man who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and a man who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Luke sets the scene beautifully from the very beginning, calling the Pharisees money-lovers who sneered at a parable Jesus had just told about a shrewd manager (found in Luke 16:1-13). Jesus ended that lesson by reminding the hearers that no one can serve two masters, stating that you cannot serve both God and wealth. The presumably wealthy Pharisees derided his teaching and turned their noses up at its implications. Jesus responded by calling out the Pharisees’ practice of justifying why they deserved their riches and how pious they were in their strict adherence to the Law while ignoring the needs of the people around them.

We remember that Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. The common practice of divorcing a wife for reasons that included her burning a meal was detestable to Jesus and he reminded them of the law of the marriage vow. Laws could not be bent and twisted to suit their whims but must serve to bring righteousness and justice to God’s people. Notice how he sandwiches his comments about the law and the prophets around this story about a rich man and a poor man. This pericope intentionally demonstrates that he himself is now the Law and the Prophet to end all prophets. As heralded by John the Baptizer, Jesus is the new order and the new covenant.

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted luxuriously every day. ²⁰ At his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.²¹ Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs would come and lick his sores.

²² “The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, whereas Lazarus received terrible things. Now Lazarus is being comforted and you are in great pain. ²⁶ Moreover, a great crevasse has been fixed between us and you. Those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot. Neither can anyone cross from there to us.’

²⁷ “The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. ²⁸ I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ ²⁹ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’³⁰ The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’³¹ Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

One of the reasons that we know that this story isn’t a parable is because the poor man is named. Parables did not include names. The name Lazarus is from the Hebrew word Eleazar which means “God is my help.” It is interesting then that Jesus did not name the rich man. Do you suppose the reason is because he wanted the hearers of the story to see themselves in this character?

There is a beautiful symbolism in the use of the distance between the rich man and his gate, where Lazarus begged, and the distance between them in the afterlife. Remember that Jesus had not been resurrected yet, so this place was not the heaven of eternity that we anticipate today. instead it was a kind of Hades or Sheol that had two sides: one for the righteous who experienced its comfort and one that was a place of torments. Notice that even while the rich man was being tormented in the place of the dead, he asked Abraham to send Lazarus to bring him cool water, treating Lazarus like a servant. Apparently, entitlement follows us to the afterlife.

Abraham was right that the brothers, who have access to the teachings of Moses and the Prophets, won’t listen to anyone about the fate that awaits them. So too are those who have access to the teachings of Christ and refuse to believe. This is why it is imperative that we who are the church not just preach the gospel but also be the gospel in our communities.

This passage challenges us to examine our own behavior, something that we are serious about during Lent. Do we act like entitled and spoiled children who deserve the blessings God bestows, or are we humble and grateful for God’s grace? Do we demonstrate that humility by taking care of those around us or are we stingy and oblivious? Are Christians today sometimes guilty of using Scripture to justify our selfish actions?

Tonight, as you sit at your table to feast luxuriously in your warm, comfortable home, take a moment to thank God and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the Lazarus’s in your community. Then go and do something about it.

Foggy Morning by Lola Hilton