In the New Testament, in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16, starting at verse 19, we are told by the Good Shepherd himself the story of "certain rich man" and a beggar "named Lazarus." My own "un-religious schooled" opinion is that this story is not necessarily a "parable." I believe that there was indeed a certain rich man living in Jerusalem, or parts nearby, at the very time that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, left his father's occupation as a carpenter and began his ministry. I also believe that there was a poor man, a beggar, also alive at that time, and Jesus literally KNEW Lazarus. Some more knowledgeable than me might argue the points just mentioned, but that is not the point of this post, so I will move on.
Lazarus, the beggar that the Good Shepherd knew by name, had lain at the gates of this certain rich man's property for a good amount of time, possibly for years! The rich man was so wealthy that he "dressed in purple and in silk" and passed by Lazarus, who was "covered in sores, longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table." Furthermore, Lazarus apparently had few or no human friends, and his only comfort were the dogs who came to him and licked his sores. One thing that Jesus tells us by his silence on the matter, in my opinion, is that the rich man never gave Lazarus a single crumb from his "daily feasts." As my preacher pointed out, this certain rich man had a "Thanksgiving feast" every single day, thus he pretty much ceased to be thankful for all his blessings, if he ever was.
As we know, a time came when the rich man died, "and was buried," and Lazarus died also. Did you notice, though, that the Good Shepherd did not say that Lazarus was buried. It was possible that he was found dead, maybe by one of the rich man's servants, and was simply carried out of town and dumped in a ditch or ravine, since he obviously could not afford a funeral. I am sort of going out on a limb with this opinion, but remember, the Lord said outright that the rich man was buried. He could have easily added that Lazarus was buried as well, but he did not. Nonetheless, both men died at about the same time.
When next the rich man is conscious, we find that he is in some sort of spiritual "holding area" or maybe hell itself, I am not certain, but we are told by the Good Shepherd that the rich man, now in burning agony, can see across a "great chasm" Abraham, the patriarch. Lying in Abraham's bosom, who should the rich man see but Lazarus, whom the rich man recognized immediately! How do I know this? I know because the rich man, now so very poor and in torment, begged Abraham (whom he somehow recognized as well) to send "Lazarus" to dip his finger in water and cool the rich man's tongue. The rich man knew exactly who Lazarus was. He could see that Lazarus was being comforted by the great patriarch himself, after a life of receiving nothing but bad in the world, especially receiving nothing, no help at all, from the rich man who passed by him, maybe stepped OVER him as he came and went through his gate. He had every opportunity to help Lazarus, but chose not to do so.
Realizing that the chasm divided him and the place of torment from the place of comfort and rest in Abraham's bosom, the rich man made what to me seems a very strange request. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to the rich man's home to warn his five brothers of the torment that might be waiting for them as well. Apparently NOT ONE of the rich man's brothers had lifted a finger to help Lazarus. But the rich man believed that if Lazarus went back from the dead and told the brothers what awaited them, his brothers would perhaps change, maybe start doing good by sharing their riches. But Abraham told the rich man a truth, one that you and I should heed and understand.
"But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them."
The rich man made one more attempt to save his brothers. "No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent."
Yes, I am fairly sure that the remaining brothers were not the least bit more generous than their lately departed brother. Else, why would they need to change? But Abraham said, "If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!"
The Bible tells us in both the Old and the New Testaments that we will always have poor people with us. Many times the poor exist right beside the rich, the "blessed" if you want to call it that. Jesus knew that there were poor people throughout the world in His day, and that there would be poor people in our world today. I am not talking about people who are too lazy to work, even though they have the ability to do so. I am talking about those, like Lazarus, who are not able to work either because of physical disabilities, mental problems, or for other reasons are not able to, and cannot be expected to, get and hold jobs to provide for themselves.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is challenging to me personally, and maybe to you as well. For one thing, I know that the Creator, and the Good Shepherd, had and have the power to end poverty or to otherwise create a situation where no one would ever have to be poor, except through the poor choice of not working for a living. But God and Jesus did not do so. Not only that, but I did not receive that wisdom it takes to know for sure whether some person who appears to be a beggar is actually a "con artist." Oh, sometimes I can pick out a poor con artist (by that I mine a person who is a poor actor, not monetarily poor) but most of the time I do not know WHY a person who is on a street corner begging is poor or homeless.
Have I ever been "ripped off" when I helped someone? Probably, because I know that there are some good con artists out there. But have I ever FAILED TO BE BLESSED when I helped someone? No, I have not. First, in my ignorance of not knowing for certain whether or not a person to whom I gave money or food was actually "in need" I still had the satisfaction of believing I had helped someone, that is I had acted as the Lord's hands. Second, I invariably received a blessing of one kind or another after I helped some poor person. Not that I help with the intention of "getting paid back," but that I received some unexpected blessing shortly after helping a person in need; a blessing that I did not expect and did not ask for.
But the point of the story (the TRUE ACCOUNT OF AN ACTUAL HAPPENING, in my opinion) is that you and I should take every opportunity to help people in need. And there is a somewhat sobering, in not downright frightening, aspect of this story, that is that we who have the means should help in accordance with our means. Even a "poor" Christian has enough that he may share with someone less fortunate. How much more should the wealthy share with those in dire need. And how frightening is the prospect for those who indeed step over poor people every day and never lift a finger to help, never share a scrap. The rich man that Jesus spoke of fed his animals MUCH better than he fed Lazarus, whom he apparently never fed at all! My own opinion is that Lazarus, had he been given a few left-overs from the rich man's table, would have generously shared his food with his only companions, the dogs who licked his sores.
Is this story directed mostly at "the rich?" I don't believe so, but I could be wrong. I believe the Good Shepherd wants all of us to help others, especially the poor, as much as we are able, but even more so if we have been blessed to the point that we are "rich." Unfortunately, when a person becomes "rich" (that is has lots of money and possessions) it is very easy for that person to become somewhat arrogant, to forget from where the wealth actually came. Yes, the rich man probably was a shrewd businessman, or maybe he inherited his fortune. But somewhere along the way he began to believe that he alone, or maybe with some help from his equally selfish brothers, had become a "self-made man" who owed nothing to anyone, even to God. And that was his undoing.
Don't let a lack of generosity and sharing be your undoing, Yes, I think there are times when it is apparent that a "beggar" is actually a con artist, but if you worry about this possibility, you may NEVER help anyone! Better to share, and occasionally be "taken in" than to never take the risk, and the OPPORTUNITY OF DOING THE LORD'S WORK. I think one of the easiest ways we have of doing the Lord's will is simply sharing what we have with those who do not have as much. But be warned, it is also easy to ignore the beggar, to step over him, and go about your business. In so doing, you may well one day find yourself in that place of torment with the (not so) rich man, while you see the poor there with Lazarus, in the comfort of Abraham's bosom.
Take the Good Shepherd's words to heart...
And may God Bless you all...
Lazarus, the beggar that the Good Shepherd knew by name, had lain at the gates of this certain rich man's property for a good amount of time, possibly for years! The rich man was so wealthy that he "dressed in purple and in silk" and passed by Lazarus, who was "covered in sores, longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table." Furthermore, Lazarus apparently had few or no human friends, and his only comfort were the dogs who came to him and licked his sores. One thing that Jesus tells us by his silence on the matter, in my opinion, is that the rich man never gave Lazarus a single crumb from his "daily feasts." As my preacher pointed out, this certain rich man had a "Thanksgiving feast" every single day, thus he pretty much ceased to be thankful for all his blessings, if he ever was.
As we know, a time came when the rich man died, "and was buried," and Lazarus died also. Did you notice, though, that the Good Shepherd did not say that Lazarus was buried. It was possible that he was found dead, maybe by one of the rich man's servants, and was simply carried out of town and dumped in a ditch or ravine, since he obviously could not afford a funeral. I am sort of going out on a limb with this opinion, but remember, the Lord said outright that the rich man was buried. He could have easily added that Lazarus was buried as well, but he did not. Nonetheless, both men died at about the same time.
When next the rich man is conscious, we find that he is in some sort of spiritual "holding area" or maybe hell itself, I am not certain, but we are told by the Good Shepherd that the rich man, now in burning agony, can see across a "great chasm" Abraham, the patriarch. Lying in Abraham's bosom, who should the rich man see but Lazarus, whom the rich man recognized immediately! How do I know this? I know because the rich man, now so very poor and in torment, begged Abraham (whom he somehow recognized as well) to send "Lazarus" to dip his finger in water and cool the rich man's tongue. The rich man knew exactly who Lazarus was. He could see that Lazarus was being comforted by the great patriarch himself, after a life of receiving nothing but bad in the world, especially receiving nothing, no help at all, from the rich man who passed by him, maybe stepped OVER him as he came and went through his gate. He had every opportunity to help Lazarus, but chose not to do so.
Realizing that the chasm divided him and the place of torment from the place of comfort and rest in Abraham's bosom, the rich man made what to me seems a very strange request. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to the rich man's home to warn his five brothers of the torment that might be waiting for them as well. Apparently NOT ONE of the rich man's brothers had lifted a finger to help Lazarus. But the rich man believed that if Lazarus went back from the dead and told the brothers what awaited them, his brothers would perhaps change, maybe start doing good by sharing their riches. But Abraham told the rich man a truth, one that you and I should heed and understand.
"But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them."
The rich man made one more attempt to save his brothers. "No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent."
Yes, I am fairly sure that the remaining brothers were not the least bit more generous than their lately departed brother. Else, why would they need to change? But Abraham said, "If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!"
The Bible tells us in both the Old and the New Testaments that we will always have poor people with us. Many times the poor exist right beside the rich, the "blessed" if you want to call it that. Jesus knew that there were poor people throughout the world in His day, and that there would be poor people in our world today. I am not talking about people who are too lazy to work, even though they have the ability to do so. I am talking about those, like Lazarus, who are not able to work either because of physical disabilities, mental problems, or for other reasons are not able to, and cannot be expected to, get and hold jobs to provide for themselves.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is challenging to me personally, and maybe to you as well. For one thing, I know that the Creator, and the Good Shepherd, had and have the power to end poverty or to otherwise create a situation where no one would ever have to be poor, except through the poor choice of not working for a living. But God and Jesus did not do so. Not only that, but I did not receive that wisdom it takes to know for sure whether some person who appears to be a beggar is actually a "con artist." Oh, sometimes I can pick out a poor con artist (by that I mine a person who is a poor actor, not monetarily poor) but most of the time I do not know WHY a person who is on a street corner begging is poor or homeless.
Have I ever been "ripped off" when I helped someone? Probably, because I know that there are some good con artists out there. But have I ever FAILED TO BE BLESSED when I helped someone? No, I have not. First, in my ignorance of not knowing for certain whether or not a person to whom I gave money or food was actually "in need" I still had the satisfaction of believing I had helped someone, that is I had acted as the Lord's hands. Second, I invariably received a blessing of one kind or another after I helped some poor person. Not that I help with the intention of "getting paid back," but that I received some unexpected blessing shortly after helping a person in need; a blessing that I did not expect and did not ask for.
But the point of the story (the TRUE ACCOUNT OF AN ACTUAL HAPPENING, in my opinion) is that you and I should take every opportunity to help people in need. And there is a somewhat sobering, in not downright frightening, aspect of this story, that is that we who have the means should help in accordance with our means. Even a "poor" Christian has enough that he may share with someone less fortunate. How much more should the wealthy share with those in dire need. And how frightening is the prospect for those who indeed step over poor people every day and never lift a finger to help, never share a scrap. The rich man that Jesus spoke of fed his animals MUCH better than he fed Lazarus, whom he apparently never fed at all! My own opinion is that Lazarus, had he been given a few left-overs from the rich man's table, would have generously shared his food with his only companions, the dogs who licked his sores.
Is this story directed mostly at "the rich?" I don't believe so, but I could be wrong. I believe the Good Shepherd wants all of us to help others, especially the poor, as much as we are able, but even more so if we have been blessed to the point that we are "rich." Unfortunately, when a person becomes "rich" (that is has lots of money and possessions) it is very easy for that person to become somewhat arrogant, to forget from where the wealth actually came. Yes, the rich man probably was a shrewd businessman, or maybe he inherited his fortune. But somewhere along the way he began to believe that he alone, or maybe with some help from his equally selfish brothers, had become a "self-made man" who owed nothing to anyone, even to God. And that was his undoing.
Don't let a lack of generosity and sharing be your undoing, Yes, I think there are times when it is apparent that a "beggar" is actually a con artist, but if you worry about this possibility, you may NEVER help anyone! Better to share, and occasionally be "taken in" than to never take the risk, and the OPPORTUNITY OF DOING THE LORD'S WORK. I think one of the easiest ways we have of doing the Lord's will is simply sharing what we have with those who do not have as much. But be warned, it is also easy to ignore the beggar, to step over him, and go about your business. In so doing, you may well one day find yourself in that place of torment with the (not so) rich man, while you see the poor there with Lazarus, in the comfort of Abraham's bosom.
Take the Good Shepherd's words to heart...
And may God Bless you all...
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