1He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
3“The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. 4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ 5Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ 6He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. 9I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. 10He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.”
14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. 15He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16“The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of God’s Kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.
18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.
19“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores, 21and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. 24He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’
25“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But here he is now comforted and you are in anguish. 26Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’
27“He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’
29“But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’
30“He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
Lazarus and The Rich Man
Luke 16
Lazarus and the Rich Man
19 “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.20 A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was taken to his gate, full of sores,21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
In this chapter, Jesus speaks a lot about wealth. In the verses preceding the subject verses, He is telling the Pharisees that wealth in itself is neutral. Wealth is not righteous. Wealth is not evil. How you and I use our wealth determines whether it’s being put to good use or bad use. He encourages us to use our wealth to build bridges of relationship with others. You and I can generate good, solid friendships by walking through life with a generous spirit. It is not natural to share with others. Even a little child must be taught to share their candy with a friend. We tend to want to spend our treasures only on ourselves. We will each be held accountable for how we use our wealth, regardless of the amount of wealth that He places in our hands. Interestingly, some of the stingiest people I know happen to be quite wealthy. An paradoxically, some of the poorest people I know are the most generous. Regardless of the amount of wealth you might have, it is good to remember several things: 1) God blessed you with it, 2) God loves a generous heart, and 3) You should hold it with a loose grip. Err on the side of being generous. Jesus then turns to the lab practical for what He has just taught.
He tells the story of a poor man named “Eliezer”. For some reason, we’ve named him “Lazarus” in English. Eliezer means “God is my help,” which I prefer, so if you don’t mind, let me call him by his real name. So Eliezer has spent his life at the front gate of the house of a rich man. The rich man hears the cries for help of Eliezer, but his focus is only on himself. Jesus accentuates poor Eliezer’s plight by saying that “even the dogs came and licked his sores.” Dogs were not kept as pets by the Jews. They didn’t see them as unclean. They just had low regard for them. Dogs were mostly feral, wandering the streets as a lower caste of animals. That is the only companionship that poor Eliezer had. The dogs licked his diseased body. The rich man had the ability to use his wealth for good, for compassion, and for love, but he chose not to do so. Being quite conscious of Eliezar’s need, he decided to “live in luxury every day.”
Jesus presents some general truths. He urges faithfulness in the little. He queries why God would entrust a person with more when they aren’t faithful in the little. Also, how we use our wealth is an indicator of our character and the condition of our hearts. Are we inward-focused or outwardly focused? We should always be conscious of not just this physical world, but also what is going on in the spiritual realm. If you have a problem with selfishness, start with the small things. If possible, pack a lunch or buy one for a colleague. Don’t keep score. Don’t do things with any expectation of getting. It all belongs to God, and you are a mere steward, a manager who will be held to account. God loves generosity, so ask Him to give you a generous heart. He’s not asking us to give it all away. He’s just asking us to open our eyes and see things more in the way that He sees them. This is real. It is quite possible. It is part of who God desires for you to be.