September 26, 2004

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector
September 26, 2004; 17th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 21, Year C
Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

Luke 16:119-31  Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.'

But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'

He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' 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 listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

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Friday's headlines announced that the number of billionaires in the United States is up this year from 263 to 313, an increase of nearly 20%. That might be happier news, except that a few weeks before, the same paper reported that last year one million more Americans slipped into poverty, that middle class income was stagnant, and the percentage of people without health insurance jumped dramatically again. Another 1.4 million Americans joined the ranks of the uninsured, now 45,000,000 souls. Last month we also learned that Arkansas' poverty rate increased again and is now the highest poverty rate in the nation, 18.8%. Half of the children in our state now live below the Family Income Standards.

Before looking at this gospel about Lazarus and the rich man, I want to say how proud I am of the way this church is responding to some of the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. Our church's Community Clinic at St. Francis House is this area's largest health and dental clinic for the uninsured and those who cannot get access to care. Our Seven Hills Homeless Center is an open door of hospitality and support for those without homes or shelter. We are currently trying to expand our men's transitional housing program so we can build a new facility for women, children and families who have jobs or a steady income, but no place to live. Every Monday and Wednesday our church opens its doors to anyone who needs a good, healthy hot meal, with seconds and a take-out snack. And today we begin our Community Kids Closet campaign to help some of those children whose clothes aren't as nice as the other kids. These are good ministries, and we hear from people all of the time who say that what they have received from our programs has been life saving and life changing.

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come an lick his sores."

How did Lazarus get there? He was probably born in the country on a peasant farm or in a rural village. Maybe he had the misfortune of being a second, third or subsequent son in a family which only had enough land for the eldest to inherit. Or he could have been a land owner contracting his produce to a manager like we heard about in last week's gospel. With high interest rates and the vagaries of weather, insects, and the markets, he might have lost his land. Throughout the first century there was a steady process of land ownership moving from small farmers to powerful urban elites through an oppressive system of foreclosure. The system favored the wealthy and powerful. It usually does.

Workers without land often became day laborers at subsistence pay. Because work was seasonal, there were times when there was no income and therefore no subsistence in the rural areas. Many migrated to the city looking for work, but cites were overrun with displaced laborers. That made for favorable low-wage conditions for those who were hiring, but it was threatening for those who wanted work. Malnutrition was common. And then disease. A sick person can't compete for day labor. Without regular food the body's resistence decreases; cuts won't heal; they become abscessed. A worker becomes a beggar. Begging becomes increasingly difficult as one gets progressively sicker. When you are too weak to keep the dogs from licking your sores, it is just a matter of time. Lazarus was at the gate of the rich man; he was also at death's door. Jesus' listeners knew this story. The downward spiral from subsistence to death was a common story for anyone who could not hold on to their land.

His listeners would have also made a religious judgement about the circumstances. It was believed that he poor were poor because they are not blessed by God; wealth is a sign of God's favor. And street dogs are among the most unclean of animals, so Lazarus was obviously unclean and under judgement. The rich man was the one living the life identified with the righteous. That was the conventional religious teaching.

So what a surprise it was for Jesus' listeners to hear Jesus say, "the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented..." Stop right there! What?! You can bet Jesus got some startled reactions. This is the opposite of what his hearers expected.

According to the rabbis, Hades was a shadowy place where the righteous and sinners alike are gathered though separated. From there judgment is not irrevocable. The wicked in Hades are capable of repentance and atonement, it was taught. And when they accomplish that, Abraham descends into Hades and leads them into Paradise.

So we hear the intimate conversation, "Father Abraham," cries the rich man. "Child," answers Abraham. But the rich man is still giving orders. "Send Lazarus the beggar to cool my tongue." He's still the elite -- expecting to give orders and have them obeyed. He doesn't ask "why am I here?" ..."what did I do?" He doesn't say, "Forgive me." Lazarus is still an errand boy to him.

"Child, remember..." says Abraham. Connect these two scenes. These situations are related -- the one on earth and this one in Hades. There was a great chasm on earth and there is now a great chasm in Hades.

Giving commands didn't work, so the rich man tries pleading. "Send the beggar to my father's house to warn my five brothers." His request underlines his blindness. His concern is still confined to members of his own house and by extension, members of his own class. That has been his life. His solidarity and loyalty has been to his own. What he is actually asking is to shield his class from the consequences of their luxury. The rich man still hasn't recognized Lazarus as a brother. He is still blind and unrepentant.

Abraham won't be bullied. They have Moses and the prophets. Ahh. But here is the tricky part. What part of Moses and the prophets? Is it the part of Moses that says, "There will be no one in need among you ...if you will obey the Lord your God" (Dt. 14:4-5), or is it the part of Moses that says separate yourselves from all who are unclean, "You shall be holy, for I the Lord am holy"? (Lev. 20:26) Was it the part of Moses that requires the relief of debts in the sabbatical year and the return of lands in the year of jubilee, or was it the part of Moses that establishes a purity code to separate the clean and the unclean? They have Moses and the prophets indeed. But which part of the Torah shall he follow? The Torah that protected the poor or the Torah that blamed and condemned the poor?

The rich man argues back. Abraham has obviously missed the point. He stops pleading and begins bargaining for special treatment, special privilege -- "If someone goes from the dead..." The common warning available to all people is obviously not enough, he is saying. Elite people deserve privilege, a bit of insider information. Now this rich man is in essence blaming God for his predicament. Blaming Abraham for not doing more to redeem him. If it didn't work for me and others like me, he is saying, Moses and the prophets are not enough. Send the beggar.

Of course Jesus' hearers understand the irony. If the ghost of Lazarus appeared to his brothers, who would believe a beggar, ghost or not. Besides, there was a Lazarus at every gate and on every corner. It may be that Hades is not an irrevocable judgment, but this man's refusal to see reality and to repent is rapidly making it so for him.

The reality is that the lives and fates of Lazarus and the rich man are intimately intertwined. Our lives and fates are linked with everyone else. What happens in Haiti impacts Fayetteville. The homeless man in the south Fayetteville woods is bound to the residents of the gated community in the suburbs. As another Anglican priest once wrote: "No man is an island, entire of itself; each is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less...: Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee." (John Donne, 1624)
Abraham begs us to listen to Moses and the prophets. "The Lord has told you, O mortal, what is good," says the prophet, "and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) If we do not listen to Moses and the prophets, will we be convinced even if someone rises from the dead?

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