18th Sunday after Pentecost 9/27/07 Text: Luke 16:19-31

18th Sunday after Pentecost
9/29/2007
Text: Luke 16:19-31
Title:
This story that Jesus is telling us in today's gospel reading is a very difficult passage for most of us, for along with the Old Testament lesson this morning, it speaks to us of the difficulty that some people have gotten themselves into being rich.
Notice I said some people. I am not picking on anyone or condemning wealth itself, for being wealthy gives a person a chance to do more good than others with little or no wealth.
You say you are not wealthy, well according to the latest statistics that I read Friday concerning the distribution of wealth throughout the world, if you make 12,000 dollars a year you are in the top 15 percent of all the people in the world. If you have an income of 20,0000 dollars a year you are in the top 9 percent of the wealthiest people in the world. And if you have an annual income of 60,000 dollars a year you are in the top 4 percent. And you did not think that you were wealthy.
We are so use to having wealth here in the United States that we lose sight of how poor the rest of the world is. Why our poor, those we see struggling to make a living make more than 60 percent of the population of the world. Surely God has blessed us
The Gospel lesson is not about money and wealth, or living large. He is speaking of the love of money, goodies, and living well. He is speaking of those things that harden our hearts toward those who are in need of help.
No, God is not condemning the wealthy in this passage. He is warning each of us to not let our desire or personal wealth get in the way of our Christianity. You will see what I mean by that as we take a look at our Gospel reading this morning.
I pray that as we look at this very familiar story that the Holy Spirit will move among us today, so that we will know what true riches are, and understand that the great chasm that divides some people from others, will be duplicated in the next.
Before we actually get into the story it is important to know who Jesus is talking to, so we get a better understanding of the text. If you have your Bible with you look back a few verses to verse 14. There we see that Jesus is talking to the Pharisees who were lovers of money.
Now Pharisees were not a bad people in the eyes of their people. They were in fact considered righteous because they kept the laws of God, at least they outwardly kept them. They were wealthy and very influential, wielding a lot of power so the people looked up to them.
There is no doubt that the rich man saw Lazarus waiting at the gate of the house, the dogs licking his sores. There he lay, as Lazarus waited for the crumbs, the leftovers so that he could eat. These were not just any old breadcrumbs, for it was the custom of the very rich to wipe their hands with bread and then throw the bread away.
We know that the rich man knew Lazarus for when he called out from hell he asked Abraham to send Lazarus to bring him a drop of water. A little further we read where he wants Abraham to send Lazarus back to speak to his brother.
You notice that the rich man shows no sign of repentance. Notice that he does not even speak directly to Lazarus. The rich man still thinks of Lazarus as being a nobody, someone only there to serve him, to do his errands.
The chasm that separated them on earth still separates them in the afterlife. But least you think that the poor and downtrodden get a free pass to heaven while the rich, especially those who do not use the riches to care for people in need go automatically to hell you need to closely examine the text.
You see this rich man was not just your run of the mill rich person. He was religious. We know that because he recognizes Abraham, for he calls 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 anguish in this flame." Abraham in responding to him calls him child, a sign of endearment.
This tells us that this rich man a religious Jew. He more than likely kept the laws of his religion, which would include taking care of the needy. I would imagine that just like most of us he probably thought taking care of the needy was someone else’s job, certainly not his.
Just like us, he more than likely had worked hard to earn his wealth and was just enjoying the fruits of his labor. He needed to watch out, for if he did not take care of himself; who would?
I am not here to make you feel guilty, but. Don’t you hate it when someone says “but” to you. But, if we allow Satan to tell us that we have to take care of ourselves, that we do not have enough to share with the needy, we have let him win.
We are wealthy, especially when we compare ourselves to the world population. And just like that rich man too many times we ignore the needy, as we treat them being less than us.
That's not nice - especially not nice since we are aware that there is a lot of need out there. This whole passage, given our context as a people who have so much more than 90% of the world's population is distressing; even for those who share their time, give their money, and spend their compassion on the poor and needy within our town and indeed within our world community.
You say, “Is not that what I give my money for? Is that not what our Oktoberfest money is used for? Yes it is, at least some of it. And I am sure that the rich man who more than likely was a religious man and who probably tithed felt the same way, as he stepped over or walked around Lazarus each day and where did it get him.
Now I do not mean by that that, that our good works, the taking care of the needy gets us to heaven, for it does not. What taking care of the needy does, is show the depth of our faith.
Do you look down on the needy and those in trouble, or does your heart go out to them? Whichever way you react to those in need shows the depth, or the shallowness of your faith. It shows how dedicated you are to following Jesus.
I know some of you might not like me to say that, but it is the truth. That is why Jesus speaks so much of caring for the needy. That is what he did and since we are his disciples that is what we are to do.
Now we as a congregation and some of you sitting here this morning take care of the needy. Last year we helped to build a water-well so that the villagers could have clean water and the young girls would not be molested as they went down to the water hole. We helped support the mission in Panama, supplementing the pastor’s salary, buying supplies, and paying for some the children to go to school.
This year our Oktoberfest profits are going to be used for buying Land in Uganda, so that a village can grow its own crops. Our Panama mission will once more be sent money to supplement the pastor’s salary, buy supplies, and send children to school. We have helped as a congregation the children’s shelter and the women’s shelter. We give money to Christian services to help those dealing with drug and alcohol issues. Some of you support the food pantry on the second Sunday of every month, by bringing groceries. Some buy toys and clothes for the children of prisoners. Some pay for and mark the Bibles we send to the county jail. We send money to the Southern district so that they can do the work they need to do. We send money to Synod so that they can do the work we cannot do by ourselves.
We do a lot, but I would think that the synagogue that the rich man probably belonged to also did a lot. He still went to hell and why did he? Was it because he did not help Lazarus? In a way I would have to say yes, for he let his religion get in the way of his being a true follower of God.
You see it is not enough to just give money, as important as that is, for you do not have to be a Christian to help the needy. What is important is the motivation behind the caring for the needy.
This Gospel lesson today is a difficult one, for it can cause us great discomfort, for we all know how hard our hearts have become concerning those in need. It is a good sign that most of you have had your conscience struck with today's gospel reading, for it shows that you still care. You are listening to Moses and the Prophets and are being convinced by the testimony of the one who has risen from the dead, Jesus Christ.
The proof of that is that you are here this morning to listen to his words of forgiveness, healing and encouragement and in doing so are worshiping God.
You are here, I am certain, not simply to enjoy a song, or have the kids gain a good experience, but to listen to the words the risen Jesus and to be shaped by those words so that you may indeed seek justice, and love, kindness, and walk humbly with our God.
So allow the words of Jesus in today's gospel sink in. Be uncomfortable, but do not feel guilt, unless you really need to feel guilt, and if you do, repent and trust in God’s mercy day by day and if need be, hour by hour and minute by minute.
You should be uncomfortable, just as I am, with this text, for if you are either not feeling anything at all, or your angry with me, actually God’s Word, for bringing up the subject of money and our attitude toward it repentance is in order.
To those who seek true riches, the riches that really count, I tell you to continue pursuing righteousness and faith and love, continue to feel uncomfortable, to struggle with the question of what you are doing and not doing, the question of how well you love your neighbors and how well you love your God.
Feel uncomfortable, but also feel assured, for the one who rose from the dead has promised to help you and to forgive you and he will be true to his promise. He will guide you day by day as you continue to yield your life to him. He doesn't expect you to do everything for everyone, only to do everything you can and to trust him for the rest.
Hear Saint Paul's words in 1Timothy 6:6-10, “Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
To this I might add the love of God and the loving of all people is the root of all goodness. Blessed be the one who rose from the dead and who speaks to us now. And blessed are all those who hear his words and act upon them. Amen

17th Sunday after Pentecost 9/23/07 Text: Luke 16:1-13 Title: Wake up call.

17th Sunday after Pentecost
9/23/2007
Text: Luke 16:1-13
Title: Wake up call.
This morning I want to talk to you about another hard saying of Jesus. We find it in verse 9 of our Gospel reading for this morning. But, before we get to it, I want to go over the Gospel reading first so that you will know the context in which he spoke.
We see in verse 1 that Jesus is talking to his disciples, those men and women who were following him around the countryside as he taught them. Jesus is telling them a story about a rich man who apparently had a large enough business that he needed a manager to watch over his business affairs, at least some of them.
The manager was caught doing something wrong, or at the very least he was a poor manager. He gets fired. He is to turn in his bookkeeping books and then leave.
Well the books must have been in another place, for the manager has time to as we say, “cook the books”. He goes to at least two of the people that owed money to his boss, there might have been more, and tells them to change the amount they owe.
Well, of course they were happy to oblige. They might have not known that the manager had been fired or they might have known. It really does not make any difference, for the outcome is the same.
The rich businessman lost money, the debtors were not in as much debt, and the crooked ex-manager was assured that later when he was out of work he would be watched out for by those he helped.
Now there are all type of theories about the rich man and the poor manager. They all share one thing in common. They all try to make the ex-manager out as the hero of the story. They do this because his ex-boss commends him for his shrewdness, even though he is still fired, which it appears that all the commentators overlook. And at first glance it also appears that Jesus commends him for his shrewdness, even though it is not written that he does.
We read that into the text because we want God to approve our shrewdness when we make a good deal, or come out on top of someone else.
I read in the paper a couple of weeks ago, maybe you did too, about a woman who had found a billfold in a casino down at the coast. It had 300 dollars in it. She turned in the billfold minus the 300 dollars. When asked why she kept the money she said, “She had done nothing wrong, for she figured that God was just using her to teach the man a lesson because he was not suppose to be gambling.” See how easily she managed to turn her sin into something that God would have approved of.
But before we condemn her we need to look at ourselves to see if we are guilty of doing the same thing. Now I am sure none of you have ever kept the money in a wallet or a purse that you might have found, but how many times have you gotten something for nothing, at the expense of someone else and not tried to correct the situation.
What about the time that the clerk gave you the wrong change back and you did not say anything, as you thanked your lucky stars? Or that time you received an invoice that had an error in your favor and rather than going to the company and straightening it out, you quickly paid the bill before they found out. Or how about that time or times when you did not report all your income on your tax report? Or maybe you received a double shipment of something you ordered and was not charged for it and you just kept the merchandise. I could go on and on, but I am sure by now you have gotten the idea that we all have taken advantage of someone else’s misfortune.
But having said I believe that we all still admire in at least some small way the shrewdness of the manager, for he took care of himself and that is a good thing, isn’t it?
We forget one thing, actually a couple of things. Even though the rich man commended the manager for his shrewdness he was still fired. We also forget that Jesus never commended him for his shrewdness. Like I said earlier we read that into the text even though it is not there.
We read it into the text, because of what Jesus tells his disciples in the last half of verse 8 and then in verse 9 “For those of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than those of the light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwelling.”
It appears that Jesus is telling us that we need to be like the shrewd manager so that when we get to heaven we will be rewarded by those we helped by our dishonesty.
That is what it appears he is saying and we puzzle over such an odd saying. First of all Jesus is telling his disciples, thus us, that we are to be as smart concerning our relationship with God, as those of the world who are just making sure that their earthly lives are taken care of.
Being smart about our faith is studying the Word of God; it is spending time in prayer. It is listening to God’s voice as we lead our lives in such a way that we give glory to God in all we do. It is loving the unlovable. It is doing all those things that those of the world think are dumb. That is being smart/shrewd.
Now let us look at verse 9 for it is a hard saying, rather troubling. There has been a lot written over the years about these verses, all of them attempting to make sense out of something that goes against Jesus’ teachings. He appears to be telling his disciples to make sure they take care of those around us, so that when we die they will welcome us into heaven. In other words, the good we do in this life will be rewarded.
Now deep down we like that, don’t we, for it involves us in our salvation. But I have to tell you that this verse could not mean that, for it goes against too many verses in the Bible that say just the opposite.
There are some who say that by shrewdly using one’s money to share the Word of God with others that they if they die first will welcome you in heaven.
While that some good things to say about it, it still does not catch the essence of what Jesus is saying. To get the true meaning you need to read the rest of verses that formed our Gospel reading for this morning. When you read the rest of the Gospel reading you see Jesus is speaking strongly about not letting things of this world get in the way of our salvation. He tells us that you cannot serve two masters. If you have ever had that happen in your life, you know what he is saying is true. You simply cannot serve two masters.
Concerning our relationship with Jesus, just like the readings that we have been going over the last several weeks we see that Jesus demands that he be number one in our lives.
There can only be one thing you put your trust in. It can be the things of this world which will fail us. Or it can be Jesus who will never fail us in this life or the next and there will be a next for we will be raised up from our graves reunited with our souls and then live with God and all other believers in God in the new heaven and earth.
So Jesus could not be speaking of earthly things being rewarded in heaven. As I have heard, “That dog will not hunt.” No he has to mean something different.
The Pharisees and religious leaders thought that their keeping the Law, at least their law was making them righteous before God. Their wealth and prestige was proof of that.
The disciples, though not as self-righteous as the religious leaders were looking for Jesus to ascend a throne, after kicking out the Romans. As we know by God’s Word, they wanted to be rewarded for all they had gone through in following Jesus. It is no different today, for there are many people who follow Jesus so that they will have prosperity, and health.
The Pharisees, the disciples, and those who think like them have missed the entire reason for Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection. He came to take our punishment so that we can be free. He was a miserable failure according to the world, that is why I am so surprised that so many teach that believing in him will give one success in the world.
Jesus is using irony in verse 9 to make a life saving point. I say that because what we perceive him to be saying is not what he is saying. He is said what he said in verse 9 to make a point, to get his listeners to think about their belief system. In other words he said what he did to shake them up so that they would get on the right path.
Here is what I mean. I am going to have to add a few words to Jesus’ statement, in other words amplify it so that it is clearer. Jesus is telling his disciples, “If you think that using money or goods to make friends here on this earth will be rewarded in heaven, go ahead and see what happens. See if you will be greeted by your friends after you die.”
He wanted to make sure that his disciples; that includes us, are perfectly clear that we as his children are to be wise with our money, but that what we do with it, even when it is put to good use, does no good for us spiritually.
It is the only explanation that works within the context of the story that Jesus is telling. What does this mean for us today? It is a good question and one that has to be answered.
What we are to get out of this reading I believe is that it does not make any difference how successful a Christian is in this life, or how shrewd or smart you are with your belongings. As good as those things are, for they are only good for this life. They do not make you righteous.
What is important is that we learn that learn that Jesus did not come to this earth so that we can be successful. He did not become one of us so that we can be healthy. All of that stuff is for this lifetime only.
Jesus became human for only one reason, and that is to take our punishment. Someone had to pay the price and that someone had to be without sin. That person had to completely and fully trust in God to care for him, and to, yes, raise him from the dead. That person is Jesus who desires all to be saved.
This story is about Jesus and his breaking into our lives, so that we will quit depending on earthly things for salvation. Who is Jesus in your life? I pray that he is your Savior, for he is the only one that will not only see you through this life, but the next. Amen.