Copyright 2018 by Shea Oakley<\/p>\n
All rights reserved<\/p>\n
The story of the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke has sometimes been used by those who decree the term \u201cwealthy Christian\u201d to be an oxymoron to justify their belief. But even if you categorically believe this to be the uniform teaching of the New Testament, and from a truly contextual approach I personally do not think that idea is tenable, this is definitely not the best passage to use to buttress it.<\/p>\n
The reason is easy to understand if you know a bit about the life of Abraham as it is told in the book of Genesis. In Genesis we read the following:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become rich; and he has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants, and maids and camels and donkeys.\u201d Genesis 24:35<\/strong><\/p>\n These words were spoken by Abraham\u2019s servant messenger during his journey to find an appropriate wife for his master\u2019s son, Isaac (ultimately Rebekah). There are other references to the patriarch\u2019s great wealth elsewhere in Genesis as well. Yet, at no point in the Bible is his status as one of the greatest \u201cheroes of the Faith\u201d somehow diminished by the mere fact of the material wealth he knew during his lifetime. Moreover, Jesus Himself obviously affirms this in here in Luke when He places Abraham in Heaven speaking with the less fortunate rich man who finds himself in Hell.<\/p>\n The reason the rich man is there has less to do with his wealth than about how he did or, in this case, didn\u2019t use it. We find out earlier in verses 19-21 that:<\/p>\n 19\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cThere was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.\u00a020\u00a0<\/sup>At his gate was laid a beggar\u00a0named Lazarus, covered with sores\u00a021\u00a0<\/sup>and longing to eat what fell from the rich man\u2019s table.\u00a0Even the dogs came and licked his sores.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In the next verse we find out that the rich man dies and ends up in \u201cHades.\u201d Meanwhile the beggar Lazarus, when he dies, finds himself in \u201cAbraham\u2019s bosom\u201d, an Old Testament term clearly used here by Jesus to refer to Heaven.<\/p>\n Why is the rich man in Hell? It is clear enough from the text that he never once lifted a finger to help a poor, sick man who daily laid by the gate to his opulent mansion. One of my study bibles declares that there was a \u201cfatal deficiency in the life\u201d of this man, and I think it is safe to say that this deficiency was his total lack of compassion for Lazarus, not the fact of his wealth. It seems to me that any number of far less affluent Israelites at the time could have shown the same lack of compassion as the rich man\u2026and suffered exactly the same fate.<\/p>\n The dialogue between Abraham and the rich man is that of one once materially rich person to another. For this reason wealth, in and of itself, cannot be the determining factor for the very different places in which the two ended up. The determining factor was character.<\/p>\n Having wealth here on earth carries with it great responsibilities, of that there is no doubt. We see this borne out elsewhere in the counsel of the word of God. We also see that having such wealth can often (though not always) be a dangerous temptation. In fact\u00a0loving<\/em>\u00a0wealth more than the God who allows it is more than a danger. Unless repented of it is a spiritual death sentence. It was, in fact, just that to the man in this parable. Being compassionate, at perhaps considerable cost, to the desperately needy man on his own doorstep apparently never crossed his mind, or his heart.<\/p>\n The reality of that neglect alone showed he loved money more than God because, like himself, Lazarus was a man made in that God\u2019s image and his welfare was infinitely more important to God than anyone\u2019s excessive material comfort. It should have also been far more important for the rich man in this parable. That it wasn\u2019t explains his fate and should be taken as a warning not just to the rich, but to all who may similarly neglect compassion\u2026including those who profess to be followers of Christ.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Copyright 2018 by Shea Oakley All rights reserved The story of the rich man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke has sometimes been used by those who decree the term \u201cwealthy Christian\u201d to be an oxymoron to justify their belief. But even if you categorically believe this to be the uniform teaching of the… <\/p>\n