Jump Start # 1346

Luke 16:19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.”

  This week we are taking a closer look at the powerful and wonderful story of the rich man and Lazarus. Contextually, Jesus told this because in verse 14 Luke records, “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.” Jesus is trying to get the Pharisees, and He is trying to get us, to see ourselves in this story. Everyone would like to live like the rich man. The expensive clothing. The big gated house. Purple. Joyously living in splendor every day. Habitually dressed in purple. This man didn’t have one nice outfit that he wore to weddings. All his outfits were nice. The King James Version tells us that the rich man “fared sumptuously every day.” That word ‘sumptuously’ is from the Greek word ‘lampros’ – similar to our word ‘lamp,’ and it means ‘bright.’ This word is used to describe angels in their brilliant and shinny clothing. It’s used of Jesus as the ‘bright and morning star.’ It’s this word that is used to describe the excess of the rich man.

The rich man had a lot. We are not told how he acquired his wealth. Did he work hard? Was it inherited? Was he dishonest and a cheat? Don’t know. What is more important is what  he did with it. And our one verse tells us. He spent it on himself. Luke paints a picture for us of a man who bought whatever he wanted. He wasted it all on himself. Large gated house. Fine clothes. Excessive food. It’s a image of a person that has no limits, no control and no sense. We see the same today with Powerball winners. Statistics reveal that most are broke within a few years after winning millions. What happened? They spent it. Like a kid in a toy shop, they want everything and it’s wasted.

There is a balance here that is important for us to understand. Wealth and faith are not in conflict with one another nor is wealth evil. The problem comes from within ourselves. What does wealth do to us? I know many wealthy Christians. They have fine homes and nice automobiles. I have known personally what some of them have done through the years with their money. It’s an amazing story. Few know these stories because they are not braggers. They have paid for young people to attend college. They have helped others out who have made a mess financially. They have funded book projects. They have been the financial backbone of many congregations. They have personally paid preachers wages when congregations couldn’t. At funerals, they have handed a wad of cash to widows to help pay for the expenses. They have paid the costs for others to get help through rehabs and counseling. Their hearts have been open and generous. The thing is, most people don’t know these things. They see them as rich guys and some are even jealous of them. They have worked hard all of their lives and have not lived as the rich man in Luke 16.

The other story here is that the love of money and the love of stuff can consume us. I have also seen the ugliness of that. Selfish hearts that are closed and indifferent to the needs about them. Walking in the same steps as Jesus’ rich man in Luke 16, the good that could have been done, wasn’t because of these stingy attitudes. It is often the case that those who suffer with the love of money actually do not have much money. It’s not the money, it’s the love of it, or our attitude toward it that gets us in trouble. It’s not so much what you have but rather what has you. Timothy was told that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil and some by longing for it have wondered away from the faith. In James, the rich was favored and the poor was ignored. Wealth opens doors and provides opportunities that the poor man never has. But wealth comes with responsibility and obligations. Jesus said, to whom much is given, much is required. The five talent man was able to do more than the two talent man. He started off with more than the two talent had. New cars, large homes, fancy clothes have their place as long as they do not change me nor close my eyes to the good that I can do for others, especially in helping the kingdom grow.

The Pharisees loved money. They loved status. They would love our times. Labels. Italian. Silk. I was in a tie store the other day. I love ties, my weakness. I have one condition when it comes to buying ties. The tie cannot cost more than the suit. The one I had my eye on did. It was sharp, bold and screamed “Hello”  in three languages. It was my kind of tie. The salesman was telling me who made it. I assume it was an Italian. I didn’t know if the name was a player on the Yankees, a type of food that some eat or a disease. Never heard of it. All I saw was the price tag and I walked. The salesman begged me to come back in a few weeks because the tie would then be on sale for half price. Still too much for me. I walked. The love of money can make us dizzy. We confuse what we need with what we want. Those are not the same. Poor Lazarus needed food and water. He didn’t need the rich man’s purple. He didn’t need the rich man’s gate. He didn’t need the rich man’s house. I think it starts off early in life with kids. I’m in the grandparent phase now and something comes over grandparents and we feel that it is our lot in life to spoil those cute little grandchildren. So we buy and buy and buy for them. Grandparents can afford it. However, we may be sending the wrong message to them. There is something good about being patient and working for things. There is something good about simple. Excess can destroy.  The love of money is a thirst that cannot be satisfied and it blinds us.

I believe this is what Jesus was wanting us to find here in Luke 16. This rich man had so much. Poor Lazarus was sick and dying and laying at the gates. The rich man never seemed to notice. He ignored. He looked the other way. Lazarus wasn’t a street bum with a cardboard sign that was looking for a free handout when he could and should have been working. Lazarus was ill. He was hopeless. He wasn’t looking to move in with the rich man. He wasn’t wanting to force his way into the rich man’s will. He needed some basics, food, medicine, maybe a blanket.

In this story of Luke 16, Lazarus never speaks a word. The rich man has a conversation with Abraham. The rich man brings up Lazarus, but the poor man  never says a word. Interesting.

God is generous with us. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard, Matthew 20, illustrates that. The man who worked but one hour, at the best time of the day, was paid the same as those who worked all day long. God is generous. God’s people need to be the same. Shame on us for closing our hearts to the needs of others, especially our brethren. Shame on us for spending everything on self. God bless those heroes among us who have the heart like the Lord. They have helped the lives of many families, often without even a thank you in return.

Luke 16 is not about socialism. It is not about the rich man giving half of his wealth away. It’s a picture of what the love of money does to us. It can become so ugly that we would even ignore a hurting man at our door. I’m sure the rich man justified himself, most lovers of money are good at that. This is how they sleep at night. He must have complained about why someone would drop Lazarus off at his gate. The poor man was an eye sore. The poor man should leave. The poor man bothers the rich man. Yet, the purse strings and the heart remained closed. His love of self and money would be the very thing that cast him into torment.

The Pharisees had problems with this. Jesus wanted them to see where that problems takes them. Now, how about you? Do you have a love of money problem? Are you living behind closed gates, closed hearts and closed purse strings? Maybe it’s time to open things up. Maybe it’s time to try to make a difference in the lives of those about us. Maybe God has given to us so that we can give to others. Maybe we can help our part of the kingdom.

Every day the rich man fared sumptuously. Every day. That’s something to think about!

Roger