A sermon preached at
Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 25
September 2016, the nineteenth Sunday after
Pentecost, by Dr. Hope S. Antone. The scripture readings that day were Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1
Timothy 6:6-12; 17-19; Luke 16:19-31.
Unique to the
gospel according to Luke are two stories in chapter16 that are quite
challenging to understand. I think some of us were struck by last Sunday’s
reading of the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13). For how could a
“dishonest” manager, in the face of being fired, receive commendation from his
rich master for reducing people’s debts? And what did Jesus mean by saying,
“make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest
wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes”
(Luke 16:9)?
Does this
mean that dishonest wealth is
alright? What about the ill-gotten wealth that many of our countries’ leaders
are known for? Listening to the parable of the shrewd manager brought these
examples to mind: wealth gained through corruption, misappropriation of funds,
siphoning of people’s money to dubious accounts abroad; or wealth gained
through human trafficking, or the illegal drugs trade.
I can only
think that Jesus told the parable from a different time and context than what
we know now. There must have been corruption then, but the corruption in modern
times, characterized by today’s kind of dishonest or ill-gotten wealth, is more
systemic, systematic, highly advanced and complicated.
Taking the
context then of that time, one commentary said that when the manager reduced
the debts, he was most likely removing what would have been his gain, through
commission. We are quite familiar with commission. It is the additional amount
that agents add on top of the suggested price, which consumers do not know
anything about, nor do owners care much about as long as their product is sold.
By cutting or removing the commission, the manager endeared himself to the
debtors while giving his rich master the expected price for his products. For
such shrewdness of thinking long-term and acting urgently, this former
“dishonest” manager was commended.
So how is
this connected to the gospel reading for today about the Rich Man and Lazarus
(Luke 16:19-31)?
As the story
goes, a rich man lived in luxury, wearing the most expensive clothes and
feasting every day. (According to commentaries, the purple dye was extremely
expensive obtained from the shellfish
murex). Preoccupied with his
self-indulgent life, he did not take notice of a sore-covered beggar named
Lazarus, who lay at his gate every day, hoping to eat what fell from the rich
man’s table. When Lazarus died, angels carried him to Abraham’s side. When the
rich man died, he went to Hades where he was greatly tormented. In agony, the
rich man saw Lazarus by the side of Abraham. The rich man called out to “Father
Abraham,” asking for Lazarus to be sent to cool his tongue. But Abraham said
there was a permanent chasm (separation) between his place of torment and the
place of comfort where Lazarus was. The rich man then begged Abraham to send
Lazarus to his five siblings so they could avoid getting to the place of
torment. But Abraham said they already have Moses and the Prophets (i.e. the
Scriptures) to teach them these things.
The rich man
did not use his wealth to make friends. He did not find poor and sickly Lazarus
worthy to be his friend. It was the dogs that took notice of Lazarus, as they
came to lick his sores. Now, these dogs were not the pet dogs of today that are
so well fed, well dressed, well groomed, which owners like to walk, talk to and
treat as their own children. These were wild dogs that roamed around to fend
for themselves, scavenging through garbage, including dead animals. This is why
in the Bible, dogs are considered unclean.
In the ancient
world, Lazarus’ state of poverty and sickness was viewed as a curse, a
consequence of sin; whereas wealth was seen as a sign of divine favor and blessing.
Jesus challenged that view through the reversal of life situations in the
story: the rich man descending from luxury to suffering; Lazarus ascending from
suffering to blessedness. It is to say that it is not true that “wealth =
blessing; poverty = curse”.
The
parable of the rich man and Lazarus has been used many times to pacify the
poor: “You may be suffering now, but think of the eternal bliss you will have
in heaven.” The parable has also been used by some zealous preachers to scare
people about the torment of hellfire and their need to repent. But there is
more to the parable than meets the eye.
The rich man
and Lazarus, two contrasting characters in the story, remind us of the ongoing
disparities between the rich and poor. But the reversals of their situations
teach us that these disparities are not fixed or divinely ordained. Instead,
such disparities are there due to the lack of compassion and responsible
stewardship especially on the part of those who have wealth and resources.
Indeed, a lot is expected from those who have more.
Many Bible
scholars say the parable is more about the use of wealth that can lead to
either a blessing or a curse.
Wealth itself
is not evil. In the words of Paul for Timothy, the “love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil” (I Timothy 6:10a). Love of money is shown in how money is
used: as a means to exercise power over others which can lead to abuse; as a tool of
self-indulgence to satisfy oneself at the neglect of others; as a tool to build
a name/reputation for oneself at the expense of others. But there is blessing
when wealth is put to the right use, e.g. as a resource to serve others.
In the
story of the shrewd manager, the use of wealth/money is linked to the advice to
make friends in order to ensure their welcome and help in the future. In a way,
this was still very self-serving, but it marked the beginning of a change. The
manager was commended by his rich master for his shrewdness, shown in a change
of attitude, a change of strategy, a change in the use of resources entrusted
to him.
In the
story of the rich man and Lazarus, the use of wealth/money is linked to
compassion for the needy, which is the expected response of those who know
their Scriptures, symbolized by Moses and the Prophets (Old Testament).
Wealth
then takes a dual meaning: material resources that we have been entrusted with;
and spiritual resources that we have been gifted with.
Material
wealth, whether in the form of money, land or other resources, is not something
that we can truly own. We are not to hoard it or to squander it in
self-indulgence. It is entrusted to us for our need and joy. We simply borrow
it from God, the source of all such things. Or, as some Indigenous people say,
we borrow it from the next generation. Indeed, we cannot take any of the
material wealth with us when we die. As Paul says to
Timothy (I Timothy 6:7), “we brought nothing into the world, so that we can
take nothing out of it.” Hence, wealth is a sacred trust. As such,
responsible stewardship is expected of us in the use of such wealth. And as the
parables show, wealth is to be used as a means of generosity, kindness, mercy
and compassion especially for those in need.
Spiritual
wealth is also something entrusted to us. When the rich man called on Father
Abraham for help, he claimed a religious heritage as a Jew, a person of faith.
We Christians can identify with him for we also regard Abraham as our father of
faith. But claiming a religious (or denominational) heritage is not a guarantee
of salvation. Our spiritual wealth of faith does not consist of church
membership or attendance in prayer meetings and Bible studies. These are
important for our growth in discipleship but they are means rather than the end
of our journey in discipleship. Spiritual wealth should show in our living out
our faith, inspired by Scriptures which point to loving God by loving God’s
people, the likes of Lazarus who are the outcasts, the unloved, the hopeless
and helpless...
It is our
task to identity the Lazaruses of our day. We have to be very discerning though
as to who they are and how we can be most helpful to them. They are not only
the beggar we see on the road. Their call for help may come to us through
email, a call, or whatsapp. The help they need may not be the spare coins or
lose bills we can give. We have to discern how to be truly helpful in a way
that would empower them. As the Chinese proverb reminds us, it is not good to
give fish, but to teach people how to fish. But nowadays, we also need to teach
people to analyze why there is less fish to catch – e.g. because of climate
change, pollution and the abuse of the environment – and what should be done
about it. Hence, helping the Lazaruses of our day is a more challenging task…
Paul’s advice to Timothy is a good summary of what it means to have wealth:
“As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty,
or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who
richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to
be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for
themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may
take hold of the life that really is life.” (I Timothy 6:17-19)
Brothers and
sisters in Christ, we all have been entrusted with some material wealth and
spiritual wealth. May we use it to serve God’s people in faithfulness to our
calling as Christ’s disciples.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, September 25, 2016
