Before and After
St. Luke 16:19-31
June 6, 2021 anno Domini
In the text the Holy Spirit paints a before and after picture for us.
In the before picture we behold the American dream. There sits a rich man, an industrious man, a man who worked and saved, who was smart and decent. He now reclines in retirement, rich, dressed in an elegant purple gown by Hilfiger. Since the restaurants are open again he dines sumptuously every day. But there is a blemish in this perfect picture of prosperity. Right there at the end of his long driveway in Sauk Rapids, sits a poor man. You know that man. He is usually standing by Taco Bell or Applebee’s. Sometimes he’s over by Walgreens. But now someone regularly drops him off at the end of the rich man’s driveway. He’s a mess. He’s got some skin disease so no one’s going to hire him. He’s not asking for the rich man’s house, just a few crumbs from his table. The dogs are more merciful than the rich man – at least they are dressing his wounds. When you see that poor man you want to erase him from the picture, but as Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you.”
The after picture is a great reversal. Now it is the poor man who reclines in bliss. No more sores. No more suffering. No more hunger. Riches that are untouched by the markets or economy. He sat alone at the end of the driveway and now he is surrounded by good company. Today he is hanging out with Father Abraham – the Father of all who believe in Jesus. In this picture the rich man is the blight. He is all alone, dying of thirst, burning in a fire. He had all the riches in the world and now he would be satisfied with a drop of water to cool his tongue. Once again, you wish you could erase him from the picture, but as Jesus clearly testifies hell is for real and you should fear God who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
Here’s the problem with the text – you want to be the rich man in the first picture and Lazarus in the second, but you have the same problem as the rich man – you and I are spiritually nearsighted. In other words, I can’t see past my stomach, my heart, my mind. I cannot see past my immediate needs, desires, and pleasure. You leave Applebee’s after spending 60 dollars on a couple of burgers and beers and you won’t buy a happy meal for the guy standing on the corner. The first question you ask is “What do I want?” and the last question you ask is, “What does God say?” You’ll watch the markets, save your pennies, hope to retire to a big house in Sauk Rapids with a long driveway and feast sumptuously in your retirement, and you forget the after picture. You are seeing near, but not seeing far. Spiritually nearsighted people don’t get into heaven. Good people don’t get into heaven. Being upper middle class and living in a mansion on the river is no guarantee of a good future. Just ask the rich man.
No one wants to be Lazarus. No one wants to suffer, depend on others, or endure the scorn and indignation of the world. Yet, pay attention to Lazarus because his suffering and poverty and even the dogs licking his wounds, were used by God to keep him in the faith till the end. Lazarus may not have enjoyed a minute of his life, but he believed and confessed the Lord is good, and that was credited to him as righteousness. The righteousness of faith in Jesus opened heaven to Lazarus.
Repent for being the rich man, the nearsighted man, for judging your future good because life is good. Believe like Lazarus. That’s the difference in the before and after pictures – repent and believe.
Learn from the rich man what is not repentance. Repentance is for right now, because you don’t know when the Lord will come or when the time for repentance is over. The next time you jump into a sin might be the time the Lord hardens your heart and then like the rich man it’s too late. Don’t repent because you got caught. Don’t repent so you get something. Don’t tell God or Father Abraham what to do when you repent. That’s what the rich man did. He didn’t even say he was sorry to Lazarus. He just bossed him around. Repent. Don’t be the rich man.
Learn from Lazarus and Father Abraham what it is to believe. Faith is worked by the Word of God. “You have Moses and the Prophets.” That’s the Old Testament. Read it, study it, learn it, be in the Lord’s house every Lord’s day to hear it. Attend Bible Study. The Lord is faithful and He is merciful. He promised Father Abraham a son when Abraham and Sarah had been childless for 7 or 8 decades. Abraham believed the promise and the Lord gave Abraham far-sightedness. Remember when the Lord asked Abraham to kill his only son Isaac. Why was he willing to do that? Because his faith was far-sighted. He knew the Lord could and would raise Isaac to life, because God promised Isaac was the son through whom the world would be blessed. Isaac had to live.
You have Moses and the Prophets and you have even more – You have Jesus risen from the dead. You have the Evangelists and Apostles. You have the New Testament proclaiming to you that Christ died for your sin, the sin you were born with and your nearsighted sins of neglecting your neighbor in need and serving yourself good things. God is merciful. He gave His Son to die for the rich man who didn’t want Jesus and for Lazarus who needed Jesus. Your sins are forgiven and that forgiveness is won by Christ alone and therefore Christ alone is the way for you and Lazarus and the Rich Man to be in that picture of eternal bliss, to live with Father Abraham and God the Father without tears, without sores, without suffering, poverty, coveting, or anger towards your neighbor.
The rich man wanted Lazarus to return to earth and persuade his brothers, but the Gospel doesn’t persuade or coerce or argue. Jesus Christ died for your sins. That’s God’s Word and His Spirit working through that Word creates faith, not the preacher, not the congregation, not the church body. God’s Word works repentance and faith.
So what does this mean for you? Be more diligent about the Word than you are about the world. I’ve received a couple negative comments for saying in my sermon a few weeks ago that you cannot be a Christian without going to church. Prove me wrong and I will repent. I am not above correction and in case you don’t know it, I sin. Just hang around me for a while. Find the verse where Jesus says, “If you love me you’ll listen to my Word when it works for you.” “Do this occasionally, Christmas and Easter at least, in remembrance of me.” “I am the vine and you are the branches. Don’t worry if you’re not connected to me. Haven’t you seen branches that have fallen from the tree continue to grow?” You might think this is just my sarcasm shining through here. Pastor Timm getting a dig in from the pulpit but it is not. I am required to preach the Word of God in its fullness for your faith. The Holy Spirit uses the external Word of God alone to create faith, so you’d better be sure I’m preaching the Word. You should know God’s Word so well that you could call me out for preaching or teaching falsely, because without the pure Word of God we all run the danger of being the rich man in torment. That is not what God wants for us and it is not the picture He painted for us with the blood of His Son. God wants us, all of us, in the picture of life, of bliss with Him and Lazarus and Father Abraham. The way into the picture is repentance and faith in the name of Jesus. Amen.