Blind and Deaf
Lk. 16:19-31[1]
It’s so easy to grow complacent in our world of
abundance. At least for those of us who
are comfortable and satisfied. By that,
I mean those of us who have a roof over our heads and food on our tables, and
we have no reason to worry about whether we will have those things next month
or even next year. One of the inevitable
side-effects of that complacency is an unusual blindness. We find ourselves less and less able to even
see those who are struggling in our community.
Eventually we become so accustomed to overlooking them that they become
invisible to us. A related side-effect
of our complacency is a kind of deafness.
As we settle into the comparative ease of our lives, it becomes harder
and harder for us to even hear the call of the Scriptures not only to care
about those who are hurting, but to do something about it.[2]
I believe this is the point of Jesus’ parable about a rich
man and Lazarus. Those of us who have
enough tend to become blind to those around us who are in need and deaf to the
call of Scripture. What we have to
understand about the rich man is that he is not only rich, he’s very rich. He wears clothing that only kings could
afford.[3] He eats all he wants of the finest and
richest foods. And what is obvious to
those who have any shred of human compassion is that Lazarus is not only poor,
he’s completely destitute. He is so
hungry he doesn’t even want the food from the rich man’s table, he just wants
the scraps that fall on the floor. And
he’s apparently been in this condition for so long that his physical condition
has severely deteriorated. He’s so weak that he can’t even fend off the dogs
that are looking at him as if they are preparing for a meal!
In the story, their situations are radically reversed. Both men die, and fate of the rich man, who
was very likely a “pillar” of the community and a leader of the local
synagogue, is shocking in the extreme.
Instead of being rewarded in the afterlife, he finds himself in
torment. On the other hand, Lazarus, who
would have been despised by anyone who actually noticed him because they would
have assumed that he was a “sinner” getting what he deserved, winds up in
paradise, in the “bosom of Abraham.”[4] I’m not sure we could imagine a more radical
reversal of fortunes. It is a dramatic
illustration of the first becoming last and the last becoming first.[5]
I don’t really think that was the point of this particular
parable, however. It seems to me one of
the main points is the fact that this man who had incredible wealth ignored
Lazarus, a man who suffered terribly right at the very gate to his
household. How many times did the rich
man ignore Lazarus? It’s hard to
say. Did the rich man ever find himself
in a position of actually stepping over Lazarus. I would say that’s very likely. Do you think the rich man ever once actually
looked Lazarus in the eyes. I don’t
think so. The rich man had become so
complacent with his wealth and his comfortable life that he could no longer
even see Lazarus. What a travesty of the
mercy and compassion of God that this rich man doubtlessly saw as the source of
his good fortune.
After the drastic reversal of the two men’s fortunes, the
rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, to warn them not to make
the same mistake he had made. Abraham’s
reply is simple and to the point: “They have Moses and
the prophets; they should listen to them” (Lk. 16:29). The Scriptures have all the warning they need
to learn what it means to truly receive God’s mercy and to share it with
others. But the rich man’s response is
equally simple and blunt, “No, father Abraham” (Lk. 16:30). The rich man knew that they wouldn’t pay any
more attention to Moses and the prophets than he had. And I think this is another of Jesus’ lessons
in this parable. This man would have
been respected by his community, even by the synagogue, since wealth was viewed
as a blessing from God for one’s personal righteousness. And yet, in reality, his great wealth made
him deaf to the clear and repeated call of the Scriptures to share what we have
generously.[6] This is a call that is not just an occasional
feature in the Scriptures. This call is
woven throughout the Scriptures. Those
of us who have experienced God’s mercy are called upon to show that mercy--in
real ways--especially with those who were poor, or hurting, or resident
immigrants, or in any kind of need.[7]
Most of us don’t think of ourselves as rich, and so it’s all too easy
for us to turn a deaf ear to the call to share what we have with those around
us who don’t have what they need. Even
though we don’t think of ourselves as rich, most of us enjoy a standard of
living that is comfortable. And our
comfortable lifestyle encourages a complacency that makes it all too easy for
us to a blind eye to those around us who are hurting.[8] That’s one of the most dangerous temptations
of having all the “stuff” we have: it makes us blind to the people in need and
deaf to God’s call to help them. [9] And yet, being able to see a person living in
poverty and hunger as a fellow human being is a necessary part of our own
humanity. When we lose that ability, we lose a part of ourselves. Being able to hear God’s call to put
compassion and mercy into practice is
necessary part of our spirituality.
When we lose that ability, we lose a part of our very soul. I think that’s why Jesus told this
parable--to shock all of us who have become blind to the needy and deaf to the
call to compassion into opening our eyes and ears. When we do, we recover our humanity, we
regain our soul, and we find life.
[1] ©
2013 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by
Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 9/29/2013 at First Presbyterian Church of Dickinson, TX.
[2]
Cf. John Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34,
833: “The parable suggests that there is a profound challenge to the social
status quo to be found in the law and the prophets, and that there is a
desperate need for the privileged to search out their stipulations and to act
upon them.” Cf. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics 4.2.440, where he
reminds us that even our “charitable” deeds can be infected with this blindness
and deafness. He says, “There is a form
of love—mere charity—in which we do not love at all; in which we do not see or
have in mind the other man to whom it is directed; in which we do not and will
not notice his weal or woe; in which we merely imagine him as the object of the
love which we have to exercise, and in this way master and use him. Our only
desire is to practise [sic] and unfold our own love, to demonstrate it to him
and to others and to God and above all to ourselves.”
[3]
Cf. George W. Knight, "Luke 16:19-31: The Rich Man and Lazarus," Review and Expositor 94 (1997): 279, where
he cites Josephus as describing this as the clothing of royalty (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 8.183; 11.256).
[4]
Cf. Wade P. Huie, “The Poverty of Abundance,” Interpretation 22 (Oct 1968):404, where he observes, “Jesus
certainly does not follow the line of the Pharisees who claim that wealth is
God’s reward for righteousness and poverty is a sign of God’s judgment. ... Jesus
does not find fault with one for being rich and the other for being poor.” Cf. also Knight, “Luke 16:19-31,” 279.
[5] John
Haughey, “There’s No ‘Them’ There,” Living
Pulpit 13 (Oct-Dec 2004): 14. Cf.
also, Huie, “The Poverty of Abundance,” 406: On the surface Dives [the rich
man] is a success, but beneath the surface he has rejected his ultimate
responsibility: He has not loved his neighbor so he cannot be in love with God.
The tragedy is not that he harmed Lazarus, but that he ignored him.”
[6]
Mark Harris, “No Way Out” The Christian
Century (September 12-19,2001):18. He
says, “The rich man doesn't get ... that he could not hear, or did not listen
to, Moses and the prophets, who had a lot to say about justice, the poor and
those in need.”
[7]
Cf. Christine Pohl, “Building a Place for Hospitality,” in Christian Reflection: Hospitality (2007): 28, where she discusses
the biblical commands to care for the resident aliens, the poor, and the needy
under the heading of “Hospitality.”
[8] Huie,
“The Poverty of Abundance,” 403 says it well: “Since I am not poor and do not
feel rich, his words can easily hit me and bounce off.”
[9]
Pohl, “Building a Place for Hospitality,” 33: “The church as a primary site for
hospitality, and its important connection with the household, is overlooked.
Rarely do we consider engaging in a kind of hospitality that helps people
recover a place in the world and find healing within community.”
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