Bible Passage: Luke 16:19-31
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: September 25, 2022

Bulletin September 25, 2022

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,
The story tells itself. As Jesus speaks, who cannot envision the rich man he describes? There he is. He’s got the big luxurious house in the gated community. He is described as wearing purple. Purple cloth was extremely expensive due to the painstaking way in which it was made. The purple dye was harvested from little glands on certain kinds of sea snails. It was labor-intensive and costly. The rich man also wore fine linen. The word Jesus uses often referred to linen from Egypt. Even today a men’s dress shirt made from Egyptian cotton is considered one of the finest there is.
And then Jesus gives us Lazarus. He is poor. Beggerly poor. Destitute. He was laid at the rich man’s gate. That suggests he was not able to walk there himself. Someone, perhaps friends, laid him there. Lazarus was generally not in good health. His body was covered with open sores. The poor would sometimes linger by the homes of the rich in the hopes that the rich might show some compassion. Poor Lazarus lay at the rich man’s gate. He was hoping that someone might bring him some of the food that had fallen onto the floor, after all, it was just
going to go to waste or be cleaned up and thrown to the dogs running the streets.
Speaking of dogs, Jesus adds this detail, the dogs came and licked the sores that covered Lazarus. Now, don’t think of Fluffy and Spot and Scooter. The Jews didn’t have pet house dogs. The dogs in Jesus’ day were feral street dogs. They ran in packs and scrounged for food. The Jews hated them. The dogs came and licked the putrid sores on the beggar. Jews would have roundly considered that “disgusting.”
But then something happens. We are told, …the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. (v. 22) What a way to describe the moment of death! Poor Lazarus’ soul exits his sore-covered, dog-licked body and is escorted by the holy angels into heaven! This beggar is borne on angels’ wings to glory! What a peaceful, exciting way to speak of, and think about, death! Jesus continues: The rich man also died and was buried. (v. 22) No angels’ wings. No Abraham. Just blunt-force truth. He died. And those horrible next two words: In hell…(v. 23)
How do we account for the difference? How do we explain one man being born on angels’ wings to eternal comfort in heaven and one man going to eternal agony in hell? Is it a virtue to be poor and a vice to be rich? Let’s keep going in the story and we will find our answer why beggars are borne on angels’ wings.

The rich man in hell calls out to Abraham, Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this flame. (v. 24) Indeed his agony is great; the relief of a drop of water is all he wants. But Abraham informs him that there is “crossing over” or “visits” from heaven to hell, or vice versa.

The rich man then begs for something else. He asks if Lazarus can go back and make an appearance to his five brothers to warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment. (v. 28) “Warn them.” He wants Lazarus to do what Marley did to Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Warn them. Scare them. To put the fear of hell into them!
What Abraham says next is key! They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them. (v. 29) That did not mean they literally had Moses and a bunch of prophets with them. “Moses and the Prophets” is what the Jews called the Old Testament scrolls. Those scrolls were written by Moses and prophets. Instead of “Moses and the Prophets” we would say, “Bible.” Abraham says, “They have the Bible. Let them listen to the Bible.”
The rich man objects. “No! If a man comes back from the dead, they will listen!” That would be flashy, spectacular, shocking, jolting, impressive, effective! Not just ink on scrolls! But Abraham says, If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. (v. 31) There’s the answer to the question, “How can beggars be borne on angels’ wings?” It’s the scrolls, it’s the text, it’s the Word!
What would one find reading Moses and Prophets? Here we do well to remember Jesus’ summary of what the scrolls, Moses and the Prophets, were all about. He said to the people, You diligently study the Scriptures because you believe that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me! (John 5:39) Moses wrote about Jesus! All of the sacrifices Moses wrote about were little shadows of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. The prophets wrote about Jesus. Think about Isaiah writing about the Suffering
Servant of the Lord who would be pierced for our transgression, crushed for our iniquities, whose punishment and wounds would bring us peace and healing. Moses and the Prophets formed the faith of such believers as Simeon, who after holding baby Jesus in his arms, said, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation. (Luke 2)
How blessed are we not only to have Moses and the Prophets, but we now possess the writings of the apostles as well. And the fullness of God’s revelation to us still serves the same purpose: that beggars might one day be borne on angels’ wings to heaven for Jesus’ sake.
They reveal to us the one who suffered the same agony the rich man suffered in your place.
They reveal to us Jesus whose first appearance on Easter morning was in hell to proclaim his victory. They reveal to us the Man who did come back from the dead and appeared to people not to put the fear of hell into people, but to woo them to an open heaven! These Scriptures speak to us beggars and give us hope, the sure and certain hope that in the moment of our death, we – beggars, all – will be borne on angels’ wings to heaven, to Abraham, and Lazarus, and loved ones who have gone before, to Jesus!
And if you’ve got five brothers and you want them in heaven, what they need more than anything else is the Word of God. The prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments, which are laden and saturated with the Good News of Jesus.
We need nothing more, nothing less than Scripture. I knew a lady once who said B-I-B-L- E stood for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” The evangelist John said it this way: These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)…that beggars might be borne on angels’ wings home to heaven.

Amen.