March 21st, 2026
Saturday, March 21
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
~Luke 16:19-25
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
~Luke 16:19-25
_____________________________________
One thing Jesus seems to have drawn attention to over and over again, especially in Luke’s gospel, was economics. Money. Wealth. But this was also about acquiring and status. Acquiring status. Jesus talks about this more than human sexuality, heaven/eternal life, or hell/Hades. In fact, many of Jesus’ limited references to eternal torment are reserved for the wealthy and those who pursue their own gain (Matthew 25:31-48; Luke 12:13-21; 16:19-31).
Jesus’ words about wealth and money make us uncomfortable. Jesus had some pretty difficult things to say. And, if we’re honest, most of us are not among the poor or low-class. Like it or not, if we’re going to take Scripture seriously, we have to concede that our culture’s ways sit uncomfortably in the crosshairs of Jesus’ words about wealth and money.
Let’s be clear: Jesus isn’t condemning the people who are wealthy (at least not directly). But he does offer prophetic warning. This is not Jesus being a stingy judgmentalist. What Jesus is really doing is pronouncing a different system of human living, prophetically witnessing to something other than the dominant option on hand in the 1st century, where wealth and status are things people think they should pursue.
The rich man in Luke 16 stands among other stories of prophetic witness. The rich man had more than he needed. The poor man, Lazarus, had far less. We don’t know why. One can presume all kinds of reasons, especially in our world now: one worked hard, the other was lazy. That doesn’t matter to the story, or to Jesus.
In the 1st century, it was the rich man who would have had status and been known because of his wealth. In Jesus’ story, the rich man is nameless. Yet, the poor man who is overlooked has a name. And it is he who receives good fortune in the next life.
God does not care about the accumulated wealth and status of the rich. God is unimpressed. Psalm 147:10 echoes this: “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior.” Strong horses, strong warriors. Wealth. Status. Looks impressive to humans. Not to the Lord.
The prophetic imagination of Jesus proclaims an alternative. Money, possessions, and status will always be a thing in our world. Jesus’ story reminds the rich man that it was all “given.” We cannot build status or identity over others on the basis of what we’re given. We base it on the giver, who gives for the sake of all.
Lent invites us to imagine with Jesus. It calls us to repent where the rich man did not, and to reckon with the reality that everything is given, not possessed. Lent creates the space for us to turn around and notice what the rich man did not, and find our name, our identity, in undoing the system of wealth pursuit. It’s a call to another way of doing things, and it calls into question the value our world places on wealth and status. It’s all been given. Instead of pursuing wealth and status, Christ calls us to notice others, to pay attention to what God desires we do with what he’s given us.
_____________________________________
For reflection:
Prayer: God of mercy, you are the giver of all things. You have given us our lives, or abilities, and our resources. Open our eyes so that we do with all that is given to us what you’d want us to do. Amen.
One thing Jesus seems to have drawn attention to over and over again, especially in Luke’s gospel, was economics. Money. Wealth. But this was also about acquiring and status. Acquiring status. Jesus talks about this more than human sexuality, heaven/eternal life, or hell/Hades. In fact, many of Jesus’ limited references to eternal torment are reserved for the wealthy and those who pursue their own gain (Matthew 25:31-48; Luke 12:13-21; 16:19-31).
Jesus’ words about wealth and money make us uncomfortable. Jesus had some pretty difficult things to say. And, if we’re honest, most of us are not among the poor or low-class. Like it or not, if we’re going to take Scripture seriously, we have to concede that our culture’s ways sit uncomfortably in the crosshairs of Jesus’ words about wealth and money.
Let’s be clear: Jesus isn’t condemning the people who are wealthy (at least not directly). But he does offer prophetic warning. This is not Jesus being a stingy judgmentalist. What Jesus is really doing is pronouncing a different system of human living, prophetically witnessing to something other than the dominant option on hand in the 1st century, where wealth and status are things people think they should pursue.
The rich man in Luke 16 stands among other stories of prophetic witness. The rich man had more than he needed. The poor man, Lazarus, had far less. We don’t know why. One can presume all kinds of reasons, especially in our world now: one worked hard, the other was lazy. That doesn’t matter to the story, or to Jesus.
In the 1st century, it was the rich man who would have had status and been known because of his wealth. In Jesus’ story, the rich man is nameless. Yet, the poor man who is overlooked has a name. And it is he who receives good fortune in the next life.
God does not care about the accumulated wealth and status of the rich. God is unimpressed. Psalm 147:10 echoes this: “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior.” Strong horses, strong warriors. Wealth. Status. Looks impressive to humans. Not to the Lord.
The prophetic imagination of Jesus proclaims an alternative. Money, possessions, and status will always be a thing in our world. Jesus’ story reminds the rich man that it was all “given.” We cannot build status or identity over others on the basis of what we’re given. We base it on the giver, who gives for the sake of all.
Lent invites us to imagine with Jesus. It calls us to repent where the rich man did not, and to reckon with the reality that everything is given, not possessed. Lent creates the space for us to turn around and notice what the rich man did not, and find our name, our identity, in undoing the system of wealth pursuit. It’s a call to another way of doing things, and it calls into question the value our world places on wealth and status. It’s all been given. Instead of pursuing wealth and status, Christ calls us to notice others, to pay attention to what God desires we do with what he’s given us.
_____________________________________
For reflection:
- Read the following parables: Luke 12:13-21;16:19-31;Matthew 19:16-30. What prophetic challenge do these give our lives? What sort of alternative way of living do they invite into?
- For those with kids: Ask them if there’s anything in this world that is not given to them by God. Start with the year they were born, what color of eyes they have, the family they were born into, the ability to use their eyes, hands, and brain to do things. Ask if they did anything to “earn” these things. If they have not earned any of these things, ask if anyone else is any different. What difference does this make for what they have in this life and how they pay attention to others?
Prayer: God of mercy, you are the giver of all things. You have given us our lives, or abilities, and our resources. Open our eyes so that we do with all that is given to us what you’d want us to do. Amen.
No Comments