Inspire

“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.” 

Luke 16:19-21 (NIV)

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus documents the story of two men who had very different lives here on Earth. The first, Lazarus, (not to be confused with Lazarus who was raised from the dead)  was a homeless beggar. The second was an unnamed rich man who refused to help Lazarus when he had the chance to do so. The parable outlines the destinies of these two men after they die. Angels carry Lazarus to heaven, where he is eternally blessed by God’s grace. When the rich man dies, he discovers that his luck has also been upturned as he ends up in hell with no chance of respite. Through this parable Jesus is asking people to contemplate what they value the most. Do we value our possessions and standing in the community at the expense of our faith and values? Will our possessions and social standing ever have eternal value?

What I find most challenging about this parable is that Jesus isn’t just talking about us loving each other, he is talking about loving those who need it the most. The poor, the sick, the lonely and the displaced. Jesus isn’t just challenging us, he’s setting the bar almost impossibly high. So how do we approach this? Our JVC showed us the way last week when they took over $500 of raised money and purchased meat for Lutheran Care. From all reports the response from Lutheran Care was quite emotional. The need for this type of food in our community is very high and our children did their bit. 

Submitted byJason Fay