Keys of the Kingdom
Luke 16:19-31
Have you ever been tantalized by something? Once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. Having learned something remarkable, your mind keeps coming back to that new discovery. One of the most tantalizing things I’ve ever found in the Bible comes from Mark’s gospel in chapter 4. It says: “Jesus told parables, and only parables, whenever he was teaching a crowd. Later, in private, he explained everything to his disciples.” I’m very grateful that faithful first-century Christians preserved Jesus’ parables; we get to hear and engage with them for ourselves. But I’d really like to understand why none of the disciples took the time to record the private tutorials Jesus gave that explained each parable.
That puts us today in the same company as Jesus’ original crowds. We’ll listen and do our best to understand the meaning contained within each story. Many parables are open-ended, leaving us wrangling with more questions than answers. Most are provoking - confronting us in areas where we prefer the comfortable status quo. They also often tap into timeless truths and universal experiences. Jesus was a masterful teacher!
I want to share one thing that I think can help us when we hear a parable. Listen with your heart, more than with your head! Another thing to keep in mind is that when Jesus taught he never spoon-fed people, like one does with a child. He shared many “hard sayings”; they weren’t puréed down to something bland and easily digestible. Never assume that a parable can be reduced to a platitude that could fit on a small sign like, “Just be nice” or “Love all”.
I’d compare Jesus’ parables to enjoying an exquisite adult meal. Think about a time you had a fine dining experience. Was it remarkably memorable for you? Were there some unexpected ingredients or flavors in the meal? And when you took your last bite, did you wish you could start all over again? Each week as we immerse ourselves in Jesus’ parables, I believe they’ll be remarkably memorable. They will have some unexpected ingredients. And, after deeply experiencing the fullness of a parable once, you’ll wish you could start over from the beginning.
Today’s parable begins with a common hook: “There was a rich man who...”. Jesus’ original Jewish audience would have nodded, assuming that his wealth was a blessing from God for living a righteous life. They would also have assumed that the beggar was materially poor because he’d sinned against God. Those were the commonly held points of view back then. When the rich and poor men’s situations were reversed after their death, it would have been an unconventional reversal. Lazarus, an impoverished outcast of society, is rewarded. He’s in heaven being embraced by Abraham, one of God’s most respected leaders, the father of all nations. The rich man is outraged by this unorthodox outcome. How could he have ended up in Hades being tormented?
Some who originally heard Jesus tell this parable might have thought it was an interesting, well-told story about reversals, socially and spiritually. They could take it at face value and not look deeper. The only application they might consider would be to wish they’d end up rich in heaven because so many lived in poverty back then. I can imagine someone turning to their neighbor with a grin, saying, “Sounds good to me! I’ve had a hard time of it in life - I’d love it if God turned things upside down and little ol’ me ended up on top, finally living the good life.”
Do you think Jesus was telling people that in this parable? Or do you think there’s more? I’ll give you a hint: the true message isn’t what you see first, or even see clearly. Remember that.
Now, here’s a second example of a common, but simplistic, take on these two main characters. Maybe the first man was rich, but he was also evil, and Lazarus was poor but quite holy. If those things were true, it would explain how each man ended up where he did in the afterlife. Again, do you think that was Jesus’ point? If something seems like an obvious explanation, you’ve likely missed the mark entirely.
We’ll explore more of this parable next week. But before we tackle that, I want to take what we covered today and help guide you toward a deeper understanding of it. It may be your instinct to lean in, to get closer up in some way in order to discover God’s hidden word for you in this parable, but we need to do the opposite. We need to step back far enough to see what mattered most to Jesus. How did he spend his time - what did he talk about often? There are five spiritual topics that Jesus concentrated on during his three years of ministry. They are: relationships; prioritizing; managing one’s resources; celebration; and the kingdom of God. There’s more than one of these at play in this parable. They are useful lenses, a bit like when you get an eye exam and the practitioner flips between two lens choices, saying “This one, or that one?” We choose the one that improves our sight.
Now we’ll spend just a bit of time with this parable, open to God’s word to us. I invite you to close your eyes. Relax your shoulders. Get comfortable. As you breathe, be aware that you’re in God’s presence.
I hope you’ll be in worship every Sunday in Eastertide. We’ll hear Jesus’ parables as they once were understood. We’ll then push aside any watered-down conclusions that dilute the parables’ full strength. Then we’ll be still and surrendered, waiting for God to speak into our hearts. Amen!
That puts us today in the same company as Jesus’ original crowds. We’ll listen and do our best to understand the meaning contained within each story. Many parables are open-ended, leaving us wrangling with more questions than answers. Most are provoking - confronting us in areas where we prefer the comfortable status quo. They also often tap into timeless truths and universal experiences. Jesus was a masterful teacher!
I want to share one thing that I think can help us when we hear a parable. Listen with your heart, more than with your head! Another thing to keep in mind is that when Jesus taught he never spoon-fed people, like one does with a child. He shared many “hard sayings”; they weren’t puréed down to something bland and easily digestible. Never assume that a parable can be reduced to a platitude that could fit on a small sign like, “Just be nice” or “Love all”.
I’d compare Jesus’ parables to enjoying an exquisite adult meal. Think about a time you had a fine dining experience. Was it remarkably memorable for you? Were there some unexpected ingredients or flavors in the meal? And when you took your last bite, did you wish you could start all over again? Each week as we immerse ourselves in Jesus’ parables, I believe they’ll be remarkably memorable. They will have some unexpected ingredients. And, after deeply experiencing the fullness of a parable once, you’ll wish you could start over from the beginning.
Today’s parable begins with a common hook: “There was a rich man who...”. Jesus’ original Jewish audience would have nodded, assuming that his wealth was a blessing from God for living a righteous life. They would also have assumed that the beggar was materially poor because he’d sinned against God. Those were the commonly held points of view back then. When the rich and poor men’s situations were reversed after their death, it would have been an unconventional reversal. Lazarus, an impoverished outcast of society, is rewarded. He’s in heaven being embraced by Abraham, one of God’s most respected leaders, the father of all nations. The rich man is outraged by this unorthodox outcome. How could he have ended up in Hades being tormented?
Some who originally heard Jesus tell this parable might have thought it was an interesting, well-told story about reversals, socially and spiritually. They could take it at face value and not look deeper. The only application they might consider would be to wish they’d end up rich in heaven because so many lived in poverty back then. I can imagine someone turning to their neighbor with a grin, saying, “Sounds good to me! I’ve had a hard time of it in life - I’d love it if God turned things upside down and little ol’ me ended up on top, finally living the good life.”
Do you think Jesus was telling people that in this parable? Or do you think there’s more? I’ll give you a hint: the true message isn’t what you see first, or even see clearly. Remember that.
Now, here’s a second example of a common, but simplistic, take on these two main characters. Maybe the first man was rich, but he was also evil, and Lazarus was poor but quite holy. If those things were true, it would explain how each man ended up where he did in the afterlife. Again, do you think that was Jesus’ point? If something seems like an obvious explanation, you’ve likely missed the mark entirely.
We’ll explore more of this parable next week. But before we tackle that, I want to take what we covered today and help guide you toward a deeper understanding of it. It may be your instinct to lean in, to get closer up in some way in order to discover God’s hidden word for you in this parable, but we need to do the opposite. We need to step back far enough to see what mattered most to Jesus. How did he spend his time - what did he talk about often? There are five spiritual topics that Jesus concentrated on during his three years of ministry. They are: relationships; prioritizing; managing one’s resources; celebration; and the kingdom of God. There’s more than one of these at play in this parable. They are useful lenses, a bit like when you get an eye exam and the practitioner flips between two lens choices, saying “This one, or that one?” We choose the one that improves our sight.
Now we’ll spend just a bit of time with this parable, open to God’s word to us. I invite you to close your eyes. Relax your shoulders. Get comfortable. As you breathe, be aware that you’re in God’s presence.
- Should a big difference in income change the way we relate to one another?
- Should any other difference, like nationality or religious beliefs, ever change the way we relate to people?
- What is God’s desire for how we relate to one another?
- Should there be very rich and very poor people in our world?
- Am I wealthy?
- Does God want me to keep all the resources I now have?
- When have I seen or met someone who is very poor?
- Have I ever helped someone who is very poor directly, sharing my abundance with them?
- When you die, how do you think God will judge your life?
- Could you be surprised by God’s judgement?
- Should you take stock of your life, honestly, in light of eternity?
- What if we went through life with one foot (symbolically) here and the other in Heaven? Would that dual awareness change how we spend our time on earth?
I hope you’ll be in worship every Sunday in Eastertide. We’ll hear Jesus’ parables as they once were understood. We’ll then push aside any watered-down conclusions that dilute the parables’ full strength. Then we’ll be still and surrendered, waiting for God to speak into our hearts. Amen!