God Helps Those Who Can't -- Luke 16:19-31

Preached to the saints at Grace Lutheran Church in Marble, MN and Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Bovey, MN on June 6, 2021.

There was a rich man, and he clothed himself in purple and fine linen, celebrating each day splendidly. And a poor man named Lazarus was left fallen against his gate, being covered with sores; and he longed to be satisfied from what was falling from the rich man’s table, and even the dogs came to lick his sores (Luke 16:19-21).

The lesson Jesus presents to us today is a difficult one. On first glance, it seems that Jesus is saying that those who are rich are on the broad path to perdition because they are rich; whereas poverty is somehow a certainty of eternal bliss to come at Abraham’s side. Let’s put those two assumptions to rest right away.

Your earthly station in life is not an indication of your eternal welfare. The rich and well to do in this life are not predestined to condemnation - Abraham was very wealthy, and it was to his side where the poor man was comforted. Whatever your wealth may be; in money, knowledge, wisdom, or skill, it does not outright condemn you. Sin condemns you. Your heart condemns you. And it is through Christ Jesus - for whom there was no place to lay his head except a borrowed tomb given to him after his agony and death on the cross, by which you are saved. He is risen – His tomb is empty - and in Him, you are saved from the agony of eternal hell and promised life in His Kingdom. In the same way, poverty does not save. We heard what saves in our Old Testament reading from Genesis 15: “Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Abraham heard God’s word, followed God’s word, believed God’s word, and by faith in the promised Son, he was saved.

So, if it isn’t wealth that condemns or poverty that saves, what is this parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus about? What is Jesus trying to teach us? To get that answer, we have to go to context.

A few verses before our text, Jesus says, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Mammon is any kind of wealth and property - it can be money, material goods, knowledge, power; anything that you have in excess of someone else. Jesus says, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” You can only have one God, one trust, one thing in which to seek all help to endure this fallen life. At these words, “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed Jesus.”

The Pharisees had it in their mind that if someone was well off in this life it must mean that they are receiving God’s favor, that they are loved by God – that they are “good” in God’s eyes. But those who were poor, lame, blind or deaf were being punished by God. God hates them - because if he loved them, then they wouldn’t have so many “bad things” in life. It is these two assumptions that Jesus addresses so that we may be confident that whether we are rich or whether we are poor, our only help and confidence in this life and into the next is God’s Word of His promised Son.

There was a certain rich man, and he clothed himself in purple and fine linen, celebrating each day splendidly.

This rich man was living the life the Pharisees coveted. He helped himself to all the good things of earthly life – surely, he must be blessed by God!

There’s a common phrase today that says, “God helps those who help themselves.” What a selfish thought. Can man be more prideful? If I help myself, then what about the child who needs additional help to learn what is right and wrong - what about the family that needs a little extra to make ends meet - what about the unemployed, the single mother, the struggling teenager, the sick or injured father? What if it were you in a bad place, seeking everywhere for help – and were told to help yourself?

It is quite impossible for many to help themselves – and unless someone who has the love of God abiding in them actually does something for them, their lives will get no better. Unless someone points them to the God of all help, who comforts us in our afflictions with the promise of forgiveness and life through the cross of Christ, the good things of the life to come cannot be assured.

Jesus continues: A certain poor man named Lazarus was left fallen against his gate, having been covered with sores and he was longing to be fed from what was falling from the table of the rich man, and even the dogs came to lick his sores.

How Lazarus fell into this destitute state, we do not know - and that’s not the point. The point is that he is there, left fallen against the gate of the rich man. The differences between the rich man and poor man are striking. The rich man clothes himself with luxury, and the poor man is covered in the sores of affliction. The rich man celebrates each day splendidly, and the poor man is satisfied with whatever was given. The rich man surrounds himself with friends, and the poor man’s only company are the dogs. It would do no good to tell the poor man to help himself - I’m sure if he could, he would.

But the poor man does have one thing that the rich man does not – he has a name. In all of Jesus’ lessons this is the only one where he gives a name to one of the characters. The poor man has a name - and that name is Lazarus.

This is one of the keys to understanding what Jesus is teaching. The name Lazarus means, “God is my help.” Whereas the rich man helped himself, the poor man’s help is found in the grace of God alone, the very God who loves all men, regardless of their station, and desires all to hear his word of repentance and forgiveness for the sake of His crucified and risen Son, and to live in the love of the Holy Spirit, giving service to both body and soul to all in need.

Lazarus cannot help himself - and God helps those who can’t. God helps by granting every good and perfect gift for the care of the body through the fruitfulness of the earth and through the gifts of others. God's help is the promise given in your baptism, making you His child, forgiving your sins, and promising you the inheritance of His kingdom. God helps those who can’t, maybe by sending you into their lives, so that through you they are helped by God who has sent His Son who died for you, rose for you, and has given you the wealth of His Holy Word - true help in every need.

The rich man who helped himself neglected the bodily and spiritual care of his neighbor, He wasted his God-given gifts, died and was buried. The poor man, whose help was in God, also died and was carried by the angels to the side of Abraham.

You have immense wealth - great gifts from God who gives freely to all - that all might benefit. More importantly, you have been given the wealth of Holy Scripture, the proclamation of Christ Jesus who gave himself on the cross to pay the full price for your sins of self-help, self-desire, self-pleasure, and pride. You have the risen Christ - Your sins are all forgiven and in Christ you lack nothing before God. He has opened the gates to His kingdom to all of you who cannot help yourself; He welcomes you into His eternal celebration. You have been given the fullness of God’s love - that you would also love one another; not out of compulsion or government program, but out of the love of God who abides in you. We love, because he first loved us - without condition and without price. We help, because He first helped us because we cannot help ourselves.

It’s not about wealth or poverty, it is about the help that God has promised to and to your neighbor in His Holy Word and in the Word made Flesh who died for your sins and rose that you would the good things of eternal life. God’s help is in Christ who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, so that by His poverty, we might be forgiven of all our sins and be made rich into eternity.