Scripture/Sermon of the Day.  October 12, 2025

Luke 16:13-14, 19-31

13 No household servant can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Jesus responds to Pharisees

14 The Pharisees, who were money-lovers, heard all this and sneered at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before other people, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued by people is deeply offensive to God.

19 “There was a certain rich man who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who feasted luxuriously every day. 20 At his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 Lazarus longed to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Instead, dogs would come and lick his sores.

22 “The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 While being tormented in the place of the dead, he looked up and saw Abraham at a distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 He shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m suffering in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received good things, whereas Lazarus received terrible things. Now Lazarus is being comforted and you are in great pain. 26 Moreover, a great crevasse has been fixed between us and you. Those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot. Neither can anyone cross from there to us.’

27 “The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’ 30 The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’ 31 Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

Reflection/Sermon:

I.      Jesus disagreed with the Pharisees about the interpretation of the Bible.  The Pharisees interpreted the book of Deuteronomy to mean if a person has wealth, God is rewarding them for a good life.  And if a person is poor or suffering socially, then their suffering is God’s punishment for something they, or a family member did— even generations ago.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 says whoever obeys the commandments of God is highly favored: “Blessed shall you be in the city, …and in the field….and the fruit of your body and …your ground and the increase of your cattle, and your flock.”

The Pharisees believed their wealth proved God’s blessing for them — because they followed the law.   And the other side of this thinking was that people who were poor or who suffered were to be ignored because God was punishing them for something — and it’s not our business to interfere with God’s plan.

II.     This is the background of Jesus’ clash with the Pharisees.  To Jesus, the Pharisees misinterpreted the scriptures.  Jesus understood the law of Moses in Leviticus to say the harvest must be shared with the poor and the transient:  “When you harvest your land’s produce, you must not harvest all the way to the edge of your field… and don’t pick your vineyard clean or gather up all the grapes that have fallen there. Leave these items for the poor and the immigrant… (Leviticus 19:9-10) …You must love your neighbor as yourself.” And… "When immigrants live in your land with you, you must treat them as … citizens…and love them, because you were immigrants.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

For Jesus, the important verse in Deuteronomy was 15:7 which said:  “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in the land.”  (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

III.    People have always disagreed on how to  interpret scripture.  EVEN TODAY, MANY CHRISTIANS INTERPRET THE BIBLE MORE LIKE THE PHARISEES THAN LIKE JESUS!

IV.     So Jesus told this story about the rich man and Lazarus.  Notice that the rich man wasn’t a bad person.  He just didn’t notice the starving cripple at his gate because — WHY SHOULD HE? He  believed poor people suffer by God’s punishment.  It’s not the rich man’s business.  It’s God’s will.

V.      But in Jesus’ story, the rich man realized, too late, that such thinking is wrong.  He misinterpreted the Bible — he didn’t read the part of Moses’ law that said people who have must help both the poor citizens and the immigrants in the land.

VI.     I feel sad for the rich man because he thought he was doing the right thing.  Like the Pharisees — they thought they followed the laws (although they chose the laws they wanted to follow and ignored the others.  Like today, where millions of people today who think they’re doing the right thing, who think like the Pharisees and the rich man in Jesus’ story that God is blessing them, because they’re not poor or homeless, and they’re not migrants or refugees.   Millions of Americans think it’s right to arrest and deport of immigrants — good people — many like us — many of them Christians.  Even though Leviticus says we must love them and treat them like our families. 

VII.    People who followed Jesus worried about this. Once Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”  And compared to most people in the world — we’re all rich.   People who heard Jesus say this asked him, with great anxiety,  “Then who can be saved?”  Do you remember what Jesus said?   “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”

The good news of Jesus is WE’LL ALL BE SAVED — every one of us — BECAUSE OF GOD’S LOVE, not because we’re “good” or follow the law or say magic words like “Jesus is my lord and savior!”

If we’ve read Jesus’ parables, we won’t be surprised if the worst of us are the first in heaven.

You know why? 

Because God is thrilled to blow our minds with LOVE that we can’t understand!