Scripture
Luke 16: 31
Amos 6:1,4-7; Psalm 146:7-10; I Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31
Sermon Week/Year
The rich man didn’t hate Lazarus.
But the real tragedy—the one that makes this story a doorway to the Kingdom and not just a tale of warning—is that he didn’t even see him.
He didn’t kick him away from the gate, didn’t hurl insults, didn’t call the dogs off. That might have been easier to preach about. But he didn’t do any of that. He just didn’t see him. Day after day, he stepped over the man whose stomach growled within earshot of his feasting. He passed by the flies, the sores, the outstretched hand. And it never occurred to him to care.
That’s what makes this parable so chilling.
Jesus doesn’t tell us that the rich man was evil. He tells us he was comfortable. Clothed in fine linen, gorged on abundance, and sealed behind gates that kept out the inconvenience of suffering. The parable gives no indication that he believed he had done anything wrong. But now, in the afterlife,…
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan
