Loving God as we celebrate a new day of life, may the heart of this dear reader be blessed by Your presence and protection; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text comes from Luke 19:19 "There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. 20 A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. 21 All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores. 22 "Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. 24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.' 25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. 26 Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.' 27 "The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father 28 where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.' 30 "'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.' 31 "Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"(The Message version)
Who would you like to return from the dead? Your mother or father? A beloved spouse? Your grandmother or grandfather? If this were possible, could you handle it mentally and emotionally? What would you talk about? Would their return help you believe more in the afterlife? Some sadly, say they will only believe in life after death is they're visited by a loved one who does return from the dead. They're going to die disappointed and as those alienated far from our loving God, for the only One who has returned from the dead is Jesus. Jesus came to live a life that blessed and showed us a better way to live. His painful death was also an example and a lesson of the great passion He has for us. And His glorious resurrection is also a blessing. In this story that Jesus shared, He is trying to convince those who listen, about God's great love. In the previous chapter, the Chapter of the Lost, the Lord shared three stories about the lost and how much you and I matter to God and the great rejoicing that happens upon our return to relationship with God. In this story it is about those who get caught up in the desires of this world. In this story an unnamed rich man lived the dream life of so many. He had money for all his wants and wishes and could do anything and everything he wanted. Yet the one thing he didn't care to do was to care for others, especially the poor, one of whom had been deposited at his door. The poor man had a name, Lazarus (meaning "God is my help"), and he was hungry and sick. The only comfort this man received was a visit by dogs who licked his sores. The visit finally by death brought what life on earth could not, comfort from his suffering and entry to the place where he really mattered. Jesus says this death was a triumphant one where angels came to carry him to the "lap of Abraham," a reference to Heaven. There he sat as a beloved child of God in a place where he would worry no more about anything. The rich man, on the other hand, died and was sent to a place of torment where he was so hot and thirsty, he asked if Lazarus, whose earthly tortured body had probably disgusted him, could dip his finger in water and to place that finger on his tongue. The contact that the rich man couldn't even fathom now seems the only thing that he believes can bring him comfort.
His request? Now in death the rich man is concerned about others, namely his five brothers and he asks that God send Lazarus to talk to them about God and help them avoid the same place where the rich man now finds himself. Jesus tells the truth, if they haven't believed God yet with all God has already provided, what good will a visit from a dead person do them?
We have so much to help our unbelief and once we get into relationship with God, the evidence multiplies, why then do so many doubt and not believe? Why then, do so many want to live lives like the rich man blind and uncaring to the needs of the poor? Why not make a conscious decision now to live a better, loving and caring life?
PRAYER: Loving God, I confess that I sometimes think that more of what the world offers would bring me pleasure and comfort, but I am already blessed in a rich way. Help me to care more for those around me especially the poor. Give me Your heart to love so that my hands might be Yours. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord
Eradio Valverde
