Seek first Jesus
July 12th, 2012
Allan Macleod (Tillicoultry)
Luke 16:19-31 recounts the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Some attribute the name Dives to the rich man but in the parable he is anonymous. He is a nameless man whom we can take as typical of many people of great wealth. Then, as now, many measure a man’s worth by his wealth. Were the man in the parable to be alive today he would be accorded high rank because of his wealth. Profiles of him would appear in the financial press praising his skill in accumulating wealth. Perhaps not too much attention would be paid to how he made his money or his stewardship of it as long as he remained successful and prosperous.
We are not told much about the way the man lived his life. All we know is that he was rich, that he had five brothers, and that he was buried. We can infer from the situation of Lazarus begging at his door that he did not care very much about his fellow man. We may also infer from the latter part of the parable that his brothers were also wealthy.
The man’s burial was a notable occasion. We can suppose that elaborate ceremonies were observed at his funeral service, that glowing tributes were paid to him together with extensive obituaries extolling his lifetime achievement.
From the second half of the parable we learn that his wealth did not confer any benefits on him in the next life. This was not because of his wealth per se but because of his having lived his life unmindful of God and of his responsibilities to exercise proper stewardship over the benefits he enjoyed in his life which all came from God. Having lived his life without thought of God he faced an eternity separated from God and as the parable tells us there was nothing he could do about it. His preparation for eternity, if he had considered this at all, relied on his wealth and position and the approval of his fellow man.
This parable does not teach that wealth as such is bad and a bar to heaven. It does teach the need for proper stewardship of wealth and other benefits graciously bestowed on us. It teaches that our priorities should be based on the teachings of our Lord not on the teachings of financial experts and economists. We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness not the kingdom of mammon.
