The Insulation Of Wealth
Sermon
At a TUC conference just a few years ago, TUC leader John Edmonds was rudely blunt in his condemnation of soaring executive pay. He said government action should be taken against directors who take pay increases of £50,000 per year or more. And Unison, Britain's biggest union set out a hall of shame in the privatised utilities, naming those directors who received massive salary increases during the previous year. At the same time, the union was campaigning for the minimum wage to be increased from 3.60 pounds per hour to 4.61 pounds per hour, which would make a gross salary of 11,000 pounds per year. Quite a contrast to the 939,000 pounds per year which was then received by the director of Energis, the telecoms company (The Times, 15/9/98).
Not only the unions, but the Bible has a good deal to say about the accumulation and use of wealth. Luke, the gentile doctor, had a well-developed social conscience which shows very clearly in his gospel. He was concerned about social structures and about the attitudes of Christians towards them, and so he often wrote about the social outcasts of his day, the sick, the poor, women, tax collectors and sinners, contrasting them with the rich and the powerful.
None of the other gospel writers have quite the same concerns as Luke. Matthew was concerned about his own people, the Jews, and so he wrote his gospel for them. John, who wrote much later than the other gospel writers, wrote a theological reflection on the events of Jesus' life, some sixty years later. And Mark probably wrote at a time of impending persecution. His audience seems to have been Gentile, unfamiliar with Jewish customs, and his book aimed to equip such Christians to stand faithful in the face of persecution, while going on with the proclamation of the gospel begun in Galilee.
But Luke is concerned with the practical expression of Christianity, and how it relates, amongst other things, to issues of wealth and poverty. So Luke includes a number of stories in his gospel which particularly reflect his own concerns, but which are not recorded by any of the other gospel writers.
One of these stories is the parable of the rich man (called Dives, the Latin Vulgate's translation for "rich man" in some manuscripts) and the beggar, Lazarus. Not to be confused with that other Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, whose story is told in John's gospel. Although some scholars have suggested that John developed the story of the raising of Lazarus out of this parable recorded by Luke, in order to offer a concrete example of a man raised from the dead, but whose testimony still wasn't believed. A sort of acted parable.
The rich man's sin wasn't that he was rich. In accordance with Jewish law he may have given generously to charity, we don't know. His sin was that he failed to notice the plight of another human being at his own gate. The rich man may have been a very good Jew, a pillar of society, but he didn't even see someone in need under his own nose. He was insulated against all that.
The interesting thing is, even when he was dead, and his sin was pointed out to him in words of one syllable by Abraham, that father of the Jewish race, the rich man failed to comprehend. He still didn't really get it.
There he was burning in Hades, that place of shadows, when he spotted Abraham and Lazarus enjoying a tete a tete in paradise. But even at that stage, with his own obvious disadvantage in circumstances, the rich man still didn't regard Lazarus as an equal. For he called out not to Lazarus, but to Abraham, asking Abraham to send Lazarus down to Hades to serve him, the rich man. Despite all that had happened, and despite the fact that Lazarus was enjoying the company of the most elite of Jews, the rich man still regarded Lazarus as a mere servant. He was unable to see beyond that social structure to the person underneath.
Abraham pointed out that the rich man had had his good life on earth, while Lazarus was having a terrible time. Now Lazarus was enjoying heaven while the rich man received his come-uppance. That must have been very satisfying to the listeners, most of whom were probably poor.
At this point, you might have expected the rich man to break down in abject remorse and beg forgiveness for his selfishness and lack of compassion. But not a bit of it. It seems he still didn't quite realise why he was in Hades. And so he continued to hold a conversation with Abraham about Lazarus, just as though Lazarus wasn't there.
But Abraham indicated the impossibility of anyone crossing the great chasm between heaven and Hades, so when the rich man realised Lazarus was unable to help him, he cast around to find some other use for Lazarus.
"In that case, Father Abraham," he said, "send him back home to my brothers. At least he might be able to prevent them coming here and suffering the way I'm suffering."
So the rich man still had no thought for anyone except himself and an extension of himself, his own particular family. He didn't care about the rest of the world, or about Lazarus' family, or even about the Jewish nation. He really only cared about himself and his own concerns.
And then the parable changes. Luke has made his point about rich and poor and social concerns, and he shifts ground. Remember, this gospel was written in retrospect, long after the death of Jesus, when there was already considerable incredulity over claims of the resurrection of Jesus. So Luke then uses the parable to expose and counter some of those claims.
Abraham said to the rich man, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."
The implication is clear. Those without a social conscience, those who only pay lip service to religion, will be incapable of believing in Christ's resurrection. And if they don't believe in it, then how can they share it?
Lazarus was nobody. Life dealt him a poor hand, but that didn't prevent his faith in God. He believed from his heart. His belief was beyond wealth or power, for he had neither. But he never said, "Why me, Lord? Why am I having such a rough time? What's wrong with me?" Despite his terrible circumstances, he believed and trusted in God's love and goodness. And that love and goodness which grew within him throughout his life, was what he discovered overwhelmingly at the end of his life.
Wealth may bring comfort, but it also often acts as an insulation against life and against God, because God is in the middle of life with all its degradation and dirt and distress. And when people are insulated against God, then it's as difficult for them to recognise God as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
The rich man failed to discover that even after his death. He only knew he was in torment, not why he was experiencing such torment. But he did find just a glimmer of understanding, for he wanted to save his family from a similar fate. The answer was sad but true. It's no good trying to tell them anything, they're too insulated to be able to hear.
Each of us must discover life's truths for ourselves. And none of us can discover them if our insulation against life is too thick.
Not only the unions, but the Bible has a good deal to say about the accumulation and use of wealth. Luke, the gentile doctor, had a well-developed social conscience which shows very clearly in his gospel. He was concerned about social structures and about the attitudes of Christians towards them, and so he often wrote about the social outcasts of his day, the sick, the poor, women, tax collectors and sinners, contrasting them with the rich and the powerful.
None of the other gospel writers have quite the same concerns as Luke. Matthew was concerned about his own people, the Jews, and so he wrote his gospel for them. John, who wrote much later than the other gospel writers, wrote a theological reflection on the events of Jesus' life, some sixty years later. And Mark probably wrote at a time of impending persecution. His audience seems to have been Gentile, unfamiliar with Jewish customs, and his book aimed to equip such Christians to stand faithful in the face of persecution, while going on with the proclamation of the gospel begun in Galilee.
But Luke is concerned with the practical expression of Christianity, and how it relates, amongst other things, to issues of wealth and poverty. So Luke includes a number of stories in his gospel which particularly reflect his own concerns, but which are not recorded by any of the other gospel writers.
One of these stories is the parable of the rich man (called Dives, the Latin Vulgate's translation for "rich man" in some manuscripts) and the beggar, Lazarus. Not to be confused with that other Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, whose story is told in John's gospel. Although some scholars have suggested that John developed the story of the raising of Lazarus out of this parable recorded by Luke, in order to offer a concrete example of a man raised from the dead, but whose testimony still wasn't believed. A sort of acted parable.
The rich man's sin wasn't that he was rich. In accordance with Jewish law he may have given generously to charity, we don't know. His sin was that he failed to notice the plight of another human being at his own gate. The rich man may have been a very good Jew, a pillar of society, but he didn't even see someone in need under his own nose. He was insulated against all that.
The interesting thing is, even when he was dead, and his sin was pointed out to him in words of one syllable by Abraham, that father of the Jewish race, the rich man failed to comprehend. He still didn't really get it.
There he was burning in Hades, that place of shadows, when he spotted Abraham and Lazarus enjoying a tete a tete in paradise. But even at that stage, with his own obvious disadvantage in circumstances, the rich man still didn't regard Lazarus as an equal. For he called out not to Lazarus, but to Abraham, asking Abraham to send Lazarus down to Hades to serve him, the rich man. Despite all that had happened, and despite the fact that Lazarus was enjoying the company of the most elite of Jews, the rich man still regarded Lazarus as a mere servant. He was unable to see beyond that social structure to the person underneath.
Abraham pointed out that the rich man had had his good life on earth, while Lazarus was having a terrible time. Now Lazarus was enjoying heaven while the rich man received his come-uppance. That must have been very satisfying to the listeners, most of whom were probably poor.
At this point, you might have expected the rich man to break down in abject remorse and beg forgiveness for his selfishness and lack of compassion. But not a bit of it. It seems he still didn't quite realise why he was in Hades. And so he continued to hold a conversation with Abraham about Lazarus, just as though Lazarus wasn't there.
But Abraham indicated the impossibility of anyone crossing the great chasm between heaven and Hades, so when the rich man realised Lazarus was unable to help him, he cast around to find some other use for Lazarus.
"In that case, Father Abraham," he said, "send him back home to my brothers. At least he might be able to prevent them coming here and suffering the way I'm suffering."
So the rich man still had no thought for anyone except himself and an extension of himself, his own particular family. He didn't care about the rest of the world, or about Lazarus' family, or even about the Jewish nation. He really only cared about himself and his own concerns.
And then the parable changes. Luke has made his point about rich and poor and social concerns, and he shifts ground. Remember, this gospel was written in retrospect, long after the death of Jesus, when there was already considerable incredulity over claims of the resurrection of Jesus. So Luke then uses the parable to expose and counter some of those claims.
Abraham said to the rich man, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."
The implication is clear. Those without a social conscience, those who only pay lip service to religion, will be incapable of believing in Christ's resurrection. And if they don't believe in it, then how can they share it?
Lazarus was nobody. Life dealt him a poor hand, but that didn't prevent his faith in God. He believed from his heart. His belief was beyond wealth or power, for he had neither. But he never said, "Why me, Lord? Why am I having such a rough time? What's wrong with me?" Despite his terrible circumstances, he believed and trusted in God's love and goodness. And that love and goodness which grew within him throughout his life, was what he discovered overwhelmingly at the end of his life.
Wealth may bring comfort, but it also often acts as an insulation against life and against God, because God is in the middle of life with all its degradation and dirt and distress. And when people are insulated against God, then it's as difficult for them to recognise God as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
The rich man failed to discover that even after his death. He only knew he was in torment, not why he was experiencing such torment. But he did find just a glimmer of understanding, for he wanted to save his family from a similar fate. The answer was sad but true. It's no good trying to tell them anything, they're too insulated to be able to hear.
Each of us must discover life's truths for ourselves. And none of us can discover them if our insulation against life is too thick.
