“THE RICHES OF THE WORD BRING ENDLESS COMFORT”

a The 19th Sunday after Pentecost a

Luke 16:19-31

I think it would be pretty safe to say that the more money a person has in this world, the more comforts
they enjoy. That’s a pretty safe assumption, don’t you think? I was sitting in the doctor’s office this past Monday
and was viewing a magazine (I don’t remember the name of it) that was full of articles and pictures highlighting
various properties around the United States that were up for sale, ranging anywhere from 1.5 million dollars to a
whopping 200 million dollars. These properties weren’t just homes...these things were epic! I couldn’t believe the
kinds of amenities that came with these mansions. Guest homes, pools all over the place, an observation deck, an
area for a private plane to land and take off from, servant’s quarters, private health club, and so on and so on.
Fascinating! Absolutely fascinating the kind of life the rich live! I was enthralled! And I must confess that I
thought for a moment how nice it would be to have all those things.
I think we’ve all been tempted like that before. We’re enthralled at the rich and the famous and all the perks
that come with being excessively wealthy. And at times, our minds can begin to run wild with thoughts of the
extravagant! But, then, the Lord tempers us, reigns us in with lessons like this one from Luke 16 – the illustration of
the rich man and poor Lazarus. Now, whether or not this is a real account or a parable, we’re not told. I tend to see
this section as a parable that follows the other parables about how we approach our earthly resources. Nonetheless,
whether it is a parable or a real account, the point that Jesus is making is quite clear to us – if you are looking for
lasting comfort, look not in earthly fortune, but in heavenly treasure.
That’s the message that the Holy Spirit impresses upon us today as we gather around our Savior and listen to
his wisdom concerning worldly wealth. The only thing that can bring us lasting comfort is the eternal riches of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, who is our priceless treasure. Thus, prioritize your life appropriately, finding everlasting value
in the eternal gospel that saves, which takes us to the cross of Jesus and shows us our sins and our salvation through
his suffering and death. And...listen to the Word, turning our attention to “Moses and the prophets,” to God’s
saving Word, because there are two constants for every person in this world, whether rich or poor: one day we’ll
die, and until then, we have the Word of God to set our minds and hearts aright to prepare us for our dying day – a
day where all earthly comforts will cease and eternal heavenly comforts will be granted to the faithful.

I. Prioritize the Word!

In the illustration, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the lives of two completely different people in two
completely different situations, who had a few things in common. On the one hand, there’s the “rich man,” who
isn’t given a name in the text, he is only given the characterization of being “rich,” because that is how he defines
himself and his life. He dresses like a “rich man,” wearing clothing that is reserved for the best of the best, royalty,
setting him apart from the rest of the world...and this isn’t just a one time thing. He makes a habit of it, flaunting
his wealth and his riches for all to see. He eats and drinks like a “rich man,” enjoying the finest of fare, not just on
special occasions, but every single day!
 On the other hand, there’s Lazarus, the poor man, his name meaning “the one whom God helps.” He isn’t
dressed in the finest of clothes. He’s dressed head to toe in sores, sores so severe that he is too weak to ward off
animals from licking them to his continued misery. He doesn’t eat and drink like he’s at a wedding banquet. He
longs for crumbs, the leftovers of the leftovers...the stuff that gets swept up and thrown into the garbage after a meal
is over – but he doesn’t even receive those, even though the rich man has plenty to spare.
In life, the rich man has everything, every comfort one could imagine, Lazarus nothing. Only suffering! So,
what could the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor possibly have in common? Verse 22 tells us: “22 “The
time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.”
What totally different lives – and yet they ended the same, didn’t they? They both died, and what’s interesting is
the way that Jesus describes their existence after death. Not what you’d expect, is it? The beggar, who was so
insignificant in life has his death described in beautifully vivid terms: “Angels carried him to Abraham’s side.” How
glorious! The rich man on the other hand, so plain, so ordinary, almost an afterthought, “He also died and was
buried.” That’s it! The rich man, who had everything in the world during life, only occupied a place in the dirt
when he died. How pitiful and pitiable.
Our eyes need to be open to the fact that, while each one of us has a unique lot in life assigned by our God,
that all of our lives will end the same way – with death – and we have no idea when that is going to happen. There’s
going to come a time, it could be this very day, when God will bring our present existence to a halt! The question
that we need to be asking is this: “What lies ahead for us?” We could have all the money in the world which brings
us every comfort in the world, like the rich man in the illustration, but none of that lasts forever. Solomon says in
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, when he was at the end of his life: 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no
pleasure. ..11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was
meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” 
It ends the same way for everybody – rich or poor. Thus, not knowing how or when that end will come for
us, we have to have our priorities straight right now! Earthly treasures are a gift from God, and certainly blessings
that bring temporary comforts into our lives. But our earthly treasures and the comforts they bring do not go with
us to the next life! If we allow our riches to become a stumbling block for us, causing us to block out God’s Word
from our lives, thus cutting us off from the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ - then what we’ll be left with is the
obituary of the rich man who had a pile of dirt as his possession. But if we trust in what God’s Word tells us, that
there is something much greater beyond this life, then we’ll be able to prioritize appropriately, placing greater value
not on our stuff, but on our Savior and his Word...looking for lasting comfort, not in stuff, but in our Savior, who
gives comfort to the comfortless and hope to the hopeless with his Word of Promise – brought to fulfillment when
he suffered and died for us.

II. Listen to the Word!

One thing that people often get confused about when it comes to this illustration is that they come to the
incorrect conclusion that the rich man ended up in hell BECAUSE he was rich, and that poor Lazarus ended up in
heaven BECAUSE he was poor. Certainly, in the text, you have a reversal of fortune, but it wasn’t BECAUSE of
the level of riches that each one had. Listen now to verse 27 to 31 and see if you can determine what caused this
great reversal of fortune:
 “27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him
warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the
Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises
from the dead.’ ”
Earlier in the sermon, I mentioned that these two polar opposite figures, the rich man and poor Lazarus had
a couple of things in common. No matter how rich their pockets were (or weren’t) with money, they both died.
There came a point when the earthly lot of both was left behind. The second thing these two share is that, while
alive, they both had the opportunity to pay attention to Moses and the Prophets, the Holy Scriptures of God, which
sound the call of repentance and the promise of salvation to the ends of the earth.
So, where’s the difference? Why the reversal of fortune in eternity? It wasn’t because of their earthly wealth
or poverty! The difference - “listening.” The rich man, blinded by his wealth and the earthly comforts that came
with it had his ears completely closed to God’s Word. That’s why, when he was pleading for his family members,
and asking Abraham to warn them so that they too wouldn’t be in hell’s torment, the response was, “They have
Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them,” a response that struck the rich man with despair because he KNEW
that his brothers were not paying attention to the needs of their souls, but instead were consumed by the world, just
as he was – a consuming that was so complete that even if someone rose from the dead and appeared to them, they
would still be hardened in unbelief. (An obvious reference to Jesus’ own resurrection.)
We have God’s Word. What a treasure. In our possession, we have everything needful to bring us to
everlasting riches and everlasting comfort in heaven. Open your ears and listen, and keep on listening habitually to
the voice of the Spirit in the Scriptures. We need to be crucified by the righteous commandments of God. We
need to flee to our crucified and risen Savior, so that we know our sins are forgiven. We need that! Do not allow
yourselves to be so consumed by the world, that God’s Word gets crowded right out of your life. Do not allow
yourselves to become so sure of yourself that you think, even without the testimony of the Spirit in your life, you
cannot fall from faith. St. Paul warns of that very thing when he said to the Corinthians: “So, if you think you are
standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
We have God’s Word and we need God’s Word in our lives all the time. Listen to it! It is the one constant
that we can hold on to in a life of inconsistency. It’s the one constant that not only shows us that a reversal of
fortune is coming in eternity for us and all believers, but how that reversal of fortune has been accomplished for us –
2 Cor. 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor,
so that you, through his poverty, might become rich!”
It’s a pretty safe assumption that, in this life, the more money someone has, the more comforts they enjoy. I
was shocked at all the amenities the “rich” enjoy, things beyond my wildest imagination. And yet, such riches and
comforts are not worth exchanging our souls for, because they don’t last forever! So prioritize God’s Word in your
life and listen to it carefully, because only the heavenly riches of the gospel can bring to us the endless comfort of
eternal glory at our Savior’s side in heaven. Amen.