The One whom God Helps
Luke 16:19-31
October 10, 2004
A man walked into the office of a well-known psychiatrist and said: "Doctor, I've got this problem. I keep hallucinating that I'm a dog - a large, white, hairy Pyrenees mountain dog. It's crazy, but I don't know what to do!" "It's a common canine complex," said the doctor confidently. "I think I can help you. Come over here and lie down on the couch." The man replied, "Oh no, Doctor. I'm not allowed up on the furniture."
Clearly that man did need help. And apparently he had come to the right place. The doctor was confident that he could heal the man. He would be a friend who would listen to his problems and help him work through them. My friends, you and I have just such a heavenly doctor like that, who heals our spiritual hurts. It's Jesus Christ our Savior. He truly is our best friend, who always listens to our problems and supplies the help we so desperately need. And we see a beautiful example of that in our text for today.
Our text is the story of the rich man and poor Lazarus. We are told that Lazarus was a beggar - a word that literally means 'a cringing beast.' You might say that he was like an animal that could not take care of itself. He needed some outside assistance. As a matter of fact, the Greek text actually says that he had to be placed at the rich man's gate, indicating that he was helpless. After all, he was covered with sores. Indeed, Luke uses a medical term that means ulcerated sores. He was clearly sick and defenseless and powerless, relying on someone else to have compassion and help him. As such, he represents humble dependence upon God. In fact, his name, Lazarus, means 'the one whom God helps.'
The rich man, on the other hand, was self-sufficient. He was not only rich, he was what we would call 'filthy rich.' He lived his life to excess. He dressed in only the finest of clothes and basked in luxury every day. It's a word, which means 'splendid brilliance.' Only the best of everything would do for him. Yet, he did not have enough compassion to even give Lazarus a crumb or morsel to eat. As such, he represents the height of selfishness and pride. And as far as friendship and help are concerned, the rich man was not willing to give either.
Unfortunately, I suspect, that there is something of his attitude lurking in all of us. Maybe it's a selfishness, which causes brothers and sisters to fight about who's going to get their way, which causes husbands and wives to bicker over petty differences, which causes neighbors and coworkers to squabble over their rights. It might be a foolish pride, that condescendingly looks down on others or refuses to admit when we're wrong. Or perhaps, like the rich man, it's an apathy that overlooks the needs of others and ignores their trouble.
Several years ago, a teacher working in a children's hospital was asked to visit a boy in the burn unit. His regular teacher had called with the following request: "We're studying nouns and adverbs. I'd be grateful if you could help him with his homework, so he doesn't fall too far behind." The teacher went, but wasn't prepared for what she found. The boy was bandaged all over and in much pain. As softly as she could, she said: "I'm the hospital teacher. Your teacher at school asked me to help you with your nouns and adverbs." The next day the nurse asked the teacher, "What did you do to that boy?" Before the teacher could apologize for being uncomfortable and unprepared, the nurse continued: "We were so worried about him. But ever since you visited, his entire outlook has changed. For the first time he's actually fighting. He's responding. He's got a new lease on life!"
Obviously the boy's outlook changed, because he knew someone cared about him, someone showed him compassion and help. Unfortunately, in our hectic, fast paced world we let the busyness of our lives keep us from showing that compassion and help to others. Instead, like the rich man too often we exhibit an apathy and ignorance of the needs of others. The Bible tells us that as a man thinks, so is he, which means that our attitude affects how we act. For if we have an apathetic, selfish attitude, rather than being ruled by the love and compassion of the Holy Spirit, it will keep us from helping others.
Clearly, the rich man in our text was ruled by the sinful nature. And from that sinful nature he reaped the results - eternal death in hell. The Holy Scriptures tell us that that is the penalty we all deserve for our sin. Our text calls it 'torment,' a word that was used for stretching someone out on the rack. Not a very pleasant thought, because the real torment of hell is being stretched and pulled away from God, separated from Him and His love forever. Our text indicates that this punishment is a permanent punishment. It is denoted by the fact that there is a great chasm fixed between heaven and hell, so that no one can cross over. Once you are there it is too late!
How, then, can we escape the punishment we deserve? How can we find the friendship and help we need to save us? The Bible tells us there is only one way and it's the way that Lazarus followed. It's the way of humble dependence upon God. As we said earlier, Lazarus' name means 'the one whom God helps.' And like a true friend, God did help him. He brought him out of the misery of this life to His true Home in Heaven. God, the Great Physician healed Lazarus of his sickness and gave Him the perfect healing of eternity. Better still, He cured him of the sickness of sin and granted him the healing of forgiveness and salvation.
And how do we know that? In our text, we're told that Lazarus was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. For a Jew that was the ultimate sign of favor. It's reminiscent of John, the beloved disciple, reclining on Jesus' bosom at the Last Supper. It was the place of distinction and honor. And Lazarus received that because of his humble dependence on God. In fact, it's significant that in our text only Lazarus is given a name. The rich man is not. It's a reminder that only Lazarus had his name written in the Book of Life. The rich man did not. Which means that the one whom God helps lives forever!
Dear friends, that's the same kind of help that God offers to you and me once again today. For you see, you and I are the ones He helps. And that help comes to us as a free gift through humble repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As we admit our sins to God and turn to Jesus for forgiveness are we saved. We cannot work for it or earn it. It is simply a free gift of God's grace, through faith in His Son who died to save us. Which means that, Jesus is our best friend, the friend who sticks closer than a brother. For like a true friend, He laid down His life on the cross to redeem us. On that cross He suffered all the torments of hell in our place, so that we wouldn't have to. And in so doing, He washed away all our guilt and sin, even our sins of selfishness and pride. He built a bridge across the chasm of our sin and guilt and brought us back to God.
As 2 Corinthians 5:19 puts it: "GOD RECONCILED THE WORLD TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST, NOT COUNTING MEN'' SINS AGAINST THEM." Now, the word reconciled means 'to be made friends once again.' It means that God no longer considers us His enemies, because He does not count our sins against us. Instead, for Jesus' sake He has forgiven and forgotten them. And He considers us His very best friends, simply through faith in Christ, our Best Friend.
Back in December of 2001, an Italian motorist was driving from Milan to Pavia, when the truck in front of him smashed into a tree. The man immediately got out of his car to check on the driver of the wrecked truck. But he didn't make it that far. You see, the truck had been carrying a strong construction glue, and when it turned over the glue went flooding across the road. The helpful motorist and his car both got stuck to the surface. Fortunately he had a mobile phone and was able to call for help. It was several hours later before his rescuers were able to dissolve the glue and set him free.
Helping others can often be like that. It would be easier to just get on with our lives and leave others to deal with their problems on their own. Thankfully, though, that's not what Jesus did. He came to this earth as our Best friend, the Friend of sinners, who helps those who are in need. And He died to rescue us and set us free. You might say that He sticks to us like glue through thick and thin and His love never fails us. May that move us, then, to daily confess our selfishness and pride, to turn to Jesus for forgiveness of sin, and then to imitate Him by befriending and helping others wherever we can, for His name's sake. Amen.
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