We have many popular proverbs todays. See if you can finish these. I invite you to say out loud the ending of each proverb:
An apple a day . . . keeps the doctor away
Early bird . . . catches the worm
The grass is always greener . . . on the other side of the fence
Don’t judge a book by . . . its cover
Absence makes the heart . . . grow fonder
Beauty is in the eye . . . of the beholder
It’s better to be safe . . . than sorry
Now hold those thoughts and think about the parable. This is the only one where names are mentioned. Usually it’s just “a man did this” etc. Here a common character is given a name: Lazarus. Which means, “The Lord helps you.” This is not the Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead. This is just story. Notice that the rich man isn’t given a name. Interesting. For Jesus establishes a bond with a poor man. Many times we want to keep the poor in our midst . . . nameless, faceless, forgettable.
And notice that a famous person is also named, Abraham. But why Abraham? Jesus could have picked any number of noteworthy people . . . Moses, King David, Elijah.
St. John Chrysostom (3rd Century) wrote, “the reason . . . is that Abraham was hospitable. Abraham used to pursue even passers-by and drag them into his home.” Back in the time of Abraham, you wouldn’t dare NOT offer food and lodging to anyone. Even perfect strangers.
That kind of thinking is so contrary to what we would do today. We don’t welcome strangers, we fear them. We don’t invite people that we don’t know, instead we shout, “Get off my yard, you dang kids.”
It’s as if Jesus is once again turning things upside down. For not only is he implying that if you are rich you are not going to heaven and if you are poor you go to heaven. Which is bizarre, because maybe the rich man was a good man and generous and helpful to others. Or that Lazarus is poor because he spent all his money drinking and carousing. But I’d like to think that Jesus is once again challenging us to think differently . . . about life, about money, about our purpose.
And our “purpose” is probably not going to found in common proverbs we hear . . .
- Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise.
- Simply pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
- Poor people are lazy and refuse to work, choosing instead to “live off the government.”
A meditation the book Listening to Your Life by Frederick Buechner says:
- The world says, “Mind your own business,” and Jesus says, “There is no such thing as your own business.”
- The world says, “Drive carefully — the life you save may be your own,” and Jesus says, “Whoever would save their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
- The world says, “Follow the wisest course and be a success,” and Jesus says, “Follow me and be crucified.”
- The world says, “Law and order,” and Jesus says, “Love.”
To the world, Jesus was crazy. He didn’t follow the common proverbs. All his parables have a “gotcha.” zing. To follow Jesus is be a bit crazy . . .
- taking on another’s suffering instead of avoiding it,
- giving away money, even to those who don’t seem deserving,
- finding our happiness in the joy of others.
- living selflessly, with humility and generosity – all virtues that our “me-first” and “I-got-mine” world can’t fathom.
And one more quote from that Buechner book:
- The world says, “Get” and Jesus says, “Give.”