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Who would rather be poor than rich?

Who would rather be poor than rich?

Wealth is considered by many to be a sign of God’s favor, and, in support of such thinking, (ESV) is often quoted:

22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.

Poverty, by contrast, is seen as a sign of God’s displeasure.

Those who hold to this view cite , a lengthy list of the woes that are declared upon those who do not “obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all of His commandments...”

What do you see?

As viewed through this lens, who is the one whom God has favored, the rich man or the poor man named Lazarus, a man so wretched "that the household dogs, who would have received the crumbs from the table for which Lazarus longed (cf.

), add (ἀλλὰ καί, “but even”) to Lazarus’ humiliation by licking his sores.

He is so helpless that he is not able to keep these dogs away from him.”

Just, A. A., Jr. (1997).

(pp.

633–634).

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

What makes this situation so ironic is that the rich man is given no name, but the poor man is named Lazarus.

“Lazarus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Eleazar/Eliezer, which means “the one whom God helps.”

The rich man has sometimes been called “Dives,” which is simply a transliteration of the word translated “rich” in the Latin Vulgate.”

Just, A. A., Jr. (1997).

(p.

631).

St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Abraham’s side?

Abraham is God’s friend!

The entire status of the people of Israel was understood by them as being due to their being Abraham’s offspring (see ).

Yet, even in his dire strait, the rich man still thinks of himself as he was in his former estate.

He orders (the verbs are in the aorist active imperative), “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame!”

().

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Abraham’s response is both sympathetic and chilling:

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Now, the rich man sees the true state of his condition.

He is no longer deluded by his riches, which he no longer possesses, into thinking that he is in the position of favor.

Warn them?

Of what?

What would prevent their joining him?

Are they also blinded by their economic situation into thinking that they have no responsibility that goes with their wealth-derived power?

Are there those who, like Lazarus, were available for them to help, using the riches given them in God’s providence, who they, like their now deceased brother, ignored as they enjoyed “the blessing of the Lord?”

What word should Lazarus send to his brothers?

To what do you listen?

What authority undergirds your course of living?

Is it the tyranny of the crowd, the demands of pop culture?

Is a person value, in your eyes, directly correlated with his or her resources, or ability to benefit you?

It is this utilitarian view of people that treats the poor as a prop by those who try to use them as a stepping stone to power, all the while claiming to care about them.

It is this perspective that treats the baby as an interloper, a “parasite.”

In the blog, “Love, Joy, Feminism by Libby Ann” dated March 22, 2012, the author writes, “When you’re pregnant, your body is invaded by what is for all intents and purposes a parasite.

Here, I’ll define parasite for you:

An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host’s expense.”

It is this perspective that sees nothing of value in a community that lacks resources because of political and economic decisions that leave those who had little to no say in them bereft of any choice other than to endure or flee.

Lazarus had nothing, therefore, he was nothing, in the eyes of the rich man.

In the eyes of God, Lazarus was placed with Abraham, the “Hebrew patriarch and an important figure in three living religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

First known as Abram (Heb., “exalted father”), he became the patriarch of several peoples from the area of the Levant.

He is called the “father of many nations” () and the friend of God ().”

Reid, S. B. (2011).

Abraham.

In M. A. Powell (Ed.),

The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated) (Third Edition, p. 6).

New York: HarperCollins.

It wasn’t because of his previous poverty that Lazarus was now in the true place of blessing, for God is no respecter of person.

He does not favor the rich over the poor, nor does he esteem the poor above the rich:

In , Peter, recognizing that the Gospel was not just for the Jew only, but for all, preached to the Roman Centurion Cornelius and his household.

What authority governs you?

Is there anyone to whom you understand that you will give an account for how you spent the time and used the resources that kept you alive, or is your life an accident of chance and natural selection, simply a happenstance on a small glob of rock and water that hurtles through the universe around a hot, boiling star, just one out of who knows how many?

Do you answer to God, or to no one other than the one who controls what you need to make it to the next day?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

In Luther’s Large Catechism, teaching on the 10 Commandments, Luther writes regarding the 1st Commandment:

You shall have no other gods.

1 What this means: You shall have Me alone as your God.

What is the meaning of this, and how is it to be understood?

What does it mean to have a god?

Or, what is God? 2 Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and in which we are to take refuge in all distress.

So, to have a God is nothing other than trusting and believing Him with the heart.

I have often said that the confidence and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol.

3 If your faith and trust is right, then your god is also true.

On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you do not have the true God.

For these two belong together, faith and God [].

Now, I say that whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god.

McCain, P. T. (Ed.).

(2005).

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (p.

359).

St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

In the end of his teaching, Luther wrote (LC I:1:48),

This is enough about the First Commandment, which we have had to explain at length, since it is of chief importance.

For, as said earlier, where the heart is rightly set toward God [Deuteronomy 32:46] and this commandment is observed, all the other commandments follow.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The Gospels declares the way to set your heart right with God, by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work in His life, death, and resurrection for you. 2 Cor 5:21 says,

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society....

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’

”

15 “You shall do no injustice in court.

You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.