There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. Luke 16:19-31

Parables remind us that the profound answers to Life are found in our everyday lives; things we were tend to overlook or consider insignificant. God gives us opportunities to draw closer to Him through things that are right there before our eyes. This parable of Lazarus and the rich man may not be a common everyday occurrence for many reading this text but to us it is a living reality.

In this city Lazarus is found everywhere. In fact, we have our own “Lazarus” sitting just outside the apartment building where we live. Therefore, this parable is a description of our reality and a challenge to us personally.

I might have mentioned this before; São Paulo has the largest homeless population in the Americas. The latest research from various sources have concluded that we have about 93,000 people living in a state of homelessness. It sounds unimaginable for many. It should disturb many too. However, in this city, it is an everyday thing unfortunately. The largest gathering of homeless people is found in the area where we live. I often refer to this area where we live and meet with the children and young people as the “old center”. It is, in reality, the historic center. This might conjure up images of quaint historic buildings with their ornate architecture. These buildings are present here but in various degrees of deterioration. It is also common to find abandoned skyscrapers and apartment buildings which could be used as cheap and affordable housing but the lack of empathy has paralysed any efforts to make use of these buildings in a more beneficial manner. As of now, they sit rotting while there are thousands of homeless who sleep in tents outside of them. However, this is not the focus of this reflection, well, empathy is but we will let the parable speak to us about that. For now, I just want to share why we have such a number of homeless people here. Those who are in this situation find this area a safe haven for them. I don’t know the exact number but I know that just a three blocks from where I live, there are about 200 to 300 homeless people living in tents. They are usually harmless. Many suffer from mental illness. The local residents are accustomed to their presence. They are not alarmed nor disturbed by the presence of the homeless. Most of the time, people just ignore them. It is not because they are callous and cruel. It is just a situation which has become normalized. No doubt, the rich man saw Lazarus begging outside his door. Most likely, he had walked past him countless times and never even noticed him. It doesn’t mean that he was bad. It just means that he did not concern himself with others apart from his own personal concerns like most of us.

Recently a young man decided that he was going to sleep just outside our building. It is not uncommon in our neighborhood. This young man is about the same age as the youth to whom we minister to in our ministry. In fact, he is not a complete stranger to us. We have seen him before where we meet our young people. However, he suffers from severe mental illness. Most of the time, he lives within his head. He has conversations with himself. He doesn’t acknowledge people around him. He is harmless but sometimes he has heated arguments with an imaginary person. He never changes his clothes but strangely, he doesn’t smell bad. He refuses to wear any shoes. His feet are covered with black oily substance. He is never hungry. He doesn’t beg, at least outside the building. He just sits alone. I think he feels safe here. Everyday we walk past him, sometimes twice a day, on our way to meet our youth and then when we return home on a cold night to drink our hot chocolate and sit on our warm couch. He is our Lazarus but without the dogs.

It is interesting that Jesus mentioned the dogs. We live in a culture that has a strong affection for dogs but Jesus did not. Dogs were considered unclean back then because they are natural scavengers. People considered them a little less than a nuisance. However, they were tolerated in some instances because they protected the houses of those who fed them. In this parable, Jesus points out that even an animal considered to be lowly and unclean showed compassion to Lazarus. The dogs licked his wounds some thing which is their way of caring for an injured member of their pack. The dogs had empathy to receive Lazarus into their fold.

The other detail that sets this parable apart from others is that Jesus gave the poor beggar a name. In all likelihood, he was a real person. Even in his parables, Jesus refused to allow someone like Lazarus to suffer anonymity. Our Lord reveals to us the difference between His values and the world. In this world, the contrary is true. Even today, we know the names of billionaires living miles away from our reality both physically and metaphorically and yet most of us don’t know the name of the cashier whom we see everyday in our grocery stores.

Lazarus is someone who is accessible to Jesus due to his unfortunate circumstances whereas the rich man lives an isolated existence. Only select people have access to him. However, the truth is found in everyday circumstances accessible to all peoples, rich and poor.

Many tend to read this parable as a cautionary tale of heaven and hell. This is quite an unfortunate interpretation. It is not a descriptive narration of the afterlife. It is about living our abundant life in the here and now. In the Parable, Abraham reminded the rich man that Moses and the Prophets were always taught the essence of the Law but the rich man did not heed it. Jesus Himself repeated this teaching,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind.” This is the first and most important commandment. And the second is like it. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Everything that is written in the Law and the Prophets is based on these two commandments. Matthew 22:37-40

These two commandments are so connected with each other that it is impossible to obey the first without fulfilling the second one. Jesus gave us another commandment which is even more powerful and explicit.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. John 13:34

The teachings of Paul reiterate this teaching in the famous text 1 Corinthians 13. The epistles of John and James remind us of this teaching in beautiful poetical language. All the disciples that went out into the world to preach the good news knew that this is the essence of the gospel. The Love of God graciously bestowed upon us transforms us into agents of Love. Without Love, all our words and actions become like clanging cymbals.

Love is an acknowledgment that the other exists and his or her existence is important and essencial for our own existence. It is not about showing charity. I use the word charity in the popular sense.
In the way it is commonly practiced the person who gives doesn’t believe that the person receiving has anything to offer in return. Love is acknowledging that the divine presence in the other has something important and profound to contribute to our lives. Every person and thing in existence is an expression of God’s personhood. When the Love of God dwells in our hearts, we are able to see His Light shining brightly in the other regardless of their status or condition in this life.

Our “Lazarus” is lost in his own world due to his mental illness. We decided to just acknowledge his presence with a nod. He responded to it reluctantly without making eye contact. One day, we greeted him with “good morning” and he surprised us with a rich smile which lit up his whole face. He is really a handsome fellow. He responded with a “good morning”. On another occasion, we past him by chance in a completely different location. We waved at him and he saw us and was truly happy to see us. He rewarded us with his smile once more. He wasn’t as out-of-it as I thought. We found out his name recently. His name is John in English. With a name, it is easier. He is no longer a stranger. We can discover his personality and maybe a few words to him each day. He doesn’t need much. I mean he needs a lot of help but for now, he wants a safe place. Hopefully, he knows that we want to be his friend and transform his safe place into a friendly one, too. I don’t where things are going with this relationship but it is definitely going to enrich us. I pray that it would enrich John, too.

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Luke 16: 13

There is no beating around the bush on this one. The text demands us to reflect on the subject of money.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. Most of us like money a lot. We need it to survive and having a little bit more promises us a lot of comfort. It makes life easier and there is nothing wrong with that. We may not love money like it is everything in our life. Unfortunately, money is not satisfied being a servant. This is where Jesus takes issue with it. It just refuses to be a servant. It always wants to be our god. It demands our complete and utter devotion. Unfortunately, there is growing sentiment in the world now where many are not afraid to admit that they only love and care about money. There are also churches preaching that money is a blessing. Jesus never used these words. He always told us to get rid of it.

Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33

This wasn’t a command given to a specific person like the story for the rich young ruler. It is given to those who want to be His disciples. Therefore, we have a lot to consider. There is no point trying to find a loophole using the words of St Paul where he is often quoted by whose who feel very comfortable with money,

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” I Timothy 6:10

Some argue that as long as they don’t love money, they are fine. St Paul did not write this to give us a loophole. He agrees with Jesus. Money sets itself against God. In other words, it is a demon. It can deceive us easily. Therefore, let us work out our salvation with fear and trembling and not be deceived by the lies of this world.

You may have heard some say, “Money doesn’t solve all our problems.” It is something all of us might agree to without much controversy. The problem is that this is not true. Money solves a lot of problems and we live in a world riddled with problems. There is no one here without any problems that money can’t help. Jesus understood this because, like us, He had His fair share of problems.

Jesus had family problems. The gospels tells us His family thought that Jesus was mad. This wasn’t because Jesus was preaching and healing people but Jesus wasn’t fulfilling His responsibilities to His mother. He was the first born and it was His duty to provide for His parents in their old age. In all likelihood, our Lord was doing this when working as a carpenter until He answered His higher calling. His family could not understand why He would abandoned His trade and neglected His duties to His mother. A little money could have resolved this issue. Jesus had problems with the religious authorities. They hated Him but, in this gospel text, the evangelist states that the Pharisees were lovers of money (Luke 13:14). If Jesus had been a rich man, their attitude would have been completely different. Jesus had financial problems. He had no place to rest His head. He really had very little money so much so that they had to fish to get a coin to pay His taxes. The gospel tells us that women supported Jesus financially. Women had limited access to money in these times even if they came from wealthy families. These women gave of the little they had. Jesus could have gotten rich if He wanted. He healed many rich people. I am sure that they would have supported Him financially. However, our Lord practiced what He preached. Even the living Son of God was wary of the power of money. We need to take heed of this.

Money solves a lot of problems but Jesus says it is sinful or dishonest. Many of us like to think money is neutral, but not Jesus. It is as sinful as the forbidden fruit which led to the fall of humanity. It was for the same reasons. It gives an illusion that we can be our own gods.

The thing for us to remember is that there is nowhere in the gospels where Jesus promised us a problem free life. To the contrary, Jesus promised that we will have more problems. He said our families might hate us if we follow Him. He said our friends might abandon or betray us. In other words, all the things which happened to Him might happen to us. However, He did promise one thing. He said that despite all these problems,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

This is good news. Abundant life is available even if we don’t have money. It is available even if our lives are riddled with problems. God’s love is greater than all these. It transcends all these. This is especially good news for our ministry. We don’t have the financial resources to resolve all the problems of the homeless youth. However, we have life which is graciously bestowed upon us through our Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t need money to share this Life. Lack of money cannot hinder us from sharing this Life. Therefore, the most relevant question to ask is what exactly is abundant life. We cannot be vague. Money is quite clear of what it gives to us in this life. We need to be clear about Abundant Life.

Perhaps the controversial parable can help us here. Jesus is not praising the manager for his deceitfulness. He is praising the manager because, despite his dishonesty, he knew exactly that he needed friends to have a good life. He used money, albeit dishonestly, to gain friends. He did the right thing for selfish reasons. Jesus is not allowing us to be dishonest. We interpret Jesus’ words according to His Life. Jesus is pointing out that despite being selfish and corrupt, he still understood the importance of relationship.

The abundant Life Jesus promised comes through our relationships. Beginning with our relationship of God who fills our hearts with unconditional Love and then this unconditional Love helps us to see God’s Love present in this problem riddled world. God’s unconditional Love will help us to use the dishonest things of this world for an opportunity to share His Love. In the streets, homelessness is a problem of a sinful society. We cannot solve these problems. However, we have an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge God’s love present in the circumstances. Therefore, how does money come into all this?

Jesus is teaching us to use our money to gain friends. He is not saying that we buy our friends with gifts. He is saying that we use our money to remove obstacles hindering us from developing our friendship with people. In other words, Jesus is teaching us to live a lifestyle of generosity. This is the only virtue we can use to counter the sinful influences of money. Generosity should not be confused with liberality. This is just another way of showing devotion to the god of money. Generosity is recognition that every thing we have comes from God and we give back to Him following the example of our Lord. Our Lord used all His resources to serve people; good and bad. Generosity is not just about money although it plays an important role. Generosity is a lifestyle. We have to be generous with our time and space; space includes our home, too. Sometimes it means putting away our headphones and engaging in a conversation with a person. It means making time for people despite our busy schedules. It doesn’t mean we give our time, space and money to anyone we meet in the streets. True generosity comes with wisdom. Generosity means being open and available to become God’s instrument of blessing in someone’s life.

We can only be truly generous when we understand and experience the grace and love of God in our own lives. Without the confidence of God’s love for us, we cannot be generous.

In closing, I want to share a living example how the generous use of money brought abundant life to a person. Many of you might recall me writing about Patricia. She was a homeless woman who was the matriarch of a family who lived in the streets for three generations. We developed a close relationship with her over the years. Last year she suffered a stroke and was partially paralysed. It happened at the time when the family was finally able to rent a small room and break the chain of homelessness. Even though health care is free here, there were still many expenses. She needed diapers, a wheelchair, rides to the hospital for physical therapy…the list goes on and on. They did not have money for any of these. We helped initially but it was a great burden on our personal finance. I did what the manager of the parable did without being dishonest, of course. I called upon a friend of mine who is my childhood friend who happens to live in Brazil now. He gave me a generous gift to help Patricia. We were able to help Patricia with all her needs. For one year, Patricia was able to have all her medical needs met. The generosity of my friend helped us build a stronger bond with not just Patricia but with all the homeless youth. It motivated them to help in whatever small way to alleviate the sufferings of Patricia. When Patricia was able to walk again, she would walk quite a distance just to sit and talk with us weekly. We had some great conversations. She also said that she had great joy for Life and she was especially grateful to God for our friendship and the friendship of all our youth. She had a full life. Unfortunately, Patricia caught the flu and her body gave up on her. She died a few months ago, almost exactly one year after her stroke. However, for one year, she knew that she was greatly loved and she acknowledged this Love with gratitude. She knew that she was well loved and all these was because of God. This is the abundant Life that we all seek. Knowing that we are loved unconditionally.

Generosity helped her understand that God is Love.

Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-27

This is a tough one!

Not only are these words hard to follow; Jesus uses a word which is rarely associated with His teachings. He is teaching us to hate. However, the “hatred” is not towards our enemy but the ones who almost all cultures and religions in the world advise to cherish and love. These words should disturb and perturb us. Disturb the way we think about life as well as perturb our attitudes towards it. One of the more popular translations of the Bible in Portuguese decides to tone down these verses. They translate these words in this manner;

“Whoever comes to me must put father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself in second place in order to be my disciple.”

It removes the word, hate, altogether. It sounds milder even though the essence of what Jesus said is still present. However, it lacks the intensity. It is this tension which Jesus wanted to emphasize.
Without this, these words lose something significant and important. They become a mere practice of the intellectual. However, being a disciple of our Lord demands a change in lifestyle. It is not a mere assent to certain doctrines. It requires us to reevaluate everything in life. It transforms the way we relate to people in the world. All this begins with our most intimate relationships.

The emotional intensity of these words also requires us to be hesitant in the manner by which we interpret them. We interpret them according to the virtue of the person saying them. Jesus never uses the word, “hate”, in any of His teachings. He never used it against His enemies. He definitely never once used it in reference to a person. Therefore, we cannot assume now that He is teaching us to hate the most precious people in our lives. Jesus said,

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil.’ Matthew 5:17

One of the Ten Commandments is to “honor thy father and mother”. Something which is present throughout the gospels in Jesus’ treatment of His parents. The gospel of John relates the story of His first miracle. Even though Jesus knew it wasn’t the right time to act, He still conceded to His mother’s request. He did not fall prey to motherly manipulation. He wanted to honor His mother. Even at the Cross, while suffering intense pain and humiliation, Jesus was concerned about the welfare of His mother. He entrusted the care of His mother to a disciple. He ensured that she was never left alone. The gospel of Luke narrates a story where Jesus resurrected a young man only because the young man’s widowed mother would have been alone and abandoned in this world. He confronted the Pharisees for twisting the Law to justify lack of obligation towards their parents. Therefore, when our Lord said these words, He did not mean that we should turn our backs against our parents, wives and children. His disciples who walked with our Lord would know that Jesus never turned His back on anyone. However, He turned His back on the world. He rejected the world and its teachings.

Our parents, in their care and concern for our well being, teach us how to survive in this world. This is the nature of parenting. It is an universal trait, not only found in humans but also the animal kingdom for the most part. A good parent teaches a child not only to survive but also to flourish in this world. We form our family units to continue this practice. Our society depends on it. We send our children into the world with the hope that they become successful people. In order to flourish in this world, we need to adopt the values of this world. We need to function according to the ethics of this world. We need to tow the line.

In Jesus’ culture whose practices and customs are still alive in many of the cultures of the Asia Continent, parents are held accountable for the success and failure of their offsprings. Even today, the parents of these cultures are held responsible for finding the right partner in their children’s conjugal relationship. Everything is dependent on the parents. Failure to submit to their bidding is considered not only sign of disrespect but also rebellion and hatred towards them. The worst thing one could in these cultures is to bring shame to their parents’ name. Unfortunately, we still hear disturbing news of parents murdering their children for dishonoring them. It is very serious affair. It is not a mere offense but a complete disruption of the very essence of a family unit to follow a path different than the one which one’s parents prepared their children to take. The path that Jesus walked and walks on is always different from the ones our parents taught us. Our parents are imperfect beings like us. They do the best they can and they want us to be successful. However, their idea of success is limited and not always in line with that of the gospel. Every generation thinks that it has understood the Truth of the Gospel. However, the Gospel is too immense and great for its Truth to be captured by one generation. Every generation needs to rediscover the fullness of the gospel. Even Mother Mary had a hard time grasping the Truth of the gospel despite the fact that she was aware of the greatness of Her Son’s ministry from the time of His birth.

When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ Mark 3:21

What was this “it” which convinced His family that Jesus wasn’t quite right by their standards. Well, there were many things “wrong” about Jesus. We tend to overlook them because we come from a different culture. Firstly, it was extremely unusual for someone of Jesus’ age, during His time, to be single. A successful Jewish man, by the time of His age, would have a wife and many children. Secondly, Jesus violated the strict social system. A son should always follow the profession of the father, in our Lord’s case, he should have remained a carpenter. He came an itinerant preacher. Perhaps the most concerning thing was His teaching. He did not have proper religious training according to the authorities. They even confronted Jesus by whose authority He said and did things. They wanted Him to name a rabbi who had trained Him. This was what they considered proper authority. Most importantly, the teachings of Jesus shook the very foundations of His society. They still do and this is perhaps why most of the time people ignore His teachings. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and forgive unconditionally even if the offender repeatedly offends us. There are other difficult teachings but these two are enough to mess up our world. I recently heard a Hassidic rabbi explain about the formation of a nation. He said that in order to unite a nation, it is necessary to have an enemy to hate. Without this hatred, a nation cannot function. Where there is hatred, there cannot be forgiveness. The rabbi is against this of course. I found him to be fascinating because his teachings based on the Law are very similar to Jesus’ teachings. In other words, Jesus was fulfilling the Law when He taught these things. However, it was and is radically different to the things of this world.

Nietzsche, the formidable enemy of Christianity, admired Jesus for His strength and courage. He considered Jesus the only true Christian who ever lived. At the same time, he attacked His teachings because Nietzsche thought that the gospel made people weak and failures in this world. The problem with Nietzsche is that he was right. The teachings of the gospel are incompatible with this world. They do not make us flourish in this world. Therefore, we cannot have our cake and eat it. We either choose success in this world or failure by living according to the life of Jesus.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Success in this world has nothing to do with morality. There is a kind of morality present in this world but it is void of Love. The morality of Jesus makes Love the only foundation. Not a sentimental interpretation of the word but concrete lifestyle change reflecting the essence of God in this world. It makes people a priority and not just the select people whom society deems as deserving our priority. It is morality based on revealing God’s love to everyone. In our ministry, we play a parental role to our children and youth in the streets. We are not their biological parents and therefore, our priority is not making them successful in this world. We are their parents through the Holy Spirit. They are our children through the miracle of the Holy Spirit. We have only one task. We have to help them to grow to be successful in the Kingdom of God. This world would never give them a chance to be successful. They don’t fit its criteria but they qualify perfectly for God’s Kingdom. This is all that matters.