Riches do not equal Righteousness

2/25/10 Luke 16

Riches do not equal Righteousness

The Pharisees assumed that a person’s wealth was an indication of God’s blessing because of righteous living.  Jesus states that they were justifying themselves in the sight of men, but God knew their hearts.  Righteousness comes down to an issue of the heart, not material or social abundance.  The Pharisees were not living according to the Law that they boasted about.   The Law and the Prophets pointed people to the Messiah, John the Baptist pointed people to the Messiah, and now the Messiah has been declaring the kingdom of God is at hand and yet the Pharisees have rejected Jesus message of repentance and attempt to force their way into the kingdom with their man made rules and self justification.  Jesus points out how they have rationalized their adultery by using a loop hole of divorce. It may have been acceptable in man’s sight, but not God’s sight.

Then Jesus tells a parable to drive home this false concept of riches equaling righteousness.  The rich man who lived luxuriously consistently neglects the poor man outside of his residence. Eventually the poor man and the rich man both die.  The terminology that is used is not intended to teach us what the after life is exactly like; rather Jesus is using some first century Jewish traditional views concerning the afterlife to tell this parable.  The outcome is nothing of what the Pharisee would have expected.  They expected that the oppressed, sons of Abraham (Israel) would be exalted over the wicked (Gentiles).   Here ‘Lazarus’ which means “God, the Helper” is a son of Abraham (Jew) and is found in his bosom, but the rich man who also is a son of Abraham (Jew) and is in Hades a place of torment. 

Some concluding thoughts from this passage they we can apply to us. First, death and the eternal destination are irrevocable. There is no coming back and there are no second chances, our choices in this life will have eternal consequences.  Second, economic status does not determine our eternal destination.  Rich and poor will both be found in the two eternal destinations.  Righteousness is a matter of the heart.  The rich and the poor can both recognize their need and dependence upon the Lord.  Both can also reject the Lord and attempt to force themselves into the kingdom.  Third, our eternal destination is not based on our heritage nor is it inherited.  Fourth, there are no signs or miracles need for rich or poor to repent and have faith that Jesus is the Son of God who must be followed.  We have the scriptures which are sufficient to tell all people to repent.