The Gospel Imperative

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16) is arguably one of the three best known parables, a trio which includes the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. I suspect that is so because all three possess vivid imagery. What sets the Rich Man and Lazarus apart, however, is the graphic portrayal of the destiny of human beings who die having lived lives that are not “rich toward God.” The quote, you may know, is from the parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12). That parable warns against covetousness, illustrating that in the end what we possess on earth will be left behind and we will stand before God to account for what we did with what he brought under our stewardship. We should not, therefore, covet another’s riches, which only breeds discontent, but should seek, rather, the contentment that comes from trusting and serving our wise and gracious heavenly Father. In that way, we will be “rich toward God.”

Once again, the call to stewardship is presented in the Rich Man and Lazarus. But this time the sentence that awaits is depicted. In a stunning reversal, the one people would have assumed was blessed by God, evidenced by his great wealth, is condemned, while the one assumed to be condemned, evidenced by his extreme destitution, is blessed. And the condemnation is terrifying: a state of unrelenting and unalterable torment that is physical, psychological, and eternal. Such is the warning Jesus gives those who are “lovers of money,” who “seek to justify [themselves] before men,” who are seemingly unaware that “what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:14-15).

Despite the harrowing outcome for such ones, we are to be reminded that the one who paints the picture is hailed as Savior. He came to save greedy, self-justifying, hard-hearted humans. This is the good news, the gospel, that has been proclaimed by the church since it was commissioned by her Lord to make disciples of the nations. Faith in his faithfulness is what guarantees the depicted balm for the impoverished soul, be that one rich in this world’s goods or poor. And as long as that one breathes there is hope that the good news will be heard. This is why we must persistently pray to God for the grace, wisdom, and courage to tell others of the Savior, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Godliness with Contentment

It has been said that the first and last commandments of the Decalogue complement each other. The first declares that we are to have no other God than the God who delivered us from bondage. The tenth says that we shall not covet. How are these prohibitions complementary? The first intimates that we are to trust that the God who rescued us will not forsake us. He alone is the one to whom we must turn for all that we need. Faith in him and him alone is fundamental to our relationship with him. To covet, on the other hand, is to be discontent with what God has provided. When we desire the things of our neighbor to the point of complaining about our lack, we profess that our God is not as kind or as generous as theirs. Such adoration for a another god is nothing less than idolatry.

Jesus uses the parable of the rich fool to say as much (Luke 12:13-21). With it he warns against wealth’s power to captivate and deceive us into thinking that we are in control of everything around us, even our future. Whether we possess the riches, or just wish that we did, we are instructed that our first priority should be pursuing wealth toward God. Our hope, our confidence, our contentment should derive from our knowledge of him and his salvation, and not from an imaginary existence that we believe will satisfy. To rest in wealth, real or imagined, is to place our hopes in the hands of an idol.

Confidence in the true God, in his promises, wisdom, power, and love, breeds contentment. Coveting that which is our neighbor's, whether it be his home, wife, job, or status, breeds discontentment. The former is the fruit of the gospel working in our life. The latter, the fruit of giving rein to unsanctified yearning. 

With the Spirit’s help we can experience contentment. He can develop in us a godly response to earthly riches (material or otherwise) so that we can pursue and enjoy them free of the striving that marks a covetous soul. The key is understanding that we are stewards of all that God allows us to possess. To be rich toward God is to use the riches he bestows to his glory. This was the wealthy man’s folly. God had given him much but he decided it was for him to use as he pleased — he would “relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” There will be scant mirth for such a one when called to give an account. Truly, “better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it” (Proverbs 15:16).

The Resurrection: Validation and Vindication of the Lamb of God

The resurrection of Jesus, the assertion central to the observance of Easter, is a non-negotiable component of the Gospel. Paul states this clearly: “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Why are these particular teachings “of first importance”? They are the ground upon which we claim the hope of eternal life. 

Jesus died to atone for our sins. As the sacrificial and substitutionary Lamb of God, he fulfilled all righteousness even to the point of dying on a cross. Then, in fulfillment of what was said about the coming Savior, he died among the wicked and was buried with the rich. But most important of all that is of “first importance,” he rose again from the dead. This is critical. For as Paul bluntly states, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Why is this so? Because it is the resurrection that validates and vindicates Jesus.

He told his disciples beforehand, on several occasions, that he would be given over to be scourged and crucified but would come back to life “on the third day.” That this indeed happened validates the words he spoke about his death and resurrection and by extension all that he taught and said. The resurrection also vindicated Jesus against all the charges that were leveled against him. He was not a demon-possessed, blaspheming criminal deserving of death. To the contrary, he “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). In the words of Peter, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24).

If Jesus did not rise from the dead then he could not have been the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He would have been just another human being who needed the Lamb of as much as anyone else. But with his resurrection his person and purpose were proclaimed. Faith in him is not futile. It is that which saves the sinner for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Heaven on Earth?

Have your read Psalm 72? If you haven't, please do. If you have, read it again. It's a prayer that God would give the king (the royal son) righteousness and justice so that he might rule righteously and justly. As the prayer unfolds, the existence under his righteous and just reign is longingly expressed: the oppressor is crushed, the poor and needy are defended, and even the land produces in abundance under his stewardship. His rule would be "like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth." All authority would be yielded to him as "all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him." And why? For "he delivers the needy when he calls, / the poor and him who has no helper. / He has pity on the weak and the needy, / and saves the lives of the needy. / From oppression and violence he redeems their life, / and precious is their blood in his sight."

The psalm is attributed to Solomon, David's son. He clearly had a vision for what it would mean to have a righteous ruler on the throne. Unfortunately, it was not realized in is reign. In truth, his idolatry led him far away from this ideal and after his death it was acknowledged that his vanity had put a "heavy yoke" upon those he ruled. Solomon's successor was counseled to "be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever" (1 Kings 12:7). That advice was a fitting summary of the psalm that Solomon had penned. Alas, Solomon did not follow it. Nor did his successor, Rehoboam.

I think it safe to say that no ruler has ever fulfilled this vision. Whether monarch, dictator, president, or prime minister, no one has ever succeeded in engineering heaven on earth, no matter how noble his or her intentions. There is only one king that has ever graced the Earth who is capable of achieving this longed-for existence. He is the one who confronts us on Palm Sunday. He it is who ushers in the Kingdom of Heaven with his humble entrance into Jerusalem. 

But it must be noted that the full realization of a perfect human existence under the rule of our benevolent King awaits the consummation of the age. Only when the new heaven and earth are manifested will we completely experience the promised peaceable kingdom. Till then, we await him and pray with the faithful, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

Full Disclosure

Perhaps you know the famous quote from President John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The brilliance of the line is how it succinctly expresses the obligations of citizenship. It is a call to service, to sacrifice, on behalf of your country and its aims.

The intent of the phrase could well be adapted to the task of preaching the gospel. Too often the gospel is presented as a pretty gift, wrapped in bright paper and topped with a bow, that's handed to the listener in a manner that communicates, "Ask anything you want from God and he'll give it to you -- no strings attached!" Unfortunately, this does not accurately represent the enterprise given the church by its Savior. It's true that the price necessary for a sinner's redemption has been fully paid by the obedience of Christ. By faith and faith alone are the benefits of that meritorious work put upon the sinner's account. He need not add anything. That amazing grace needs to be preached and preached boldly. But Jesus says there is more to the gospel call. The other side of the coin is the call to discipleship. And this is where the enterprise gets challenging. It involves not just what God has done for you, but what he calls you to do for him.

Jesus taught that if one is not willing to be more loyal to him than to anyone or any thing else, even one's own life, then that one cannot be his disciple. And if one is not willing to bear the suffering and rejection contained in the cross, a cross that awaits each follower of Jesus, then that one cannot be his disciple. His suffering has, indeed, freely bought the sinner salvation, but faith in him will not be free from suffering, for faith in Jesus sets the believer against the world. It is inevitable, therefore, that at some point in the life of a follower of Jesus his or her loyalty to Christ will be tested, and when that happens whether or not that one is a disciple will be revealed. This is why Jesus asks those who would follow him to count the cost.

We want to be faithful to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, but for the sake of full disclosure, we must also tell them all that that call entails. If they choose to follow Jesus they do so at the risk of losing everything they hold dear. It will not be a popular message but it's the one we are expected to give. After all, we've been commissioned to make disciples of all nations and a would-be disciple must count the cost.

The Parable of the Two Prodigals

As we represent our Savior and his gospel in the world, our hearts must be in the right place. A healthy view of our own need of grace leads us to be humble and grateful for his mercy, eager to see others embrace the good news, and to rejoice with the angels in heaven when sinners come to Christ in repentance and faith. But if we presume a place of privilege, or view the blessings of salvation as entitlements, then we have lost sight of the grace extended to us and are quick to judge others as unworthy. Jesus knew the Pharisees were blinded by just this kind of unloving self-righteousness and offered a set of three parables to expose the hardness of their hearts (Luke 15:1-32).

The parables have a number of things in common: each includes something that is lost, each reveals that the lost item has great value for the one seeking it, each includes a celebration in response to the lost item being recovered. But it’s the last of the parables, the one known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, that most directly addresses the Pharisees’ ungraciousness. In the story, the “older brother” is the placeholder for the Pharisees. His refusal to celebrate at the return of his wastrel younger brother parallels the Pharisees lack of appreciation for what was transpiring in the ministry of Jesus. He received and ate with “tax collectors and sinners” because that is what you do when something precious that was lost is found. Like the repentant younger brother, they were being restored to the family, and Jesus rejoiced.

Let me suggest that the younger brother was not the only prodigal in the family. He may have gone off and wasted his inheritance, but the older brother wasted the opportunity afforded him by staying home and close to his father. Though he spent each day with him, he was not shaped by him. Wasn’t this the Pharisees’ problem? They were diligent to study and obey the law and prophets and yet did not know the God revealed in them. If they had, they too would be celebrating. As it was, their reluctance only demonstrated their scrupulosity was nothing but grudging obedience.

We don’t want to follow the example of either of the prodigals in this parable (unless it is to repent like the younger of the two). To hedonistically squander our possessions is to be a poor steward of God's grace. But neither do we want to squander the access afforded us to the throne of grace by not being formed more and more into the image of the One through whom grace has come. Our union with Christ can give us eyes to see the mercy of God on display when even the most debauched of people humble themselves before the living God. That is not something to protest, but to celebrate.

Build a Wall?

What's the "takeaway" of the parable of the Good Samaritan? It's the call to compassion. This is the motivation that Jesus attributes to his character's actions. As the author of the parable, he chose his words carefully. 

The telling of the story grew out of a discussion concerning what's often called "the summation of the law": "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27). The man engaged with him, one who was skilled in rabbinic law, sought to limit his obligation by asking, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus' masterstroke was to offer a story that put the focus back on the commandment, which says to love the neighbor "as yourself." Jesus wanted his inquisitor to put himself in the situation of the man who had been beaten and left half-dead. What would he want from someone who happened upon him, the actions of the priest and Levite who avoided the problem? Would it not be for a fellow human being (the inclusion of a Samaritan as hero was particularly loaded) to have mercy on him and help him? Would it not be compassion? If that's what you would want, Jesus infers, then "go and do likewise."

This is an important lesson for us, particularly now. Some self-described evangelicals are aligning themselves with politicians who promise them security and prosperity by staying on the other side of the road, the side that keeps them from having to embrace the messy process of compassion. But what if it was they who had to flee the devastation of war? What if was they who left a homeland of intractable economic woes, political unrest, and vicious gang violence? What if it was they who were seeking to create a safer, prosperous future for themselves and their families? It's challenging to see ourselves in the other, but isn't that what Jesus is asking of us -- to do for them what we would have done for us? (cf., Luke 6:31)

Do I sound like a "liberal"? Do I sound like a woosy? I hope I sound like Jesus. 

The issue of illegal immigration (to name just one of a myriad of issues) is complicated. But we must not lose sight of the fact that we are Christians first, Americans second. As citizens of the heavenly kingdom, compassion, the etymology of which is "suffer with," trumps nationalism. We must embrace the governing ethic of our King, "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:37).