September 28, 2025 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Please be seated.
A few years ago, ABBA came out with a hit song, “Money, Money, Money,” which affirmed that it’s a rich man’s world. The hit musical Cabaret had a song “Money Makes the World Go ‘Round,” which had a similar message. Is money important? If I were to say “No,” I would sound pious, but from an earthly perspective it wouldn’t be true. Money is important. With money, you can buy the things you need and the things you want. Money brings status. Money brings power, which you can use for good or for evil. With money, you can start a business that meets people’s needs, provides employment, and promotes economic growth. Let’s face it: If you have little hope of making money, you won’t take the risk of starting a company. As someone who has studied economics and business, I’m convinced that the main difference between rich and poor countries lies in entrepreneurs, that is, those who start new companies and develop new products. Entrepreneurship is the reason why countries like Japan, South Korea, and now China have risen from poverty to prosperity. Of course, like most things, businesses can have negative as well as positive impacts on society and the planet.
So, money can be a good thing, and it can be a bad thing. One thing is sure: money can be a temptation and a trap, as today’s epistle reading tells us. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Tim 6:10). Money is not the root of ALL evil, as some people say when they misquote this verse. But the love of it is. Now, the love of money is not the only root of evil. The love of power is perhaps even more dangerous, as we see in abundance in today’s politics. But the love of money and the love of power are closely related. If you are wealthy, you have power. If you are powerful, you can gain wealth. Vladimir Putin is rumored to be the richest man in the world. Another world leader even has his own crypto currency, from which he and his family have reportedly made billions.
When we look at today’s Gospel reading, Jesus seems to have a negative attitude toward wealth. The rich man suffers in Hades, while the poor man, Lazarus, is in paradise with Abraham. This isn’t the only time in the Gospels that Jesus seems to oppose wealth. Luke 18 relates the story of the rich young ruler, who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus lists some of the commandments, and the rich young ruler responds, “I’ve kept these since I was a boy.” Jesus then tells him to give away everything he owns to the poor, then follow Him. The ruler turns away very sad. Jesus was asking too much! Jesus then famously said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God,” (Lk 18:25). In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, Jesus told His disciples, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God,” (Lk 6:20). Then He said, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation,” (Lk 6:24).
Is Jesus a socialist? Does he hate rich people? We might be tempted to say, “You better watch out, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos!” But we have a problem: Compared to all the people who have ever lived, most of us are extremely rich! Our standard of living would be unimaginably high to the rich man in the Gospel story. Even today, most people in the world have much less wealth than we do. So, if Jesus hates rich people, most of us have a problem. Also, the Bible tells us that some of the heroes of the faith were rich, including Abraham, Job, King David and King Solomon. While imperfect, they were counted among the righteous. Proverbs 28:25 says, “The righteous will prosper.”
So, why does the rich man in our story suffer in Hades? He is not portrayed as a sympathetic character. Here was a man living a life of luxury. He was dressed in purple and fine linen, which only the very rich could afford. While most people back then lived a precarious existence and were happy when they had enough bread to eat, the rich man feasted sumptuously every day. His worst offense was ignoring the poor man, Lazarus, who was at the gate of his house. He could have fed Lazarus with the scraps from his table, which would have cost him nothing. He couldn’t be bothered. He just didn’t care. So, here was a case where a rich man had no empathy for the poor man who was right on his doorstep. Their roles were reversed after death: Lazarus was comforted at Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man was in torment in Hades. The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to comfort him, but Abraham said it was impossible. The rich man then asked that Lazarus be returned to life so he could warn the rich man’s brothers, who presumably were also rich and without empathy. In a reference to Jesus’ upcoming death and resurrection, Abraham says, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Subsequent events would bear this out.
So, here we have a rich man suffering in eternity. Are all rich people condemned to eternal death? Abraham certainly wasn’t. In a dispute with the Sadducees about the resurrection, Jesus said that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were among the living (Mark 12:26-27). Jesus also had wealthy followers, including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus – not the Lazarus of our Gospel reading! Lydia of Thyatira, who housed Paul on a missionary journey, was a seller of purple cloth, according to church tradition. In that case, she was probably wealthy.
Money is a tool which can be used for good or for evil. It’s the excessive desire for money that’s a problem. Money can be an idol: one we worship more than we worship God. The first of Jesus’ two great commandments is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk 12:30). If you love money more than God, you are breaking this commandment. The second of Jesus’ commandments is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:31). We can only do this if we love God more than all else, including money. The rich man in today’s Gospel did not love Lazarus, because he did not love God. He loved his wealth and his own pleasure more.
Shortly before Jesus told this story, He told the story of the dishonest manager, which was the Gospel reading last week. This story ended with the statement, “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” (Lk 16:13). This is the fundamental problem with wealth, and with power, and with fame, and everything else. As followers of Christ, we need to serve God and put Him first.
In today’s epistle, Paul warns those who are rich “not to be haughty or set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. We are to serve God and put Him first. As Jesus said, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33). Paul continues, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so they may take hold of the life that really is life.”
So, we should ask ourselves, what is the main purpose of our life? Is it to make lots of money, live a life of luxury, and enjoy worldly pleasures? This ultimately leads to failure, even if we succeed in the short run. As we all know, we can’t take money and possessions with us when we die. If the main purpose of our life is to serve God and experience the joy He gives us abundantly, this ultimately leads to success, even if we face trials and tribulations in the short run. We can and will take God’s spiritual blessings with us!
May God give us the strength to put Him first, not money. Amen.