The First Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 16:19-33
In Christ Jesus, our priceless Treasure, who shares with us His eternal inheritance of holiness and life, dear fellow redeemed:
In our younger years, I don’t think any of us imagined having less than when we grew up. We imagined having a house at least as nice as the one we were living in, and we dreamed of having a lot more—plenty of money to buy what we wanted, go where we wanted, and do what we wanted. We would look out the car window at the huge houses and nice properties and wonder what it would be like to live there. We still do that even as we get older. We think of the lucky people who have all those nice things, “living the good life.”
That’s the kind of life the rich man in today’s reading had. He wore the finest clothes. He ate the best food. He was rich and famous. Everyone knew his name. Everyone wanted to be acquainted with him and hopefully be invited to join him at his feasts. The pursuit of this kind of life is what causes so many Americans to buy lottery tickets every day. I just saw that Americans spend about $900 billion each year on lottery tickets which is nearly $300 million spent every day, 365 days a year.
We dream of being rich. No one dreams of being a beggar like the poor man Lazarus in today’s reading. Lazarus was laid by someone at the gate of the rich man because if anyone had money or goods to spare, it was the owner of the mansion. Lazarus was in bad shape. He was covered with sores, too weak to shoo away the dogs. Nobody wanted to go near him—they might catch what he had. They didn’t even want to look at him. He was a public nuisance. Couldn’t someone come and take him away?
We can understand that response. We might feel the same way if a sick stranger was laid outside our house. But then we remember what Jesus will say to the believers on the last day: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Mat. 25:35-36,40). The beggar needed someone to have compassion, but no one did. Where were the faithful followers of God?
They weren’t in the rich man’s house. It isn’t that rich people cannot believe; it’s that many of them think that whatever they need, they can buy. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mat. 19:23-24). Can you imagine a camel with his huge humps fitting through something as tiny as the eye of a needle?
Jesus said this right after a rich man asked Him what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus told him he had to keep the Commandments. The rich man said he had done this. Jesus replied, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Jesus’ words caused the man to leave in sadness, for “he had great possessions” (vv. 16-22). Giving away all he had for Jesus was asking too much.
But Jesus did not say he would lose all his treasure. He told him to give up his earthly treasure, so that he would have “treasure in heaven.” That’s a difficult bargain: give up something you can see for something you can’t see. We face decisions like this all through our life. Do I pursue whatever I feel like doing now, or do I stay mindful about my future? Do I opt for the quick fling today or wait for the commitment and stability of a life-long relationship? Indulging in the present always seems more appealing—just ask the kid with a handful of money if he would rather use it to buy toys today or put it in savings and wait for it to grow.
Focusing on the present, on earthly possessions and self-satisfaction will always be more tempting. But the best things in life are the things we wait for, like birthdays, Christmas, marriage, children. Even better than all these are the good things God has stored up for us in heaven. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mat. 6:19-20).
But what are those treasures in heaven? We find out from Lazarus. Before, he was left alone to die surrounded by dogs; now, he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Before, he was poor and hungry; now, he was perfectly content and satisfied. Before, he was covered with sores; now, he was covered in righteousness. Before, no one showed him mercy; now, he was comforted in heaven. Revelation 21:4 says that for all eternity, God “will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Those are the treasures in heaven.
The rich man did not experience these things. He died just like Lazarus did, but he did not have faith like Lazarus had. His soul was sent to hell. Before, he had whatever his heart desired; now, he was desperate for a few drops of water. Before, he was covered in fine clothes; now, he was covered in flames. Before, he was satisfied and happy; now, he was in torment and anguish. Before, he would not admit the needy through his gates; now, God would not admit him through the gates of heaven. Before, everyone knew his name; now, nobody cared about him.
The eternal judgment of the dead cannot be changed. Those who die in faith cannot lose heaven. Those who die in unbelief can never escape hell. Abraham said to the rich man, “between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” This is why now is the time to repent of our sins and to hold on tightly to the gracious gifts He gives us.
The rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the torments of hell. Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” When the rich man protested, saying that this was not enough, Abraham said, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” “Moses and the Prophets” was the shorthand way of describing all the books in the Old Testament Scriptures. Abraham said that the Holy Scriptures were powerful to bring the rich man’s brothers to repentance and faith.
The rich man disagreed like so many do today. They view the Bible as a man-made book, full of superstitions, a book which probably does more harm than good. If they think there is some better place like heaven, they expect they will get there because of how good they have been. They fought for social justice. They helped the needy. They lived a decent life. But Abraham, the father of the faithful, who “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6)—this Abraham says, “let them hear [Moses and the Prophets].”
He says the same thing to you and me. “Listen to the Word of God; read it; study it; memorize it; meditate on it. It is the living Word of the living God.” God’s Word does not return to Him empty (Isa. 55:11). You are proof of that. You are here today because “the Holy Ghost has called [you] by the Gospel, enlightened [you] with His gifts, sanctified and kept [you] in the true faith” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article).
Through His powerful Word, God made you His own child in Holy Baptism. Through His Word, He imparts the forgiveness of your sins. Through His Word, He strengthens your faith. Through His Word, He comforts you when you experience the loss of good things in this life. Through His Word, He prepares you to meet the angels with confidence and joy when they arrive to take your soul to heaven.
Through His Word, you have received many good things, eternal things, things that make you richer than Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk. One day, all the riches they worked so hard for will slip through their fingers just like sand. Money can buy neither happiness nor salvation. You were ransomed from your greed and selfishness, from sin and death, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1Pe. 1:18-19).
He offered Himself up for you and every poor beggar, so that your hands are washed clean of all your sins. He also lived a completely holy life on your behalf, perfectly loving and helping His neighbors in need. He places the treasures of His forgiveness and righteousness in your hands, so that you are made an heir of all the treasures of heaven.
When you were younger, you dreamed of many good things, and God has blessed you with the earthly gifts of home, family, and friends beyond what you could have imagined. But He has much greater things in store for you than these. Jesus secured the treasures of heaven for you. You will receive them like Lazarus did, when the angels come to carry your soul to the kingdom of light. Then you won’t remember the troubles of this life, and all the good and holy things of God will be yours forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from painting of the beggar Lazarus by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886)
The First Sunday after Trinity – Vicar Lehne farewell sermon
Text: St. Luke 16:19-31
In Christ Jesus, who is our priceless treasure, dear fellow redeemed:
The rich man seemed to have everything. In his lifetime, he received good things, living in comfort, which he showed off in how he dressed and how he ate. He was clothed in purple, which was a color that was associated with royalty, and in fine linen, which was the most expensive cloth at that time. And he didn’t just have magnificent feasts some of the time, but every day, which showed that he was actively pursuing a good life on earth that was filled with worldly riches. On the other hand, there’s Lazarus. Unlike the rich man, who seemed to have everything, Lazarus seemed to have nothing. In his lifetime, he received bad things, living in anguish. He never got to feast like the rich man did. Instead, he laid at the rich man’s gate every day, hoping that he might get fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. And the only ones who attended to him were dogs who came to lick the sores on his body.
The lives of the rich man and Lazarus couldn’t have been more different. This was not only true of their lives on earth, but also of their lives after they both died. There was just one difference. Now, their situations had completely flipped. While the rich man had feasted sumptuously on earth, now it was Lazarus who was feasting sumptuously at Abraham’s side, the father of all believers, in heaven. While Lazarus was begging for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table to satisfy his hunger even just a little bit on earth, now it was the rich man who was begging for a drop of water to cool his tongue even just a little bit in hell. While Lazarus lived in anguish on earth, he was now living in eternal comfort in heaven. And while the rich man lived in comfort on earth, he was now living in eternal anguish in hell.
What had caused the rich man and Lazarus to end up where they did when their lives on earth were over? It’s really easy for us to focus on their outward circumstances and think that had something to do with where they ended up, especially since that’s all we were told of their lives on earth, but this was not the case. It was not being rich that sent the rich man to hell. Everything that a person has is a blessing from God, and if we look through the Bible, we see that there were many people whom God blessed with earthly riches. We are told that God blessed Abraham in all things, including earthly riches. When God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom instead of something like earthly riches, God not only gave him wisdom, but he also gave Solomon what he did not ask for, both riches and honor. The entire book of Job starts with the devil telling God that the only reason Job loves him so much is because he has blessed Job with so much. Then, at the end of the book, when Job has remained faithful to God despite losing everything, God blesses Job with even more riches than he had started with. Just as it wasn’t being rich that sent the rich man to hell, it also wasn’t being poor that sent Lazarus to heaven. It is just as easy for someone who is poor to sin as it is for someone who is rich. As Proverbs 30:8–9 says, “[G]ive me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
So, if it wasn’t what was on the outside that caused the rich man and Lazarus to end up where they did when they died, then it must have been what was on the inside. While the rich man seemed to have everything during his life on earth, there was one thing that he did not have: faith. Even though the rich man had access to Moses and the Prophets, he did not see value in them or in the message that they contained. He only saw value in his earthly possessions. So, he rejected God and used his earthly possessions to give him the best life possible on earth. On the other hand, while Lazarus seemed to have nothing during his life on earth, he did have faith, the one thing that the rich man didn’t have. Through Moses and the Prophets, the Holy Spirit created faith in Lazarus’ heart, and with that faith, he saw the value in the promised Savior that Moses and the Prophets spoke about, for it was only through this promised Savior that he could be saved from his sins and given eternal comfort in heaven. This is what caused the rich man and Lazarus to end up where they did, not whether they were rich or poor, but whether or not they believed in the coming Savior, who is the most priceless treasure of all.
Of the rich man and Lazarus, who are we more like? While we would all love to say that we are like Lazarus, who held on to his faith even though he suffered in anguish every day, there are times when we are more like the rich man than we realize or care to admit. Like the rich man, who showed off his wealth in the clothes that he wore, there are times when we like to show off our own wealth to our friends and family. Getting our hands on the newest and greatest items becomes the most important thing in our lives, so much so that, instead of giving our first fruits to God, we give him our leftovers, if we give him anything at all. And like the rich man, who ate sumptuously every day, actively pursuing a good life on earth, there are times when we actively pursue a good life on earth above all else. We want to enjoy ourselves at fun and exciting events, and we want to satisfy our hunger by eating good food in nice restaurants, even if it means that we have to skip church to do it.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with owning possessions or spending our money in ways that we enjoy. After all, everything that we have is a gift from God. But if we are not careful, then we will make those things the most important things in our lives and put ourselves in danger of losing our faith and becoming even more like the rich man, who only saw value in his earthly treasures. If our earthly treasures replace our faith in Jesus as our Savior, then we will no longer see the value in God becoming a man; in the God-man, Jesus, living a perfect life; in Jesus suffering and dying on the cross. And as a result, we will no longer experience the comfort of heaven when our time on this earth is over, but we will instead experience eternal anguish in the fires of hell, like the rich man did.
Thankfully, the great treasure that is God’s Word is freely available to us, no matter how far away from God we have strayed. We don’t need to spend vast amounts of money to get it; it is freely given to us by God so that the riches that Jesus won for us may become ours. Through the faith that the Holy Spirit has created in our hearts through the preaching of the Word, we know just how valuable what Jesus has done for us truly is. The value of Jesus becoming a man is that he loved us so much that he was willing to leave his throne in heaven and humble himself to save us. The value of Jesus living a perfect life is that he fulfilled God’s law for us when we were unable to do so, and he applies his perfect life to us so that the Father only sees the holy life that his only-begotten Son lived when he looks at us. And the value of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross is that all of our sins have been paid for; we don’t need to do anything to make up for our sins and get out of hell, because Jesus has already done everything that is necessary to win us a place in heaven. The treasures of this world that God blesses us with are nice, but they are only temporary. As the prophet Isaiah says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). There truly is no greater or more priceless treasure than Jesus.
Like Lazarus, we have faith in our Savior. But there are times when we can be like Lazarus in another way. Like Lazarus, there are times when our lives are filled with anguish. Even though we may not be begging for crumbs from people’s tables, there are times when we can worry about how we are going to provide for ourselves and our families. We want to provide for our loved ones by giving them food or by paying for doctors to heal them when they get sick. But we see how expensive everything is getting, and our pay doesn’t seem to always go up along with the rising costs, meaning that we can’t buy what we used to be able to or what we currently need to. And even though we may not experience moments when no one is attending to us except for stray animals, like the case was with Lazarus, there are times when it can feel like no one cares about us or is there to help us when we need it. In moments like those, we can feel unloved and abandoned.
When we go through hardships in our lives and feel the anguish of those hardships, it can be hard for us to hold on to our faith. After all, if Jesus truly did love us, why would he be allowing us to go through such torment? But even when it feels like we’re all alone or that we have nothing, Jesus is always there for us to help us get through our anguish and give us comfort. Jesus, our priceless treasure, is all we need. He didn’t abandon us while we were still sinners. Instead, he laid down his own life to give us eternal life. As the apostle Paul says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And if Jesus didn’t abandon us then, he won’t abandon us now. He will remain by our side no matter what and help us endure whatever anguish and torment we have to go through until the day that he calls us home to the heaven that he won for us.
When you do enter the gates of heaven, you will never have to experience the anguish and torments of this world ever again. Never again will you hunger. Instead, you will feast sumptuously every day. Never again will you be alone or unloved. Instead, you will be surrounded by not just fellow believers who will show you love without end, but you will also be in the presence of God, who loved you so much that he sent his only-begotten Son to die for you. Any other possible anguish that you could possibly endure here on earth will be gone forever. Instead, you will only experience eternal comfort.
Through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit gives you the faith to receive all of these blessings. The rich man was unable to see the value in God’s Word. Even when he was in anguish in the fires of hell, he still couldn’t see the value in God’s Word. Instead, he thought that something else was needed, something that seemed to be more spectacular. But like Lazarus, you know the truth. You know the value of the message that God’s Word contains. You know the value of what Jesus accomplished for you. While the treasures of this world that God blesses you with are nice, they don’t hold a candle to Jesus and what he did for you. Jesus truly is your priceless treasure.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from painting of the beggar Lazarus by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886)