A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly. ~Proverbs 18:23
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So, he called out to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”
But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”
He answered, “Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my Father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.” “No, Father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.”
He said to him, “if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” ~Luke 16:19-31
“A poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich man answers harshly.” Jesus acknowledges through His story that what Solomon has observed here, in the seen world, is true, but that is not necessarily the end of the story. There is God’s last chapter, which is always going to be the case, no matter how things end here on earth.
Kathy and I are often moved by the amazing stories that we hear about our brothers and sisters in more persecuted lands. There are brothers around the world who are facing unspeakable horrors compared with our minor scrapes and bumps here in America. We read stories of people being treated brutally, losing homes, businesses, children, spouses and yet, poor as they are, they cling to their faith and hope in Jesus. We often find ourselves asking the question: “How do they stay so strong in the midst of such suffering?”
My understanding is that they truly understand that what they are going through now is temporary. They are more burdened for their persecutors because our Christian brothers and sisters understand that if their persecutor is not saved, they will face suffering for eternity. When they compare our short time here to what they will endure for eternity, they are compelled to press on in the faith to try to save them because they understand that there is no comparison.
If only we could get the church in Western culture to understand the same. It would make us bolder because we would understand that even when we lose here, it is only a temporary loss. The victory has already been won. That is a fact, whether we believe it or not, but if we believe it, then we must ask ourselves, “What have we got to lose!”
Perhaps it would also make us gentler. The Church is rich! We Christians have riches untold in Christ! The unsaved are the poor. They really have nothing without Christ. This fact gives the proverb and parable another level of meaning that speaks to our tendency to look down upon “sinners” and fail to love them as we ought to. We may speak harshly to them because their views and ideas are so biblically unacceptable. But if we do not love them, we leave them in their spiritual poverty. That’s what our persecuted brothers and sisters understand.
Over and over we read in scripture that His eye is on the poor. That is why He calls out His people to care for them. Both the poor in riches and the poor in spirit. They are not insignificant to Him. It is only in the seen world, where value is measured by material gain and possessions, that anyone is insignificant. We are all the same in the unseen world, except for the difference made by whether or not we trust in Christ.
We see God’s value difference in Jesus’ parable, in the fact that the rich man is not even given a name, but Lazarus is. Did the rich man know Lazarus’ name while on earth? We don’t know, but God did. This principle is so important for us to grasp. This is why we should not take vengeance ourselves. This is why we should not be discouraged from obeying God. Even when things are not put right at our death, the last chapter has not been written.
We would like to see it written here, that is a human tendency, but if it isn’t, we will read the last chapter in eternity where everything will turn out His way and no one will be able to change it. Yes, the poor man may plead for mercy and be ill-treated for His request, but God hears his plea and will answer in His own time. A rich man may answer harshly, but God hears that too and His response has already been determined even if we do not know it in the seen world. God is writing the final chapter and it is based on His justice and His truth and those who trust in Him for that will live happily ever after.
Prayer: Father, I believe and trust that You work all things out for the good. Justice shall be done, at last in the next life, if not this one. And yet, Lord, I am thankful for Your Grace that intervened to given me mercy instead of the justice that I deserve! And so, I pray for the unsaved I may reach, that I will be tender and loving toward them as You are to me, and not answer harshly, but give them hope. In Jesus’ name, amen,
Song: Jesus
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