“Sermon Homework” Review Of:
Ichabod's Posting of Luther's Sermon on "The
Rich Man and Lazarus" - FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY - 1523-24 - Taken from
one of the 8 Pamphlet Editions
Please note: Luther’s words in blue
PART I - THE RICH MAN
The Rich Man Does Not Possess True Religion:
The rich man in the parable told by Christ did not
possess true religion. As Luther
intimates, he was engrossed with himself and surrounded himself with an easy,
lazy and sumptuous life. He was self absorbed - narcissistic - continually
sinning against the First Commandment.
Secondly, the rich man not only sinned against God;
he sinned against his neighbor. The
parable makes obvious his sins of omission. The rich man failed miserably in
that he did not practice genuine religion:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to
keep himself unspotted from the world."
James 1:27 - Also: Matthew 5:8
The Rich Man's Sins Against God and His Neighbor -
Sins Against the First and Second Table of the Law:
The rich man sins against
the God who created him and sins against Lazarus, another priceless soul,
created by God. But, (however) these sins against God's Ten Commandments, they are
only a natural outgrowth of the inherited sin nature and the overt (natural) capacity
to continue to sin, according to the Adamic nature. [Romans 3:23 ; Romans 5:12]
What, Essentially, Damns the Rich Man?
The rich man's damning sin,
is that he did not listen when he had the opportunity to hear God's Word - as
mentioned in the parable, as the Word was, "Moses and the Prophets."
It was his sin of omission, not giving heed to the divine revelation which
finally did this rich man's soul, eternally, in! By failing to hear and listen,
the rich man was settled in unbelief. Today, is no different as people in
modern day culture are too self absorbed with themselves and their own creature
comforts, - not only neglecting God's due worship [from them] but so self
absorbed that the love of their neighbor is virtually unseen by their blinded
spiritual eyes. This is what Luther says, of such:
"....For
whoever feels the goodness of God, feels also for the misfortune of his
neighbor; but whoever is not conscious of the goodness of God, sympathizes not
in the misfortune of his neighbor....."
Luther also illustrates in
this sermon that the rich man's faith in God is nil, - else he would have had
compassion upon Lazarus who was suffering (right) outside his mansion dwelling.
Here, Luther makes another astute observation:
"....So we
see now in the example of the rich man that it is impossible to love, where no
faith exists,....Yea, here you see that there is nothing slinder and more
unmerciful than unbelief. For here the dogs, the most irascible animals, are
more merciful to poor Lazarus than this rich man, and they recognize the need
of the poor man and lick his sores; while the obdurate, blinded hypocrite is so
hard hearted that he does not wish him to have the crumbs that fell from his table....."
PART 2 - POOR LAZARUS
Luther takes for granted the
faith of Lazarus. And, why shouldn't he? Lazarus ended up in heaven, but the
rich man in hell because of his unbelief. Luther references Hebrews 11:6 - "For without faith it is impossible to please
God." The parable does not mention Lazarus' faith. It doesn't have to.
From the destination end of both souls, it is obvious that Lazarus possessed a
genuine faith and the rich man was bereft of any saving faith.
Luther continues with the
personification of a goddess looking favorably upon the riches of the rich man
whereas God is pleased with the sores and sufferings of poor Lazarus. Luther
goes on to say that in the world - even now, there are people suffering, yet
the rich are blind to that reality. So the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man
is played over and over in modern times.
Luther observes:
"All
believers are like poor Lazarus; and every believer is a true Lazarus, for he
is of the same faith, mind and will, as Lazarus. And whoever will not be a
Lazarus, will surely have his portion with the rich glutton in the flames of
hell."
Luther mentions
that true believers, even though they may not be visited with the physical afflictions
as Lazarus, these true believers have the same mind and heart as dear Lazarus.
Luther states:
"So Abraham
also, although he had not the poverty and affliction of Lazarus, yet he had the
mind and will to bear what Lazarus did, if God had visited him thus."
Luther concludes Part 2 with the following astute
observation:
"Thus is set
forth the sum and meaning of the Gospel that we may see how faith everywhere saves and unbelief condemns.
PART 3 - QUESTIONS SUGGESTED AND ANSWERED
Question 1 - Luther explains the "bosom of
Abraham:"
.....To answer
this, it is necessary to know that the soul or spirit of man has no rest or
place where it may abide, except the Word of God, until he comes at the last
day to the clear vision of God. Therefore we conclude that the bosom of Abraham
signifies nothing else than the Word of God, where Christ was promised, Genesis
22:18, to Abraham, namely: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed.”......Thus were all the fathers before the birth of Christ carried
into Abraham’s bosom; that is, at their death they were established in this
saying of God, and they fell asleep in the same, they were embraced and guarded
as in a bosom, and sleep there until the day of judgment; excepting those,. who
have already risen with Christ, as Matthew 27:52 teaches, where they also remained.....
Luther then contrasts the
righteous, which have died in the Faith with those of unbelievers:
.....For just as
Abraham’s bosom is God’s Word, in which believers rest through faith, and fall
asleep and are guarded there until the day of judgment; so must that on the
contrary ever be hell, where God’s Word is not, into which the unbelievers are
cast until the day of judgment. That can be nothing else than an empty,
unbelieving, sinful, and evil conscience.....
Question 2 - Luther explains the “conversation”
between the Rich Man and Abraham:
Since both bodies were in
the grave, the conversation was not one of voice but of
"consciousness." Referring to the request of the Rich Man to Abraham
to warn his family of hell, Luther comments:
.....These are
the thoughts of despair, when the conscience feels that the Word of God is
withdrawn forever from him; accordingly the thoughts of his conscience rage and
would gladly have the living to know that such are the agonies of death, and he
craves that someone would tell it to them.....But it is to no purpose; for he
feels an answer in his own conscience, that Moses and the prophets are
sufficient, whom they ought to believe, as he himself should have done. All
such thoughts pass between the condemned conscience and the Word of God, in the
hour of death or in the agonies of death;
Question 3 – Re: The time element of eternal judgment
- [Luther]: "When did that take place, and if the rich man still daily
without ceasing suffers thus until the day of judgment?"
Luther does not have an
answer for this, as Scripture does not tell us. Luther does refer to the
relativity of time, but then ends up saying:
"....Therefore
it seems to me that in this rich man we have an example of the future of all
unbelievers, when their eyes are opened by death and its agonies; which can
endure but for a moment and then cease until the day of judgment, as it may
please God; for here no definite rule can be established.....
Question 4 - About "praying for the dead:"
Luther has a two part
answer:
a) "We have no command from God to pray for the dead;
therefore no one sins by not praying for them; for what God does not bid or
forbid us to do, in that no one can sin."
b) As far
as the dead's "final" judgment, Luther's answer about prayer for the dead
is, as follows:
"......Now
since it is uncertain and no one knows, whether final judgment has been passed
upon these souls, it is not sin if you pray for them; but in this way, that you
let it rest in uncertainty and speak thus: Dear God, if the departed souls be
in a state that they may yet be helped, then I pray that thou wouldst be
gracious. And when you have thus prayed once or twice, then let it be
sufficient and commend them unto God. For God has promised that when we pray to
him for anything he would hear us. Therefore when you have prayed once or
twice, you should believe that your prayer is answered, and there let it rest,
lest you tempt God and mistrust him......"
Having stated thus, [in the aforementioned] Luther
frowns on continued prayer:
".....masses,
vigils and prayers to be repeated forever for the dead every year, as if God
had not heard us the year before, is the work of Satan and is death itself,
where God is mocked by unbelief, and such prayers are nothing but blasphemy of
God.”
Luther further observes
(although not using the word) that "séances" are not according to
Scripture, - since:
".....No
soul has yet since the beginning of the world reappeared on the earth, and it
is not God’s will that it should be so. For here in this Gospel you see that
Abraham declares that no one can be sent from the dead to teach the living; but
he points them to the Word of God in the Scriptures, Deuteronomy 31: “They have
Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” By these words Abraham turns to
the command of God in Deuteronomy 18:11, where God says: “Thou shalt not be a
consulter with a familiar spirit.” Isaiah 8:19......."
Luther ends his sermon by
dispelling his day's superstition of ghosts and haunted dwellings - one with a
story of Gregory, the Bishop of Cappadocia.
Pastor Bickel's quick summation:
Excellent sermon by Luther!
[Aren’t most, if not all?] Every Christian
pastor, Christian and heathen would benefit. [The unbeliever would benefit, at
least to the extent that he would be warned of his future eternal damning
predicament, baring repentance and faith]
Luther's adept reliance upon the Word is captivating. He always
returns to "faith." After all, it is "faith" which [only]
pleases God. [Hebrews 11:6] It is by God’s grace through faith, in which we are
justified and thus are able to receive the crown of glory, as Lazarus did.
The "key" to this
parable of Christ, is, essentially, the Word - "Moses and the
Prophets." To the Rich Man, those were the Scriptures of his day, the
divine revelation to which he did not take heed – (which was manifest in the
Rich Man’s temporal lifestyle and sins of omission). He was condemned because
of his unbelief in those Scriptures,
- whereas Lazarus was a suffering servant of the Lord, who believed. He had nothing to offer His Lord but his patient
suffering. To him the words of 1 Peter 1 would apply:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now
for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and
glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory..." [1 Peter 1:3-8 - KJV]
Take my life and let it be;
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my love, my Lord, I
pour; at Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be,
ever, only, all for Thee.
[TLH - “Take My Life and Let It Be” – CPH ;
c.1941 – Verses 1 & 6]
Pastor emeritus Nathan M.
Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www..moralmatters.org
P.S. - Dr. Jackson – Thanks for providing the opportunity to review one
of Luther’s sermons! I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a good exercise!
