16th Sunday after Pentecost Luke 16:19-31

Introduction

Our text falls within a larger section (Luke 16) in which Jesus deals head-on with questions of money, specifically the need to choose God over mammon (the worship of money), in other words, the kingdom of God over the kingdom of this world. Jesus does this by telling a series of parables, including ours today. 

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus involves a role reversal, where a homeless beggar named Lazarus, humiliated and disabled in this life, switches places with the rich man whose (outer) gate he begs at. As with many of Jesus’ parables, the story involves an ordinary, common setting, in this case that of a rich man and a beggar. The one significant difference between this story and the rest of Jesus’ parables is that this…

1. The Great Reversal: The text highlights a "great reversal" where the exalted become humbled and the humbled are exalted, not only in the parable but also in Jesus's own life. What are some real-world examples you've seen or heard of where a similar "reversal" of fortune or status has occurred, and what do these examples teach us about the values we place on earthly success?

2. The Dangers of Loving Money: The evangelist notes that Jesus saw the love of money as an idol that makes people "callous to the needs of others." How does the love of money create a blind spot or a "callous" heart, and what practical steps can we take to ensure that our pursuit of financial stability doesn't lead us to ignore the…