Lectionary for Sept. 28, 2025
16th Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146;
1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31
When I was growing up, I had the opportunity to visit different kinds of churches. We mostly went to Methodist churches, but an assignment during confirmation involved visiting multiple denominations, including a Catholic mass. One of my jobs in my 20s was to take graduate students to visit Orthodox and Coptic services. We also briefly attended a Pentecostal storefront church. I then started attending an evangelical church with my girlfriend (now wife!) in my 20s. I only became a Lutheran Christian in my 30s. I’ve learned that there are lots of differences in how Christians worship and believe, including their theories of atonement, ideas about the ideal relationship between Christians and temporal power, and beliefs about the eucharist and baptism. One of the biggest differences is how wealth is discussed.
This week in the lectionary texts, wealth is addressed in great detail.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable about an unnamed rich man dressed in fine clothes and a diseased, poor man named Lazarus. The rich man enjoyed luxurious things in his lifetime, and Lazarus lived a life of torment. When they died, their positions switched. Lazarus went to be comforted in Abraham’s bosom while the rich man was tormented. These destinations seem to have made sense to Jesus’ interlocutors. We don’t hear anything else describing afterlife destinations other than Abraham’s matter-of-fact, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony” (Luke 16:25).
When it became clear that the fiery torment was the just and inescapable punishment for the rich man’s life, he beseeched Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his still-living brothers. Warn them of what? Again, the only thing the rich man has been told is that there is inescapable torment for those who surround themselves in luxury and don’t share with the poor. When Jesus told this parable, there was no mention of belief, grace, faith or repentance. Anyone reading Moses and the prophets should already know that the poor being comforted and the un-sharing rich being tormented is exactly what would happen.
Let us now turn to the prophets. Amos critiqued the rich residents of the two holy hills in the promised land. Those who lived like David before them (Amos 6:5)—lounging about on expensive furniture, playing music and feasting instead of mourning the loss of their tribesmen in the hinterlands to invading forces—would face punishments. The idle rich would experience the exile that they didn’t seem to mind when it only happened to other people and didn’t interfere with their parties (7).
Wealth and the pursuit of wealth are dangerous. The antidote is being rich toward God by sharing wealth generously with all in need,
The psalmist sings of God’s interventions on behalf of the poor and those about whom the rich do not care. The hearers of the psalm are instructed to not trust noblemen, because there is not salvation in them (Psalm 146:3). Instead, the Lord will execute justice for the oppressed, give food to the hungry and free the prisoners. Again, we see God giving preferential treatment and attention to foreigners and support to orphans and widows (9).
If this is how God behaves, what should we do? The author of 1 Timothy has some suggestions. Humans can’t bring anything into or out of the world, so we should be content with simply having our food and clothing needs met (6:7-8). Becoming rich is dangerous, because it exposes people to foolish and harmful desires, and the piercing of many pains (10). The author advises people to flee from wealth! The way to do this is to be rich in good works, being ready to share. In giving away wealth, they will build up treasure that has a good foundation (17-19), not a poisonous and ruinous root.
Look, Jesus, Moses, the prophets, the psalmist and the epistle writers all agree that wealth and its pursuit are dangerous. The antidote is being rich toward God by sharing wealth generously with all in need, especially the poor, foreigners, widows and orphans. In the meantime, when the rich hoard wealth, God takes up the case of the poor.
