Trading Places
It has been one of the great dramatic devices used by writers are creators over the centuries. The comparison between two individuals with exceedingly different backgrounds who lives happen to brush up against one another is one of the oldest types of stories known to humanity. We look at the two individuals and we see the contrasts between them. We look at the events in life that made them so different and so unique.
Some of these stories may be quite familiar to all of us. The Prince and the Pauper is one such story. The first of the popular miniseries on television, before Roots even, was the very successful and well watched epic, Rich Man, Poor Man.
And this device is used time and time again in Scripture as we well know. We see the story of Cain and Abel and compare the two protagonists. We see Jacob and Esau, whose battles began in their mother’s womb. Jesus even uses his observations of Mary and Martha to help illustrate what the upcoming realm of God was to be like. And at the very end of his earthly ministry, we see the differing reactions of the two thieves on either side of Jesus, suffering like he did on the cross, accepting or rejecting Jesus as was their wont.
So today is yet another of those scriptural examples of comparison of character, of godliness, or compassion, and of fate.
On the one hand we have the rich man. We can make certain assumptions about this man from what we know about his circumstances. One thing that we know about the social status of individuals in antiquity is that it was virtually impossible to work one’s way up the social ladder. If you were a rich man, you were born into a rich family. Our rich man was born into privilege and all that such privilege entails. His mother would have had the best care possible during her pregnancy. His would have many servants taking care of his every need during his upbringing. His education would have been the finest available. He would never be without the proper clothing, the proper food, and he most certainly lived in a very comfortable dwelling, as would only be fitting for someone of his stature.
Our poor Lazarus would have never known the life that the rich man experienced. His life would have been a challenge from the very start. Perhaps he was only with one parent, maybe his mother, since his birth. His parents were at best servants themselves. He had none of the advantages that the wealthy had, no healthcare, lacking in necessities such as clothing and food, and living at best in a modest dwelling. In this age, children were often times treated as a burden to their families, particularly if the family was already making do with less than what was really necessary to survive.
Our rich man would have been given the best education possible. He would be well versed in the ancient art of rhetoric. He would have known the latest in science, math, and language. He would have known of the politics of Rome and the impact that such political situations would have on a man of wealth. The Hellenistic philosophy would be well known to all in his family.
But Lazarus would have none of these privileges. His education would be whatever his parents were able to teach him, which would only serve to fortify the cycle of poverty that was to come. They had nothing that they could teach him, except what survival skills they had gained and whatever spiritual disciplines that they had obtained through their faith. His education would come from his interaction and relationships with others, not from the teachings of the formal classroom.
Our rich man had his destiny spelled out for him in regards to his vocation in life. We may be able to assume that he was the oldest of the sons in his family, so it was his good fortune to inherit half of what belonged to his rich father. The land that had been in his family was to be his and his future would be secure. He would hire a manager to run the land for him and to work the accounts with the tenants of the land, exploiting their work as was the custom of the wealthy of the time.
And Lazarus may have been one of those who worked on the rich man’s land, perhaps as his ancestors had worked the land for the owner’s ancestors as well. He worked hard but was able to keep little for himself with the bulk of what he produced going to taxes and to the landowner. His future was anything but secure and when we see him at the door of the rich man, we know that fate has dealt him a terrible blow. We don’t know what may have turned him from his job on the land. Maybe it was a disease in the crops. Maybe it was inclement weather. Perhaps he became ill and was unable to keep up with the work. Maybe age just caught up with him. So he finds himself alone, outside of the door of the rich man, supping on the crusts of the pita bread used to dine with in the grand house.
The rich man knew who he was. Their paths had crossed time and time again and they were familiar with each other, but their social status prevented them from interacting. Their relationship would always be one of servant and master. The comparison of their lives becomes complete when we get the image of Lazarus with Abraham and our rich man in eternal torment.
Now of course we get the point of the parable in that the rich man never showed compassion to the poor man and his punishment is to be outside of the peace that comes from sitting with father Abraham.
But we also must realize that each of these men really had little hope in changing their ways. It seems that their birthright was secure. Each had a destiny that led to their earthly lives.
Yet we see that a rich man can be in heaven as Abraham is so it is not simply a matter of being rich. It is living a life of compassion.
When we see the poor man looking for the crumbs of life for his existence, do we quote the famous phrase from the protestant reformer John Bradford? When he witnessed the fate of some other prisoner who was to be put to death, Bradford issued the statement from the Tower of London that was later modified and became so familiar to us all. He looked at the doomed man and said, “There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford.” There but for the grace of God, go I.
How far away from being the one on the streets are all of us? What small twists of fate would it take to put us in the category of people who would look to the kindness of strangers in order to live? Is it a collapse of an economic situation? Is it a health situation? How little would it take to make us like Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
There was a very popular movie that was released in 1983 that served to illustrate just how fragile our situations really are. Trading Places stared Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd as the poor beggar and the rich investment broker. A scene in the beginning of the movie shows Louis Winthorpe ignoring the pleas for help from Billy Ray Valentine. The Duke brothers intervene to change the situations of the two men and we see that the opportunities afforded to the rich man were given to the poor man and that the misfortune of the poor man was now visiting the rich man. The change in the environment for both men did indeed change their fortune and we see the men trade places in life. The end result is that the two men have a much greater respect for life on the other side of the tracks and end up becoming friends who turn on the Duke brothers who had been manipulating the entire situation.
But the movie does illustrate just how fragile our lives are. It shows how close we all are to trading places and how we should show compassion on everyone we see.
We have spoken before of the view from Jesus in regard to the poor and to the rich showing compassion. Luke is especially dedicated to showing the preference to the poor that Jesus lives by.
And we can see the simplest example of the fact that Jesus pays more attention to those that are poor in our parable today.
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores.
Between the great divide we see it again.
The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.
Do you see the difference?
The rich man is anonymous.
But all of us, including the rich man, know the name of the poor man. We all know Lazarus. We know him by name. We know the one who is begging at the door by name because Jesus knows him by name. The rich man is anonymous and the poor man is infamous.
The way to live is given to us. We don’t need the warnings of torment as suggested by the rich man. We have all of the instruction we need as Abraham so rightfully tells the rich man across the divide.
They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.
They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.
We need to listen to the prophets. We can choose to be anonymous or we can be known to God in Christ as Lazarus was. We should listen to them.