The Gate

In these chapters in Luke (culminating in chapter 16), Jesus is dealing with the religious “insiders” - and explaining, teaching, and giving real life object lessons. Showing how beautiful the Kingdom of God is.  What it looks like to truly love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Not what we expect, but that the grace of God is bigger than we could imagine, and so is His kingdom.  For Jesus, the law and prophets are not the “old” way of doing things, but the New Testament must be understood in light of this.  It’s a gift.

The Damascus Rule (from the Qumranic text) shows that Israel is caught up in three different nets, each paired with its own shadow righteousness: “The first is fornication, the second is riches, and the third is profanation of the Temple.”  Jesus doesn’t put up with this false or “shadow” righteousness that we read in these previous chapters on idolatry or wealth.  He combats this each and every step of the way with the Pharisees who have been listening in all along to his teaching.

In every argument or topic of debate in Jesus’ day, he sided with the more liberal, expansive, grace-filled version of the topic, taking it to new heights and depths.  Showing people what the love of God meant, and what the law was truly meant to do as He fulfilled it.  There was one exception - and in Luke’s Gospel, it is found in 16:18 and completes the triad of the the Damascus Rule.  In teaching on divorce and sexuality, Jesus is even more strict than the strictest rabbis of the day.  While it appears out of place in Luke 16, it is actually an example of what Jesus is trying to illustrate for the Pharisees who are now openly mocking him after all of this teaching.

When the narrative around us (as it was also for the people of Jesus’ day) is constantly being distorted - we have to be rooted deeply in God’s Word but love extravagantly.  

As we read the last portion of this part of Luke, we see in Luke 15:11-32 

– the prodigal son wastes his father’s possessions. 

In Luke 16:1-8 – the dishonest steward wastes his master’s possessions.

This last and final parable in this trilogy is found in Luke 16:19-30, showing a rich man wasting his own possessions.

And what about this final parable drives the Pharisees to complete and utter distraction?  Broken into to sections, the first is examined in verses 19 –23, as Jesus tells the story of a man so rich that he dressed in the most extravagant purple clothing.  And if that wasn’t enough?  Jesus makes sure to share the detail that even his underwear is made of the most expensive Egyptian cotton.  The rich man didn’t observe the Sabbath because his decadent lifestyle was far more important than God.  And outside this rich man’s gate, a starving, sick and destitute beggar named Lazarus was found.  The crumbs from the rich man’s table would have been enough for Lazarus to feast on.  And yet, “the one who God helps” would not find any help from the only man in the city who had the resources and ability to save him. 

In this place and time, the “gate” that Lazarus was lying at was not simply an opening or a door, but much, much more.  The gate was the place to hear news of the town.  It was the place where judgment was rendered in disputes.  It was the center of life, and so it makes perfect sense that the people of the community did the best they could.  They took Lazarus to the rich man’s gate – hoping that there would be food, healing, and life for Lazarus.

And yet the story concludes with the death of both men, and the second section with dialogue between the rich man and Father Abraham continues in verses 24 – 30.   Strange to our ears today, this type of literature was not uncommon.  The story engaged listeners instantly.  But whether two thousand years ago or today, the ridiculousness that falls from the rich man’s entitled mouth is almost too much for words.  The rich man tries everything he can, becoming the beggar himself.   Before the rich man wouldn’t even give Lazarus dog food, and he is now demanding that since Lazarus is feeling better, that Lazarus should serve him.  After all – Lazarus is used to suffering, he should come and help this “poor” man rich man who finds himself in pain. In a culture where family and blood are everything, the rich man even goes so far to appeal to “Father” Abraham – claiming his lineage to be enough to save him from this suffering when nothing else works.  The rich man demands help from the man he hurt deeply, this same man who is now Abraham’s guest of honor at the banquet table.

Abraham speaks, and the rich man still fails to see the point.   Trying another tactic of justification, the rich man shows no repentance or gives no apology to Abraham.  Rather, the rich man wishes for his six brothers to be warned, and again, Lazarus should serve to meet these needs.  Abraham patiently replies, telling the rich man that the Law & Prophets are all that is needed.  The rich man continues to argue with the patriarch in sheer lunacy and disrespect.  Yet Abraham speaks a final word that stirs deeply in our souls: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”

And as the cries rang out – “the tomb is empty.”  Were not the people struck to the heart?  As they remembered these words of Jesus, did their hearts not break with humility?  Did they not see? The heart-wrenching answer is: no.  The people did not hear the Law & the Prophets, they were not rooted in God’s Word.  And so they were not convinced even when Jesus then rose from the dead.  For God knew their hearts.  How they tried to justify themselves before men.  For the Good News of the kingdom of God has come near.  Not what we expect, but that the grace of God is bigger than we could imagine, and so is his kingdom.  For Jesus, the law and prophets are not the “old” way of doing things, but the New Testament must be understood in light of this.  It’s a gift.

Jesus is not wasting his possessions but freely bestows his life, given for ours. Extravagantly given to them and us, through his death on the cross.  And so we are called to bear people to The Gate – the Son of God.  That they may not simply eat the table scraps, although the crumbs of bread and wine, the body broken for us, the blood shed for us, would be enough for their forgiveness and salvation.  But rather, to bear them to the Gate – so they might know real life.  The temptation for us is so similar to the Pharisees – to do it from our own strength, might, and effort.  But the love we love with must be one that overflows from us and one that is not our own.  We must be rooted in the Word.  Jesus explains there is no other way.  For the cross is real.  The tomb is empty.  The cost counted.  Victory won.  There should be no lover less wild than Jesus - what if it’s time to live as if it is true?