A CARING ARMY CALLED TO BE STREET LAMPS Adapted from the Bible message given during the session ‘A Caring Army’ at the Boundless International Congress 2015 and published in The Officer, May-June 2016. The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’
Jesus says to each of us: ‘“Apart from me you can do nothing”’ (John 15:5). Christ’s love compels us to open our eyes and see the needs right where we are. We want to be known as a caring Army, made up of individuals and communities who understand God’s heartbeat – those who make his Kingdom a reality here on earth right now. As a global Salvation Army we celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness. At a local and individual level, each day we are to show Christ’s love. He is the One on whom we depend completely, our source of love and light. Apart from him, we are ineffective. He wants us to act with compassion and justice. Social justice is God’s idea! In almost every page of the Bible we read about God’s desire for his people to give themselves in response to his love, compassion and mercy. God needs committed people who love and care, and make him known. Lesslie Newbigin wrote: ‘There is no knowledge of God apart from the love of God and there is no love of God apart from the love of the neighbour.’ 1
Nowadays so many people speak about social justice. It is generally linked with the notion of equality or equal opportunity in society, creating a just world. But who determines what is ‘just’? Unfortunately, in our sinful ways, we tend to overestimate what is ‘just’ for ourselves, and underestimate what is ‘just’ for others. So people judge in their own favour with uneven scales. Somehow, we are aware of other people who oppress and exploit, yet we are unaware of the ways in which we ourselves oppress and exploit. So, rather than just thinking of social justice, we need to start with God’s justice. It is a justice manifested and enacted in the cross. God so loved the world that he gave his Son! He counts on our response. Sometimes we live in our comfort zone and ignore (consciously or unconsciously) what is happening right on our doorstep – opportunities to positively impact the lives of others and create a more just society. Such is the case in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. I believe that this is a message for us today, a wake-up call to each person who wants social justice to be a reality in his or her own life and in the world. We are each accountable to God for our attitudes and actions. They spread and affect the people who are near us. I may think: ‘Oh, life is all about my own private habits, my personal daily routine.’ But life is not only about me! We can excuse our attitudes and ways of thinking by saying, ‘that’s our culture – that’s the way we do it here!’ Yet there is such a thing as a Kingdom of God culture, which surpasses our own small mindsets. I may pray, ‘God of justice, your Kingdom come, your will be done here on earth as it is in Heaven,’ and think of my life. This prayer disturbs me. As we pray ‘our Father’ it should disturb us as God’s children. It challenges us to reach out in practical ways to share what we have and embrace others in Christ’s name. The Lord graciously entrusts his creatures with gifts (material and spiritual) to be used for his honour and glory. Everything belongs to the Creator of this earth. We are merely stewards of his treasures. We are called to live faithfully and responsibly, something the rich man ignored. He put his faith in his own possessions and indulged in lavish banquets. Some would say: ‘He’s not doing any harm!’ But he could not see the needy person. Lazarus was invisible. This beggar was brought each day (probably by friends) and laid at his gate. Hungry, sick and poor, he longed to receive from the one who had plenty. But that man seemed to have lost all sensitivity to others’ needs. He was only minding his own business! Yet he didn’t realise that Lazarus should have been his business! I find it significant that in all of Jesus’ parables, only here he names one of the characters – Lazarus, which means ‘the one whom God helps’. Is this some kind of a joke? Here is a poverty-stricken man, reduced to begging, so sick he could not stand and 2
dependent on others. Jesus chooses to make this man visible and gives poverty, weakness, suffering, the ‘whosoever’ a name: Lazarus. I find that strange. In my eyes, he appears to be someone whom God did not help! But Lazarus, in Jesus’ eyes, is the hero of this story. Here was the prime opportunity for the rich man to show God’s mercy – and he didn’t. He remained indifferent. This is social injustice! Lazarus is voiceless. He hopes, in silence, to receive relief from his agony. In telling this story, Jesus acknowledges that poverty is part of this sin-stricken world, but God is there. He is waiting for people to respond, to help, if only they could hear his heartbeat. But the one person in town who could have made a difference there and then is too busy with his own party. He chooses not to offer hospitality. He had been entrusted with riches to share, but was indifferent to the needs of the poor man right at his gate. Our God is full of justice and mercy. He is the One to whom we (as responsible people) will have to respond one day. We need to be wise and sensitive to daily opportunities. Here we are given a glimpse ‘beyond the veil’ and see that God’s justice prevails. Lazarus, the one whom God helps, is carried by the angels to Abraham’s side and sat in a place of honour. He is comforted, embraced. He is finally recognised as a person. He is given dignity. I believe Lazarus suffered not only because of his poverty, hunger and illness, but also because of social exclusion from the rich man’s world. His agony was not just physical. I don’t think Lazarus wanted to be considered as a ‘case’. He wanted to be considered as a person, welcomed. We all think this is a story about the rich man and the poor man – and what would happen in the future. But Jesus brings the message right up to date – it’s to do with the here and now! We are expected to provide the conclusion, the end is left open… Jesus introduces us to the rich man’s five brothers. I guess the rich man already had an idea that his brothers’ hearts were hardened. He wants Abraham to send Lazarus to intervene: ‘“… but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent”’ (v 30). They will change their tune, then surely they will believe. God does not owe anyone of us a supernatural visitation before we take action. We have God’s Word. We can read about his justice there in each page – that justice manifested and enacted so clearly in Jesus’ life, and supremely in the cross and the resurrection. Kingdom justice. Abraham replies to the rich man’s incessant requests: ‘“If they [his brothers] do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”’ Our hearts have to be made tender by the power of the Spirit of compassion, the Spirit of Christ. Indifference is not an option in God’s Kingdom!
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So, what is the Lord saying to me today? Am I helping the ones God wants me to help? What hospitality do I offer? This is not only a personal thing, but a collective thing also, it’s social: we belong to God’s family. Our Father of justice wants to see us in action, showing we care right where we are. There are so many opportunities that pass us by and often we respond: ‘Leave it to others. Leave it to the experts.’ The Salvation Army has been caring for 150 years, using the resources we have to reach out to others in Christ’s name. Sometimes I get scared that we are becoming too professional in our caring. It can be a costly business, demanding sacrifice. But caring and showing compassion are our business! As The Salvation Army, let us never lose our heart of compassion. Christ’s love compels us to look at what’s happening where we are, as individuals, locally, so we can become a global witness to our God of grace. Let us show boundless giving. Let us open our eyes and look around – what’s happening on our own doorstep? Let’s get involved and shine out brightly in a world of darkness. Sometimes Christians think they are like candles burning brightly in the sanctuary – a private place where people come to worship. But I believe we are called to be street lamps that shine out on the public highways. Let us leave our comfort zone to speak to the person who is suffering silently and advocate for them. Let’s acknowledge him or her as part of the world for whom Christ died, part of our world. Let’s do something right here, right now.
COMMISSIONER JANE PAONE Territorial President for Women’s Ministries Switzerland, Austria and Hungary Territory and Senior International Social Justice Coordinator International Social Justice Commission
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