Your Neighbor

“Jesus said, ‘There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores’” (Luke 16:19-21, NLT).

Did you ever notice that there are two people in this story, but only one of them is mentioned by name? Why does the “certain rich man” remain anonymous, while Lazarus gets identified? Was Jesus protecting the privacy of the rich man?

I don’t think so. Instead, I believe it’s because this wealthy individual could be any of us. This parable invites us to do some soul searching. Specifically, it invites us to think about whether there are people right outside our door that are needing what we have.

Their needs may be material, like Lazarus’ were in this passage. Are there individuals that we pass every day that are hungry? Or… their needs may be emotional. Is there someone living right nearby that is lonely and longs for a friend? Or… their needs may be spiritual. Is there someone at work or at school that desperately needs to find out that Jesus loves them?

Here’s another thing to consider about this parable. Lazarus did Continue reading Lazarus Has a Name