A Great Longing
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. Luke 16:21
Read Philippians 2:1-4
The rich man had but one desire, namely, to take it easy and enjoy life to the full. The poor man also had a wish, to be able to assuage his hunger with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. He did not seek a nice piece of grilled chicken or something like that. This man was faced with constant hunger. This meant that the rich man, who fared sumptuously, must have been aware of Lazarus’ plight, but did nothing to relieve him. He did not even think him worthy of a cursory glance.
Just picture the situation sketched before us. The rich man and his entourage regularly passed this poor beggar as if he did not even exist. The poor man lay with open sores which the dogs licked, bringing even greater pain. Oh, what suffering was this man called to endure! Those who passed by him simply moved on, turning their heads away, trying not to notice him. Maybe we should linger for a moment at a similar gate. Just imagine for a moment; there lies a poor mother with a child at her breast. She is little more than a skeleton. The child sucks but receives nothing. On the other side lies a desperate, despairing man who has lost his wife and all his children due to great calamity. What misery! Shall we look around a little more or shall we just hurry on home and try to forget what we just saw? How confrontational the teaching of the Lord Jesus truly is! And He has every right to do so; He left His eternal home, leaving heaven’s gate to enter into the gate of our misery. Whoever begins to see something of this reality will also begin to look at his personal life.
Thought: When our eyes are opened we begin to truly see the needs of those around us.
Psalter 351: 1 (based on Psalm 123)
To Thee, O Lord, I lift my eyes, O Thou enthroned above the skies; As servants watch their master’s hand, Or maidens by their mistress stand. So to the Lord our eyes we raise, Until His mercy He displays. To Thee, O Lord, I lift my eyes, O Thou enthroned above the skies.