One of Jesus’ parables gives us a clear example of the effect of worldviews on individuals. In Luke 16, Jesus tells the illustrative story of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. The rich man leads a luxurious lifestyle, while Lazarus, wracked by ill-health, lies at the rich man’s gate, longing to eat the crumbs that fall from the rich man’s table. Both men die; Lazarus is taken by angels to a place of comfort with Abraham, whereas the rich man finds himself in Hades. In his wretched state, the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his five living brothers, to warn them of the torments they will have to endure if they remain unrepentant. Abraham responds: “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” The rich man is not convinced:
‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ (Luke 16:29–31).
The rich man thinks his brothers have insufficient information about spiritual matters. Yes, they have Moses and the prophets—what we know as the Old Testament—but this treasure trove of God’s word has fallen on deaf ears. The rich man thinks a miracle will convince them: if Lazarus returns from the dead, his appearance and message will persuade them to take spiritual matters seriously. More and better evidence is what the brothers require.
Not so, responds Abraham. Their worldview, which leads them to dismiss God’s word, will interpret away all other evidence of spiritual realities—even a miracle. Their problem is not a lack of information; their problem is a worldview which shuts out God and His message.
In John 11, we read of another Lazarus who fell ill and died. But this is the account of a real event. Jesus arrived on the scene four days after Lazarus’ death, and, having asked those present to take away the stone that was sealing Lazarus’ tomb, famously called the dead man back to life. The amazed onlookers were confronted with a real resurrection, a man emerging from a tomb bound hand and foot with grave clothes. “Unwrap him and let him go”, commanded Jesus (v. 44b).
It’s instructive to see how the people of the time interpreted this. Many who saw the miracle believed in Jesus. Perhaps they had been wavering on the edge of belief, and this miracle was enough to finally convince them. But the leaders took an entirely different view. They figured that if Jesus continued His amazing display of miracles, the entire society would come to believe in Him, whereupon the Roman authorities would “take away both our place and our nation” (John 11:48). With their power base under threat, the leaders were soon conspiring to kill both Jesus and Lazarus (John 12:10–11).
In both examples, it was the wealthy and powerful—in other words, the elite of society—who could not believe. This is noteworthy because the Bible repeatedly warns of the dangers and deceit of wealth. A generalized lesson can be drawn: the wealthy and powerful are at risk of becoming so ensconced in worldly systems that they disregard God entirely. Their worldview becomes resolutely anti-Christian[1]—an effect which is observable to this day.
[1] “The moneyed, respectable, capable world has been steadily anti-Christian and Barabbasque since the crucifixion …” (Shaw, 1912).