William Mackergo Taylor, Congregationalist minister in Edinburgh and NYC, writes on Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Ignoring a beggar at the gate isn’t just politically incorrect, it indicates unfaithfulness. Much like the wicked servant in Luke 19.
Today would we view it as sign of unfaithfulness to criticize the giving patterns of others?
How can you look at what you are hiding away in napkins today?
!["The beggar that sat neglected at his gate is the little feature which indicates his [the rich man's] great unfaithfulness. He did no more for the outlying world than he did for the poor diseased Lazarus. He was like the wicked servant in the other parable, who kept his talent to himself; with this difference, that instead of hiding it in a napkin, and burying it in the earth, he spent it on his own table and attire."](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/523/715/471/872/496/original/e0e63dccc0647816.png)