- by Rev. Bob Williams, C.S.B. -

“Jesus told this parable to those among the Pharisees who loved money: “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day, and at his gate lay a poor man name Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried in Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am in agony in these flames.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’
The man who had been rich said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house - for I have five brothers - that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’
Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
~ Luke 16: 19-31

In this simple parable that has earned a place in our proverbial language, Jesus uses human and biblical imagery to convey the same great challenge of liberating our hearts from the binding and
weakening attachments to creatures in order to respond to the incomparable call of God. On the lips of Jesus the implications of the story take on added force and consequence. It may seem as a sort of teaching play in three acts.

Act 1—The Worldly Phase
The rich man lives high: The great house might well be one of the mansions on the slopes of Mount Zion, or even a restored and enlarged palace. The Pharisees knew such places well. The costumes are still more spectacular. Jesus describes robes of Tyrian purple and tunics of Egyptian linen. The tables of food are magnificent every day. As in some parts of the world today,
the festive board is wiped with pieces of bread, and when soaked with rich sauces, are playfully tossed to the dogs.
The poor man lives low: At the gate, exposed without privacy, lies the man called Lazarus. This is the only personal name given in a parable. In addition, here the person named is a poor man, someone who is generally anonymous in history. On the other hand, the rich man, the important character (who must have had a prestigious name) is unnamed in the parable. We would be wrong to think that this is an inconsequential detail. From when the story is read from the perspective of the kingdom, an inversion occurs. Those who, according to criteria of power and social prestige, are the most important are anonymous before God. While those who are considered insignificant and nameless are the ones who have value for the God of the kingdom.
Continuing with the story, not only does the sumptuously dressed rich man ignore the agony of a fellow human; he blithely ignores the plight of a fellow Israelite. An Israelite who was sore and hungry. The scraps tossed to the dogs he longed to eat, but could not. His one consolation was that the dogs came and lapped away his wounds.

Act 2—The Reverse Phase
Death comes to both the rich man and Lazarus and effects a complete reversal of positions and values. Despite all his physical destitution, Lazarus is found to be a child of Abraham, and the angels of God carry him toward his true home in security, comfort and love. The rich man goes to the nether regions in torment. On raising his eyes, he can see Lazarus now at ease, and content in the bliss of God’s world. His cry for help reaches Father Abraham, and he asks that Lazarus
be permitted to come to cool his tongue with at least a drop of water: a complete reversal of the world situation. Now, it is his turn to beg for scarps of comfort.
Jesus clearly and firmly shows the kind father Abraham declaring a complete impossibility. A choice was made, and now it is irrevocable: the sad words “too late” take their fullest meaning here. We would do well to pause here and consider the loving concern of Jesus as he uttered these words that seem so cruel in a merely human context. But all the power of God cannot falsify the story of the decisions and affections of the human heart that must remain it’s spiritual features forever. Jesus speaks of a great impassable chasm between two worlds; his sentence allows some doubt as to whether anyone would want to make the crossing, in either direction.

Act 3—The Directing Phase
Jesus does not end his story on that declaration of finality. His suffering rich man is not all selfishness; he thinks of his five brothers and begs that Lazarus warn them of the horrors to come. The answer of Abraham was adapted to the Jewish listeners in its biblical terms: “Moses and the prophets” represented the saving message of God’s revelation. Jesus was certa8inly thinking of the full revelation of God’s Word which he was bringing to full perfection in himself, and would offer to all through his church. This is God’s chose plan, as Paul will soon be telling the Corinthians: “the world, with all it’s wisdom,
could not find its way to God; and now God would use a foolish thing, our preaching, to save those who will believe in it.” (1 Corinthians 1:21) Jesus shows how the worldly rich man of his story puts more faith in the return of the dead, in spectacular signs and wonders, than in the words of God in the Scriptures.
Forever profoundly useful to us is the serene and categorical declaration of Jesus. Directing us to a true and tested faith as the vital foundation of our Christian lives, as he brings his parable to an end. Without faith in the revealed word of God, through Moses and the prophets, and brought to perfection in Jesus, the most startling miracles and wonders will be only harmful. And in the world of faith, as all the great teachers of Christian life has taught, from the apostle Paul to Mother Teresa, in our time, any seeking of love of-miracles, signs and special revelations is plagued with danger
Hope comes in strange packages. To see hope in this story, however, takes some effort. The fact is, what the rich man finally sees is Lazarus. All through his life, the rich man walked right past the beggar. But then, why should he notice the poor man? Have any of us walked down a city street and spoken to every homeless person on the way? How are we supposed to pay attention to every needy person we pass? Another question of note: With whom can we identify in this story? The rich man? We're not that rich. With Lazarus? We're not that poor. Perhaps, just perhaps, we might be able to relate to the rich man's brothers who are still in the land of the living. The rich man wanted Lazarus to come back from the dead in order to warn his brothers. But that will not be. We are told that we have the scriptures, the word of God. What more do we need?

***