Luke
16:19-31
19 "There was a
rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously
every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table;
even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was
carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was
buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham
far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 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.' 25 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.
26 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.' 27 He said, "Then, father, I beg you to send him
to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so
that they will not also come into this place of torment.' 29 Abraham replied,
"They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' 30 He
said, "No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they
will repent.' 31 He 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.'
"
If they do not listen to Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.
· Do
you notice anything odd about this parable?
· Lazarus
is the only named person in it. In fact, he is the only named person in any of
Jesus’ parables.
· In
his suffering, the “rich man” in the parable –who has no name- recognizes Lazarus
and calls him by name. That means that he knew him! Lying as he did at the rich
man’s gate, he wasn’t just not seen; he was ignored! How convenient!
· The
man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers so they don’t end up in
Hades as well. (So now, Lazarus is only needed as and expected to be a messenger!)
Abraham says that the 5 brothers would not repent if a dead man rose if they
would not heed the words of the prophets and Moses.
· So
what do the prophets say? They spoke the Word of God, railing against idolatry
and infidelity. However they more often spoke against injustice, pride, and
lack of concern for the poor. For the prophets, all those things were related
· Amos
was our first reading and we heard what he said: Alas for those who lie on beds
of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves
from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David
improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint
themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
· Last
week, we heard Amos say: When will the new moon be over so that we
may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will
make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false
balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and
selling the sweepings of the wheat. The ‘ephah’ is a measure like a
bushel, while the ‘shekel’ is either a unit of measure or a coin that could buy
a measured ‘shekel’ of something. To make the one ‘small’ and the other ‘great’
means to cheat on the measure or inflate the price. Either way, justice is not
done.
· Moses
was also concerned about the justice and life of the community. Idolatry, such
as is seen in the worship of the Golden Calf, often when hand in hand with
injustice and the oppression of the poor.
· In
our own day, we too can hear Moses and the prophets. We have the words of Jesus
in the Gospels as well and the letters of Paul, John, James, and Peter. We have
the writings of Christian saints and reformers… And we have poverty, injustice,
and oppression. The same listening is quite necessary.
· The
words put in Abraham’s mouth about not even believing the testimony of one
rising from the dead might make us think about those who have not heeded the
words of one who did rise from the dead. If we truly believe that Jesus Christ
died for our sins and rose for our life, then his words and the words of the
prophets that he echoes are ours to live out as well.
· This
parable carries more weight than we might think at first. It humanizes the poor
by giving a name to the poor and places the rich who ignore the community
around them in a place of suffering. It reminds the hearers – then and now –
that the scriptures we revere hold the call to justice and true community. The
parable also alludes to the Resurrection and the continued hard-heartedness of
people in the face of the words of the prophets and of the Resurrection.
· The
Good News here is God’s concern for justice, for the poor, and in that for each
one of us. Despite full pockets and a full belly, if we look at ourselves
honestly, we know we are poor and utterly dependant on God’s grace for what is
truly necessary in our lives. God has great concern for the poor and if we are
honest, we are all among the poor and they are among us.
If they do not listen to Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.
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