Rich Men, Dead Men

Hello Readers: I spent last weekend at a conference for young adults and so I haven’t been able to spend as much time writing and keeping to my regular posting schedule. This week I’ll have two shorter posts, last week’s gospel and this week’s.

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The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man is not typical of Jesus’ parables. Usually he uses familiar scenes and activities. Someone sowing seeds. Harvest time. Celebratory meals.. Bosses and employees. Sheep. Vineyards.

This parable is different. It mostly takes place in “Hades”. We need to be careful, because contrary to some interpretations, this parable isn’t about life after death. Jesus does make use of first century Jewish ideas about the afterlife. Jesus’ point, I think, is consistent with the parables he has been telling. His parables imagine a very different way of life, a way that rejects the status quo and calls his followers to step out of systems that harm and oppress.

“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 named 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 lifted up his eyes 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.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him 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 from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’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.’ Luke 16:19-31 NRSV

Jesus begins by setting the scene. In the first century Roman Empire, just as in our day, there was a large gap between the very wealthy and the poor. This rich man is very rich. He wears the finest clothes. He feasted every single day, not just occasionally. He lived fenced and gated away from the rest of society. As wealthy and powerful as he was, in Jesus story, he isn’t named. Most people in Jesus’ parables are not named. Thr rich man is treated just like everyone else. Except Lazarus. He is afforded the honor of a name. Lazarus is poor¹. He is sick, he is hungry, he is unhoused. The text says he “lay” at the gate. We lose a bit in translation here. The Greek implies that someone brought him to the rich man’s gate. Presumably they did that so the rich man could see Lazarus and help him, as the faith required.²

The rich man can afford to do it. Because Lazarus is at his gate, he knows Larazus is in dire need. For those who heard Jesus’ parable, and those who read Luke’s gospel, it was abundantly clear the rich man had responsibility to relieve the suffering of Lazarus. Torah is clear. The prophets are clear. And of course, Jesus is clear about this.

They both die. The rich man to Hades, Lazarus to the bosom of Abraham. Remember that Abraham is one of the patriarchs of the faith and was remembered for his hospitality. What’s interesting about this parable, is how hard it is for the rich man to understand what his faith required of him. He, even “being tormented”, only sees Lazarus as lesser, as a servant, as someone to carry out his demands. Notice the rich man knows Lazarus’ name. We should be surprised. Lazarus was not a nameless, unknown person outside the rich man’s gate. The rich man knows who Lazarus is and still didn’t help him. And even in Hades, he still sees Lazarus as being of less value.

The rich man asks Abraham to have mercy on him by telling Lazarus to take care of him. He thinks poor Lazarus should be the one responsible for a rich man’s comfort- even in Hades. Abraham’s response is “no”. And his response echoes what Mary had to say in the Magnificat and what Jesus taught. ³ The rich brought down and the lowly raised up.

The rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus- because he persists in seeing Lazarus as a servant- to warn his brothers. Why? Not so that they can live faithfully. Not so that they can do better and improve the life of others. But so they can personally escape the “place of torment”.

Abraham again, says “no”. He says the brothers already know what to do. They should listen to Moses and the prophets. Moses and the prophets have been very clear. The rich man received most, if not all, of his wants and desires while alive. But that doesn’t happen in the afterlife.

For Luke’s audience and for us the parable ends with a twist. The rich man persists, “…if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” And Abraham replied, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Now we are left wondering, have we listened sufficiently, completely to the one who rose from the dead? Has Jesus convinced us to live lives of mercy and care? Jesus’ parables work on several levels. There is a personal application to this one. Have I personally done all that I should have done for the poor? If we ask ourselves honestly, it’s an uncomfortable question. This parable also is about society. Has our society done all that we should for the poor? Or have we been content with allowing the rich to live comfortably behind their fences and gates while ignoring the poor who are right in front of us?

So, have we?

1. Some translations substitute “beggar” for “poor”. Lazarus is not identified as a beggar, his is desperately poor. ↩︎
2. Levine, Amy-Jill, Short Stories By Jesus, HarperOne, 2014, P274-276 ↩︎
3. For several ( not exhaustive examples) see the last several blog posts. ↩︎