|
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
“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
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.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you 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, ‘in 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.’ 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.’ ”
He was an honorable man! A family man! He
loved his father and his five brothers. They got along
swimmingly in their carefree, self-indulgent lifestyle. And he
was very wealthy. He was well-respected in the community for his
leadership qualities, qualities that were at least partially
responsible for his wealth. Most likely, he was an active member
of the synagogue. People kowtowed to him to gain his favor. And
many coveted an invitation to be a guest at one of his sumptuous
dinner parties.
The guest list at his parties was long and
impressive: bankers and CEOs, politicians and power brokers,
artists and other celebrities. Oh! It was really something to be
a guest there.
It wasn’t that he abused Lazarus. He
simply ignored Lazarus. Going in and out of his gate,
self-absorbed, he didn’t even notice the wretched creature lying
there.
I certainly do not consider myself to be
wealthy (unless, of course, I weigh myself on the same scale
with the homeless, hungry, shivering people of the community and
the world). But how very easy it is for me, self-absorbed, to
be preoccupied with my compelling interest of the moment
and to ignore or overlook the plight of one of Jesus’ little
ones who is in great need. Lord have mercy!
Lord, grant me a loving awareness of the
needs of others and a willing readiness to share my blessings.
Amen
Wil Johnson
|
