The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16: 19-31.

Most of us love to listen to stories and likewise, many of us like to tell stories. Some stories make us laugh while others make us cry. Some stories challenge us; lead us into deep reflection; affect our choices and decisions; and even set the direction in our lives, especially when these stories are equipped with moral lessons.

The Evangelist Luke in today’s Gospel narrates a story which is worth pondering. It is a story that speaks of the different realities – the socio-economic structure of the society; the existence of heaven and hell; the responsibility behind a blessing; and the reality eternal life . When we say socio-economic structure of the society, the clearest image that comes to our minds is the gap between the poor and the rich. The rich man in today’s Gospel who was dressed in purple garments and dined lavishly everyday could be categorized as one belonging to the upper class people or the elite group in the society. They are the ones who can afford to purchase and acquire whatever they want; those who can luxuriously have access to the latest inventions and gadgets of science and technology, and those who can enjoy the comforts in life which are not readily accessible to the people belonging to the lower strata of the society. Lazarus, on the other hand, represents the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, the desperate, and the outcast in the society. They are those who could hardly cope up with the basic necessities of their daily existence; who are struggling for the sustenance of their families and trying to make both ends meet; and who can only resort to wishful thinking as regards the things they want in life.

As the story goes, both the rich man and Lazarus died and they were put in different places — heaven and hell. We were taught that good people go to heaven while the bad ones go to hell. The rich man was thrown to hell not because of his riches. To be rich is not a sin per se. Riches are blessings; riches are gifts from God. But riches could lead us to sin when it is misused, when it is abused, and when we become pre-occupied with it. The rich man was thrown to hell because he was too pre-occupied with his blessings and affluence. He enjoyed so much the things he has that he became insensitive to the situation of Lazarus. He was too blind that he neglected to see the immediate need of the poor, sickly, and hungry Lazarus. The rich man took pleasure in the abundance of his worldly possessions, but never had any initiative to offer food, clothing, shelter, or medicine to the needy Lazarus.

Similarly, we heard the Prophet Amos condemning the ruling class in the First Reading. Amos condemned the ruling class not because of their wealth, but because of their selfishness; cravings for much wealth; lust for power, and most of all, their insensitivity and unjust attitudes to the ordinary people .

Just a short background of the First Reading. In the Old Testament, land was so significant to the lives of the people. They considered the land as a gift from God. The land is sufficient to provide the necessities of every family. In those days, according to biblical scholars, the land was divided equally so that everybody can maintain a living. With such socio-economic set-up and having the right to access to the source of life’s basic necessities and provisions, the Israelites envisioned a people joined together in the common goal of building a just and peaceful community guided and strengthened by their loyalty to God.

That vision was distorted when the ruling class, their leaders, who were motivated by greed and lust for power; grabbed the land of the ordinary people; evicted the occupants of the land; and reduced them to mere tenant farmers. As the ruling class controlled the land, tenants were forced to yield the growing crops, such as grapes and olives, into the production of luxury commodities like wine and oil. These luxury commodities brought to the domain of the ruling groups had been generated for export and sale in exchange of imported luxury items such as carved ivory, jewelry, and perfumes. The gauge was that the more the ruling class acquired landholdings and wealth, the more they gain social and political power. The insatiability of the few added to the misery of the many.

In today’s Gospel, we heard Abraham saying, “My child, remember that you receive what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad.” This contrast tries to point out that blessings bestowed upon us entail a sense of responsibility. Let us be reminded that the wealth we receive from God are not simply ours. When we say wealth, we do not limit the concept merely to money or material possessions. Wealth can come in different forms — our good health (As they say, health is wealth); our intelligence; and our talents and practical skills. These wealth we possess are entrusted to us by God for us to take care of it, to let them grow, and to share them with others. Because we are the care takers of these gifts, we should be responsible for them. The less fortunate are the instruments for us to make these wealth grow and prosper. The less fortunate provides us an opportunity for us to practice sharing these gifts. The rich man in the Gospel failed to do so; he forgot his duty to the less privileged Lazarus and that made him sinful. He was too negligent with what was entrusted to him.

Towards the end of the story, we heard the rich man asking Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his brothers, but Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.” Those words of Abraham remind us once again to be always aware of the necessary things for our salvation. What are the keys towards salvation? In the Second Reading, Paul’s letter to Timothy provides the answers. We are commanded to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness towards others. It could simply mean that our faith in God must be seen in our actions; our prayers must be concretized in our works. Simple things like giving food to the hungry; providing drink to the thirsty; offering shelter to a homeless stranger; giving a dose of medicine to a sick person; helping an elderly cross the street; sharing one’s talent to others without asking for any compensation or expecting a reward. Such little actions and simple gestures assure us that we are investing or “depositing” something in the “Eternal Bank of Life.” The more good deeds we deposit to the “Eternal Bank of Life,” the more we place ourselves in the bosom of Abraham and Lazarus and in the heavenly banquet prepared to us by Jesus Christ. Amen.

reference:
A. Ceresko, Introduction to the Old Testament: A Liberation Perspective (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 2001).