If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one man rise from the dead

"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham sad, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one man rise from the dead.' "

- Luke 16:19-31

Last week, in the past two readings, we read of Jesus' teaching the parable of the Unjust Steward, about how The sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. Our most recent reading, on Saturday, continued this talk to the people gathered at table with Him: sinners and tax collectors (for which He was criticized by the Pharisees and scribes also there), and disciples. Jesus addressed all three groups throughout these last passages - and to each He gave a unique perspective (in my opinion) that addressed their particular group. In Saturday's reading, He taught, "You cannot serve God and mammon," as He continued the address to His disciples, and teach about the supremacy of God's law over all things. He then addressed the Pharisees, teaching them where they do not uphold God's law, emphasizing mercy and love. Today Jesus continues this talk with another parable.

"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried." A note in my study bible here reads: "Abraham's bosom means heaven." We begin our story with the understanding of Lazarus' position: he desires only the crumbs from the rich man's table. And he is repeatedly humiliated by the dogs who lick his sores - an abject position.

"And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham sad, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.' " My study bible notes that "this conversation is not between God and the rich man, but between Abraham and the rich man." We've just heard the parable of the unjust steward, who was praised for his shrewdness, as he dealt favorably with those who owed his master and settled accounts. Jesus has also taught that we "cannot serve God and mammon." And he taught the Pharisees about their hard-heartedness in application of laws of divorce. I see all of these things as a consistent theme of opening up the gates of the kingdom to those who desire it - and especially the application of God's law of mercy. This is no exception, but it's a kind of warning, the flip side of failing to practice mercy and kindness when we can in our personal dealings. It would have cost the rich man virtually nothing to offer some things from his table to his neighbor, Lazarus. But this failure leaves him outside of God's kingdom - in a fire that burns, rather than inflames with love, because the rich man has made no room in his heart for the things of God. It's a warning, and an important understanding of the law of love and mercy: fail to practice and uphold this law, to take it to heart and make it a part of oneself, and you keep yourself outside of this kingdom.

" 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' " A note reads: "A great gulf between Lazarus and the rich man signifies there is no possibility of transfer between heaven and hell after death. It should also be noted that neither poverty nor riches, in themselves, gain Lazarus and the rich man their irreversible places. The rich man goes to hell because of his hardness of heart; Lazarus to heaven because of his humble faith." Jesus' signal is clear about where there is an immutable line drawn in this kingdom: those who fail to uphold and take to heart within themselves the law of love and mercy will exclude themselves from it. They have never entered.

"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' " A note here reads, "Moses and the prophets, that is, the Old Testament Scriptures which testify to God." Clearly, Jesus continues to address the Pharisees from Saturday's reading, in which He gave them a stronger law on marriage and divorce, one that honors love and mercy, and did not cast women away for hardness of heart or frivolous reasons, so that they had no security and safety in their society. In today's reading, He is warning of the consequences of this failure to truly practice God's law, giving us yet another perspective on the law of love and mercy in this kingdom. The rich man suggests a warning to his brethren, but Abraham suggests that they have had many warnings already, many testimonies to this law of mercy and righteousness or "right-releatedness."

"And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one man rise from the dead.' " Finally, there is a clear allusion to Jesus Himself - and to a great sense of finality in this judgment. Perhaps it's also an ironic touch, that "Lazarus" is the same name of one who will rise from the dead - and spark the final and incontrovertible enmity of the religious leadership. We cannot escape the conclusion that there is a time when the chance for repentance may be gone, and entry into the kingdom therefore denied. Therefore, Jesus gives one of His many warnings that our time and our choices are important, significant, crucial for us to take seriously and to think about.

While the recent readings have taught us repeatedly that God's love and mercy are "over the top" and "boundless" and do not know a bottom line, they are also, here, clarified: that there comes a time when our choices will no longer be open to enter this kingdom. Therefore, via our own failure, we will not have entered - taken this love and mercy to heart, made it a part of ourselves. There comes a time when "even one who has risen from the dead" will fail to open the spiritual eyes and ears - the heart - of those who worship mammon; that is, those whose lives are too focused on a worldly perspective of a merciless bottom line, a rigid law that protects greed - especially through hypocrisy. We can all relate to this example, but do we see it among ourselves? For myself, I find that the nature of the personal is essential in all of these readings. Jesus does not insist on a form of institutional charity but rather addresses the heart: what are we like with our neighbors? Do we offer kindness? Often, I find, it is the respect and kindness offered to others that is the most important - and inherent in the signal of charity or goods shared. Always, there is the emphasis on relationship and relatedness, as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan, another parable which appears only in Luke's Gospel. We have the same sensibility here - that it is up to us to create relationship, neighborliness, if you will. And this begins with the heart, with the law of love and mercy which we take to heart. To love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength is to take God's law to heart - the law of love and mercy. In this way we enter the kingdom, we live it and it dwells among us. We take it to heart, we understand this warning - and that there comes a time when it may be too late to change, and we will listen to no one and nothing to set us on the right track. This is especially a warning to those among us who feel very comfortable spiritually, materially, or otherwise - that our continued vigilance in openness to God in our hearts is still essential in every way. We remember once again that the word for repentance, metanoia, means "change of mind." We need always to be open to this change, especially in prayer, lest there come a time when we are in a condition where we simply lose the ability to do so, and to therefore enter where we wish to be. I have read theological commentary that states that hell is a state of mind, and I believe this to be so. If that is true, let us note then that we can create our own place in hell - as Jesus indicates in today's reading. It is our "change of mind" that can make all the difference.