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"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 said, '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 then 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 rise from the dead.'"
- Luke 16:19-31
On Saturday, we read Jesus' further teachings on how we use our resources in life. He taught, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."
"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." Let us look at the contrast between these two men, spoken of quite vividly by Jesus. To be clothed in purple was of course an excessive kind of luxury and status symbol, which later in Byzantine times was reserved for royalty. Even in Roman times, sumptuary laws restricting displays of extreme luxury regulated who could wear garments using this dye. Purple dye (really like a deep red-purple) was a mysterious and very costly process, which used secretions from particular types of sea snail. If the shells only were used, it required a great amount of shells per small amount of dye produced. Thus, it was a very costly and time consuming process to produce, aside from trade secrets which have since been lost in how exactly it was prepared. The fine linen is also a sign of great wealth and could also be restricted by rank, depending on the society and style of the garment. That the man fared "sumptuously" is also an indication here of profligate wealth. (If we keep in mind this point of view of the man, we come to understand a great part of the point of fasting as religious practice.) That the dogs would lick Lazarus' sores is an indication of destitution and terrible circumstances; dogs of this type shared no good quality in society as we think of pet animals today. Rather, it indicates that he was subject to the lowest of lives. My study bible says here: "Abraham's bosom means heaven. Abraham is mentioned among all the righteous because, in stark contrast to the rich man, Abraham showed hospitality to strangers (Genesis 18:1-8). The rich man . . . was buried: The Fathers see this as illustrating the state of his merciless soul, buried by the pleasures of the flesh. He was already buried in life by 'couches, rugs, furnishings, sweet oils, perfumes, large quantities of wine, varieties of food, and flatterers' (John Chrysostom). That the rich man remains unnamed indicates that he is ultimately forgotten (see Psalm 9:6)."
"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 said, '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.'" My study bible says, "The rich man's appeal to Abraham as a spiritual father is not rejected. Rather, Abraham accepts this role, calling the rich man son and showing himself to be compassionate even towards the most wretched of men. The great gulf is not a geographical divide, but the complete separation between virtue and wickedness, a separation that cannot be overcome after death. Note that torments have not changed the rich man's heart, as he still sees Lazarus as a servant existing for the sake of his own comfort. Finally, this account by Christ reveals the communion of the saints: a man, not even a believer, calls out from Hades and converses with Saint Abraham!"
"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 then hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'" Another note tells us that "some Fathers see this parable being set after the final judgment, citing the punishment and reward being received by the two men respectively. Others see this parable set at a time after death but before the second coming of Christ, as evidenced by the man interceding on behalf of his brothers who are still living. The torment he is experiencing would be a foretaste of his final state. From this perspective, we learn that souls of the departed have awareness of and concern for the state of those still alive on earth (see 9:30-31; 2 Maccabees 15:12-16; Matthew 2:18), but also that the intercessions of a wicked man are heard, but avail nothing (contrast James 5:16)."
"But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom: "The ignorance of Scriture is a great cliff and a deep abyss. It is impossible for anyone to be without benefit if he reads continually and with attention." It notes that "furthermore, the rebellious were not persuaded even when people did rise from the dead (Matthew 28:11-15; John 12:9-11)."
There are so many things in today's reading that we could explore, so many themes that make themselves apparent and so many questions raised. First of all, it is part of tradition (at least in the Eastern churches) at this time to have a fast as we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of Nativity. If we look to the sermons of St. John Chrysostom, who was outstanding not only for his preaching and commentary, but especially for his concern for the poor, we find some noted homilies which encourage the fasting practice for even (and maybe especially) his most wealthy parishioners during Lent. (I am referring to what are called "Homilies on the Statues" -- a series of sermons given at a significant time in his ministry in Antioch.) In addition to many themes on the topic of fasting, he also spoke a lot about the great fuss involved in preparing meals of luxury and formality. He encouraged his parishioners to think about all the things that go into making grand meals. As he was speaking to a fourth-century audience we must keep this in mind. He spoke about the number of servants, the great fires in the kitchen spitting out grease and smoke, the fancy dishes, exotic ingredients, the ornamental silvers and plates and the fuss of serving at tables. And he encouraged them to just give it a rest for awhile! There must be time to think about other things, spiritual things. And also, in a deliberate practice of restriction, one must consider the poor and keep them in mind as the "spiritual things" of our Lord would have us do. Think of the expense and work and time and what else could be done! (This fasting for God doesn't only extend to food, of course; Chrysostom made a particular charge that at that time all his flock should fast from oaths, and pay attention to the things we say, the language we use, and the truths we tell so that we do not perjure ourselves. In other words, a fast for our own integrity.) We must consider, then, these famous homilies in the light of this profligate man in today's parable who hasn't seemed to have thought about much but his wealth and how to spend it, during a lifetime in which clearly even a little charity would have made a difference to someone right outside of his front gate! In today's parable is also the notion of the flames that tormented the rich man, understood as the flames of Hades. (Perhaps we should keep in mind that for the Greeks at the time of Christ, Hades was the "underworld" - the abode of all the dead. I agree with the opinions that this does not imply that Judgment has already taken place.) But what we must consider is that the flame of God's love and wisdom is a torment to those who spend their lives affirming an identity which blocks out the wisdom of God from daily life! If we build all our thoughts, practices, and habits out of those things that ignore "Moses and the prophets" then the flame of God is most certainly something we resist. and therefore consider to be like a torment, something requiring the hard work of change and repentance. In this way we have to see a fullness in Jesus' teaching via this parable about the necessary ways in which we seek to shape our lives, the habitual thinking we develop, and the challenges we are to meet if we don't just live by what seem to be the dictates of a "worldly" sense of self. Sacrifice really must be about a kind of generosity and greatness of spirit and soul, a reaching toward God. It is improper if it comes from a sense of self-harm, nihilism, masochism, or other reasons beyond this. The learning of a kind of humility makes us focus on our inner lives, who we truly are, gives us growth and perspective, and helps us to think more about a relationship with Christ, make time and room for that part of ourselves, our very souls which, in the end, are our substance. So, how do we live in that flame even in our worldly lives in the world? What does it burn away from us and teach us to let go of, so that we may replace it with something infinitely better? It requires a kind of humility that can only do us good, and help us to think about the big picture as we include those whom God puts right in front of us as "neighbors," and think of ourselves as stewards of His gifts, whatever they may be. We are those who become great through this discipline and right-relatedness.
