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

 

- Luke 16:19–31 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus 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."  Abraham's bosom means heaven, my study Bible tells us.  It notes that Abraham is mentioned among all the righteous because, in stark contrast to the rich man, Abraham showed hospitality to strangers (Genesis 18:1-8).   Jesus tells us that the rich man . . . was buried.  In patristic literature this image is seen as illustrating the state of his merciless soul, buried by the pleasures of the flesh.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom as teaching that this man was already buried in life by "couches, rugs, furnishings, sweet oils, perfumes, large quantities of wine, varieties of food, and flatterers."  That the rich man remains unnamed indicates that he is ultimately forgotten, my study Bible says (see Psalm 9:6).  

"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.' "  This rich man's appeal to Abraham as a spiritual father is not rejected, my study Bible notes, Rather, it says, Abraham accepts this role.  He calls the rich man son and shows himself to be compassionate even towards the most wretched of people.  The great gulf isn't a geographical divide, but rather it's the complete separation between virtue and wickedness, a separation that cannot be overcome after death.  Also, my study Bible asks us to note that torments have not changed the rich man's heart, as he still sees Lazarus as a servant who exists for the sake of his own comfort.  Moreover, Christ's account in this story is a revelation of the communion of the saints, for here a man who is not even a believer calls out from Hades and speaks 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 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 rise from the dead.'"   My study Bible comments that some patristic sources see this parable being set after the final judgment, citing the punishment and reward received by the two men respectively.  But others see the parable as being set at a time after death, but before the second coming of Christ.  This is evidenced by the man interceding on behalf of his brothers who are still living.  The torment the rich man experiences would be then only a foretaste of his final state.  From that perspective, we learn that the souls of the departed have awareness of and concern for the state of those still alive on earth (see Luke 9:30-31; Matthew 2:18; 2 Maccabees 15:12-16).  However, my study Bible notes also that the intercessions of a wicked man are heard, but avail nothing (contrast James 5:16).  

Clearly, in the context of all of our recent readings, Jesus is telling this parable -- particularly to the Pharisees, whom we were told in Saturday's reading were "lovers of money" -- to illustrate that what we share of our worldly goods with the poor becomes treasure in the heavens (Luke 12:33), or more particularly it allows us to "make friends" for ourselves who "may receive us into an everlasting home" (see Friday's reading).  But the communication between the parties involved, especially after they have passed from life in our world, is really what is intriguing me today.  Christ illustrates His point about the importance of life beyond this world -- and how much we take it into consideration -- by making it clear that life doesn't end when we think it does, but we go on in another state, and what we do or do not do in this world has something to do with where we wind up, and what that life will be like for us.  In a very secular-oriented world, we're not conditioned to think about that very much.  Once upon a time, it was common practice to consider the end of our lives, that we will all pass from this world.  But a modern mindset does not want to admit of disability, deterioration, infirmity, or death, as if we can find ways to avert these things.   But Jesus' repeated emphasis on charity emphasizes the importance of what our lives will be after we pass from our worldly lives.  Perhaps all of us would be better off if this were the message we take to heart, and begin to consider that life isn't simply over when we pass from this world, but rather continues with new circumstances and under new conditions, which depend upon how we've lived our lives as well.   Christ's emphasis on compassion here stresses that those of us who fail to practice compassion will not be able to realize or receive God's compassion extended to us -- another way to understand the practice of mercy.  "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13).  Perhaps Christ's repeated stress on charity can also be understood in terms of the practice of forgiveness.  As we've discussed in the past couple of readings and commentary, Jesus' teachings on forgiveness are linked to debt, as in the Lord's Prayer, in which we consider forgiveness as a kind of wiping away a debt, considering it paid.  He teaches us to pray, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" and after giving the prayer, adds, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (see Matthew 6:12-15).  The communion of saints shown in the communication after the rich man's death gives us a sense also of that life that continues under new conditions and circumstances, a sense in which the rich man's place is diminished so that he is now one of less importance and very limited agency, and in which Lazarus has become of higher stature.  This is a picture of the weight or substance that Christ has pronounced on both of them, how God sees these two people, also a consequence of their lives.  The final pronouncement of Abraham is very important, because what that does is give us a type of end to mercy, an understanding that it is, in some sense, limited, for God has exhausted the efforts possible to reach the unrepentant:  "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."  At some point, a closed mind creates that limit, in which one is no longer reachable, and this we must also take to heart.  It's interesting that the rich man at least pleads for his brothers, teaching us that he does care for someone.  But it emphasizes Christ's point about the practice of mercy:  "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" (Matthew 5:46).  Even the rich man's concern for the brothers of his earthly father's house doesn't weigh much in the outcome of his life in this place of his torment.   Let us weigh these matters carefully, and consider how our orientation to our own lives and what we count as important play out according to these teachings.