Lazarus and the Rich Man

Those who know me know I don't really believe in the notion of hell as has been advanced in many religious traditions. But I do appreciate the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man that Jesus told (sort of depicted, above, in an early art of mine).

As you may or may not recall, it begins by introducing us to "a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed" and who led a life of indulgent excess, not caring for the poor literally outside his gate. And literally outside his gate, in the story, Jesus tells us that poor Lazarus was wasting away in sickness. And eventually, Lazarus dies, as does the rich man.

As an aside, the rich man is never given a name, while Lazarus is named. This is counter to popular traditions of naming the rich and powerful but letting the poor and women remain anonymous. Somewhere in the middle ages, some started calling the rich man, "Dives," (Latin for "rich guy") but that's not in the Bible.

The story continues in the afterlife where the rich man suffers in agony in a flaming hell. Meanwhile, Lazarus is comforted by a loving God ("Father Abraham" in the text), a God of the poor and marginalized. The rich man (somehow) can see Lazarus in the arms of God and begs God to send Lazarus down with just a drop of cooling water... and he begs God to send Lazarus to warn his fellow rich brothers.

And just a note, here: The text doesn't say anything about the rich man being a bad man or that he intentionally rejected God. He was just indifferent to the poor people outside his gate. And I'll also note that in Dives' pleas, he asks God to send Lazarus to tend to him. Even in the rich man's misery, Lazarus is just a servant to be ordered around.

But God reminds the rich man that he had it all in his lifetime and made no time for Lazarus... and that it's impossible to resolve it now. What I find valuable in this parable/story is that God concludes, "Besides, there is a great chasm between us and you..."

I think, implied, is that there WAS and IS a chasm between the rich man who cared nothing for the poor and marginalized, and the rest of creation: It is the chasm that the rich man himself constructed, keeping the poor outside his walls, outside his gates.

The good news, then, is that we can tear down those walls, now, today. We can join together with those living in poverty, those from other nations and backgrounds, those of different races, those with disabilities... we can all come together and work for the good of all, and not just ourselves.

It remains an important and humbling lesson for we who are so rich.