Homily on the Rich Man and Lazarus
17th Sunday after Pentecost. Oct. 20, 2024
Homily on the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16.19-31
Today’s Gospel instructs us through a parable. Why does it matter that this story is a parable? Parables, being short stories to illustrate a point, are not to be confused with actual accounts of events and often use symbolic language. Like other forms of comparison, parables use the familiar to help us understand the unfamiliar. Since this parable deals with life after death, it is important to keep this in mind, lest we imagine the places where Lazarus and the rich man inhabit as physical, material places. As a parable, what is this story attempting to teach us? Unlike other parables that deal with agricultural themes—themes of planting, harvesting, building barns, hiring servants, etc.-- this one deals with a question we are still asking today. Why is it that those forgetful of God seem to prosper and do so well? And at the same time, why do those who strive to live according to God’s word often find themselves in misfortune and facing great trials?
In the parable from St. Luke we heard today, we hear that there was a rich man, who clothed himself in expensive and sumptuous clothes; we are told that he dressed in purple and fine linen. This rich man also feasted sumptuously, not only on holidays and special occasions, not just occasionally, but every day. Lazarus, on the other hand, was cast down at the door of the rich man’s house; his clothing is not mentioned, but we are told that he is covered with sores. Lazarus begs for the crumbs—that is, the left-overs, the refuse—coming from the rich man’s table. Utter poverty. These two, as different at they are, are put in close proximity. Lazarus can see the luxurious living of the rich man; he can see the sumptuous food, and all he wants are the crumbs. The rich man, on the other hand, does not see Lazarus there at his door.
Rarely are the characters in parables given a name, but we know Lazarus by name. In contrast, the rich man is unnamed. A real reversal here, that the poor has a name, and the rich is anonymous. The rich man has riches, fine clothes, abundant food, but no name. Lazarus, who has only his sores, has a name. In our world the rich are known by name; however, in this parable, we know the names of the poor and the outcast, whereas the rich are nameless.
This parable also raises questions about justice: how can those with everything handed to them—those with riches, with food, with things to spare—how come they continue to prosper? To make sense of this seeming injustice and inequality, we often resort to a view of the world that equates suffering with punishment and prosperity with reward. St. John Chrysostom encountered this way of thinking—that equates suffering with punishment alone-- among his flock, and he cautions us from making this too easy equation, that suffering only comes as a punishment. Chrysostom asks: is suffering always punishment for sin and transgression? Certainly not, St. John Chrysostom tells us. St John cautions us, saying: “let us not say that if God loved so-and-so, He would not have allowed him to become poor” (First Sermon on Lazarus and the rich man in On Wealth and Poverty p. 35). In fact, what we discover in Holy Scripture is just the opposite: “the Lord disciplines him whom He loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” [Prov 3:12]. We should not be deceived into thinking it will be a rosy path when Christ tells us that if we are to follow him we must “deny ourselves and take up our cross.” Nor are the rich necessarily blessed, even though they may seem so outwardly; but what anxieties and fears vex their souls concerning their riches?
When the rich man and Lazarus die, their fortunes are reversed. For Lazarus, who had suffered so much in this world, the departure from the body was a consolation. Angels took him. For the rich man, who had so much comfort and pleasure in this world, the departure from the body was not a consolation but a torment. The rich man, who had not seen Lazarus in this world, although Lazarus was at his door, only now in Hades does he see Lazarus and sees that Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man had his chance; Lazarus was continually at this door, but the rich man’s door was like the chasm that now separates the two after death. The rich man was blind to Lazarus and blind to his own lack of care and compassion. The rich man found that his prosperity was not his own, and that it only lasts for a season; now he finds himself not enjoying pleasure but undergoing suffering. If we have riches, we have them in order to help the poor, not to serve ourselves, as the rich man in this parable discovered too late. Meanwhile, Lazarus, who endured so many trials and tribulations in this life, now finds himself enjoying comfort, in the bosom of Abraham.
In our prayers for the departed, we pray that those who have departed this life may dwell with the righteous, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This parable gives us a glimpse of what it is to dwell with the righteous rather than with the unrighteous. We pray for our loved ones that they may dwell with Abraham, where there is neither sickness nor sighing. There is much curiosity about what happens after death, and many different things are said. Some may be true; I really don’t know, because as even the ancient philosophers understood, death is something beyond our experience, beyond our powers of conception. As I said earlier, we are given the story of Lazarus and the rich man as a parable, to help us understand, but we should not take it too literally. What Scripture does make clear is that we all await the final judgement, when our Lord Jesus Christ will come again and separate the sheep from the goats, when the dead will be called to life and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Accordingly, we talk of the particular judgment, when the souls of the departed are led either into a place of peaceful repose, like in the story of Lazarus, or a place of torment, like the rich man. Again, we should be cautious in imagining these states in any physical, or material ways. In fact some of the fathers teach that the torments result from being separated from Divine Love, rather than the physical torments so often depicted. One has to be cautious in talking about these matters of the soul after death; what we do know with certainty is what is recounted in this parable—riches won’t help, and those who ignore the poor and outcast will regret their lack of love and almsgiving; whereas those who suffer trials with patience will be comforted.
The other thing we know for certain is that we don’t know when our end will be. Let us learn then from this parable and use our time now, so that we don’t end up like the rich man, wishing we had more time or that we had lived our lives differently. Let us not look only to our own needs and desires, spending our time and resources only on ourselves; instead, we should learn mercy and compassion and be good stewards of those good things given to us in this life. If we find ourselves in afflictions like Lazarus, let us endure with patience and faith in God. If we find ourselves blessed with riches, of whatever sort, let us be compassionate and not ignore those suffering around us. For the Lord is compassionate and merciful, and we must always and at all times strive toward this heavenly perfection in humility and love, emulating God in our own selfless generosity and compassion.
Thanks for posting these. When I can read after having heard a sermon, I comprehend and remember much better. Never thought about the name reversal in this parable.