[Note: Having previously commented on James 2 and its implications about partiality and one’s eternal destiny [1], I made a reference to the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Naturally, someone asked if I had posted on that parable. I had not, but this is the commentary on that parallel continuing the previous examination of James 2.]
The Problem Of Lazarus And The Rich Man
Luke 16:19-31 is the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. It is, perhaps justly, one of the most famous parables in scripture, and unsurprisingly one of the most intriguing and well-known parables of Jesus. Unfortunately, the parable has often been read without understanding two important contexts of the parable–the biblical and contemporary late Second Temple Judaism view of the afterlife, and the nature of the sin of the rich man that led him into judgment. Without understanding either of these contexts, the parable itself on the one hand seems to promote a view of the afterlife that contradicts scripture and fails to provide an understanding of the judgment against the rich man, thus removing the moral of the story for believers today who are in the same spot as the rich man without being aware of it. It is the point of this blog to provide, at least in a brief overview, both contexts to this story so that the parable may be understood better.
The Parable
The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, in Luke 16:19-31, reads as follows: “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 had 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 bet 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.’ ”
Let us try to untangle what this parable is saying. First, it sets up a clear contrast between the different lives (and different fates) of two men. Lazarus is a beggar whose life is filled with privation and he has the unsanitary fate of having his sores licked by dogs. He is apparently a righteous man, but a man whose life (like that of the vast majority of people now and throughout history) has been marked with suffering and the lack of adequate food and shelter. Meanwhile, a rich man feasts every day but offers no generosity or hospitality to the righteous poor man at his gate. There are many among those who have been greatly blessed who assume that their blessings are because of their own righteousness, rather than seeing the blessings as an opportunity to help others who are without–this is not only true in material matters like food and wealth, but also includes intellectual and spiritual blessings as well.
After both men die, their fates are contrasted. Leaving aside speculation of the afterlife (we will get to this soon enough), let us note that their spiritual judgments form a contrast with their physical lives. Lazarus, as a virtuous poor man, is granted eternal life in a privileged place with Abraham, father of the faithful. The rich man is in torments, judged as an evildoer for his selfish enjoyment of God’s gracious favor on earth. Throughout a testy dialogue the rich man asks for comfort from Lazarus, which is denied due to his own ungenerous behavior during life. We will be judged hereafter according to the way in which we live our lives here and now–there will ultimately be justice. And no mercy will be shown to those who have shown no mercy to others.
We then find the rich man asking for someone to be sent from the dead to warn his brothers of the fate that is to befall them if they do not repent. He seems to suggest that he had not been warned properly of the judgment and wished to prevent his family from suffering likewise. Abraham’s reply ought to be a chilling one, however, to all of us. Abraham tells him two things that we often neglect in our present society. First, Abraham states that the law and prophets provide the proper warning to a profligate rich man so that they need no one coming from the dead (shades of Jesus Christ’s own resurrection). Additionally, Abraham notes that those who do not listen to the law and prophets (which clearly and explicitly condemn the oppression of the poor by the wealthy and powerful and praise the generosity of the godly over and over again–ever read Amos? The Psalms? Ruth?) will not listen to someone who has come from the dead.
Lest we think this is an empty warning, let us reflect upon one of the most striking similarities between late Second Temple Judaism and present day nominal Christianity (especially in the United States). Both of these religious systems believed in a form of “prosperity gospel” that we find roundly condemned in Job. In this heathen and ungodly mindset, those who are wealthy are considered to be righteous, and those who are poor are considered to be ungodly, as if they were to blame for their poverty and that it was the virtue of the wealthy that made them righteous. In such a society where wealth and poverty were judged to be the result of morality, poverty was a sign of immorality, as if it meant that one was lazy or some kind of addict. Clearly Lazarus, who had sores, was guilty of some sin (or maybe his parents were) so that he was sick. Without denying that some people are sick or impoverished because of their sins, we cannot assume that this is true for all or even most people who suffer in this life. Sometimes the righteous suffer greatly so that God may bless them even greater in His kingdom. We simply cannot know, and therefore it would be foolish to try, to assume that people are entirely to blame for their suffering and misfortune, especially since God is in control of time and chance and circumstance, and has His own purposes which He does not tell us.
At any rate, the heathen philosophy of the “prosperity gospel,” in assuming that the wealthy were virtuous and the poor and downtrodden were vile sinners, made generosity and charity to others an impious act, because it meant giving one’s “hard-earned” wealth and blessings to unworthy sinners. It appears that God views this lack of hospitality and generosity particularly harshly. Turning to the prophets, as Jesus’ parable would suggest, we find this chilling warning in Ezekiel 16:49-50: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” We traditionally (and correctly) see the abominable sexual sins of Sodom, which our society shares in, as the reason why God judged Sodom. And that is so, in part. And yet on the opposite side of the political spectrum from those who support such debased and ungodly sexual practices we see others who brought judgment upon their society through their greed and selfishness, and their refusal to help the poor and needy around them. Let us profit from the example and repent of those sins, lest we find ourselves under judgment either for our sexual immorality or for our exploitation of the poor and powerless among us.
Comments On The Afterlife
While I comment here on the relationship between the parable’s view of the afterlife and that of the rest of the Bible and the Jewish superstitions of the time, I must of course admit that I have not myself actually seen the afterlife (and neither has anyone else alive). That said, we ought not to jump into the same errors that the Jews of Jesus did in terms of their speculations on the afterlife, and therefore fall into error for positing such Greek heresies as the immorality of the soul (see Ezekiel 18:20: “The soul who sins shall die.” No immortality there.).
The biblical statements we have on the afterlife are fleeting and largely unpleasant. In Job 24 we read that worms eat the wicked, but that the bones of the righteous dry out–both good and evil alike suffer the decay of the grave. Ezekiel 37 talks about dry bones without life who are resurrected into physical lives so that they may know God. Here again we see no immortal souls. We see David, in mourning the death of his unnamed son by Bathsheba, knows that he will go to the grave like his son, but that his son will not be returned to physical life while David yet lives. Even where there is the expectation of eternal life, there is knowledge and recognition of the common fate of death and judgment (as in Revelation). It is only after the resurrection of the righteous that we see death vanquished and the grave overcome by life eternal. That time has not yet come for any save our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In light of that reality of our death and our sleep in the grave, why did Jesus Christ speak as He did? The Jewish Encyclopedia helpfully provides plenty of rabbinical evidence for Jesus speaking as he did. Abraham was commonly pictured in the rabbinical speculations as being the warden of Gehenna, separating the righteous from the unrighteous, and serving as the “St. Peter” of paradise for the Jews [2]. We see that just as in 2 Maccabees there are heretical mentions of prayers for the dead, and we see that in early New Testament times there are baptisms for the dead that are not endorsed by Paul, but noted by him as part of the heterodox practice of the time similar to the practice of the Mormons (see 1 Corinthians 15:29), we see that 4th Maccabees states (erroneously) that martyrs have an immediate entrance into paradise (where the Muslims seem to have gotten the idea). In all of these cases we find that people seek to find some way around the reality of death and sleeping in the grave until the resurrection. Jesus spoke to them at their level of ignorance and gave them a reversal of their expectations of righteous wealthy men and wicked poor men. For them to have understood the afterlife better (or at least as well as live men can) it would have been necessary for them to examine the law, prophet, and writings, as they were unwilling to do. Our so-called religious today are similarly unwilling to base their beliefs on scripture and prefer their own vain speculations, the heretical statements of rabbis and so-called ‘church fathers’ and the idle imaginings of poets like Dante.
The Contrast Between Rich And Poor
In many ways the distraction about the afterlife has largely obscured the real point of the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, and that was to point out the incorrect and faulty conclusions about the righteousness (or wickedness) of the wealthy and poor that were present in both the Jewish society of Jesus’ time and our contemporary society today. Far from preaching a form of prosperity gospel, the words of Jesus and the early church concerning the different fate of the selfish wealthy (and we need not assume that all or even most people with the blessings of wealth are like this) and the righteous poor that serve to warn the wealthy of the possibility (likelihood?) of future judgment while comforting the righteous poor who can expect future blessings for their faithful endurance through earthly trials.
That this contrast is present, and even prominent in key passages of scripture may have escaped the notice of many Bible readers, but it ought not to, if we are sensitive to what God is saying and not seeking to promote our own political agendas by selective quotation and consigning that which contradicts our thoughts to oblivion. Let us note in particular that three key passages in the Renewed Covenant Scriptures clearly bless the poor and pronounce woes and warnings to the rich, and that the “poor” and “rich” discussed here are not merely poor and rich some vague metaphorical sense, but include physical wealth and poverty.
Let us begin with Luke 6. In this passage, a companion to the beatitudes of Matthew 5, Jesus first pronounces some blessings that apply in both a physical and spiritual sense, in verses 20-21: “Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” This hunger is for righteousness, but also for food–both the physical and spiritual levels of truth apply here. Contrasted to this are woes in Luke 6:24-25: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”
What Jesus Christ is saying here is that everyone will experience both blessing and cursing, both hunger and plentitude, both sorrow and joy. Those who suffer now, who hunger now, and who mourn now will be blessed, filled, and joyful later. Likewise, those whose lives are easy and pleasant now will suffer and go without later. We will all gain a full understanding of what it is like to be high and low–and our state of wealth or poverty itself means nothing as to our righteousness or wickedness, but is simply whatever is ordained by divine providence for us to learn from, use for the blessing of others, and be occasion either to thank God or to recognize our daily need for His blessing for our sustenance and survival.
Continuing on, let us remember what James 2:1-4 says about showing partiality to the wealthy man and against the poor man: “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”
Here we see a contrast much like that of Lazarus and the Rich Man. James notes that those who would favor the wealthy over the poor are judges with evil thoughts and mocking and insulting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ so that all flesh could find entrance into the kingdom of God. After all, with God there is no rich nor poor, no male nor female, no Jew nor Greek, no slave nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus (see Galatians 3:26-29). Again, those who judge with partiality (as ungodly people do, and as the rich man in the parable did) violate the law of God and are therefore judged as evildoers, not recognize that the same God who made the rich also made the poor, both in His image and His likeness, worthy of respect and concern.
While considering this matter, let us note further and heed the warning of Hebrews 10:26-31, lest it apply to ourselves: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
These quotations are from the law, in Deuteronomy 32:35 and 36. That which we do to the least of our brethren we do to God. The least of the brethren are whomever we think least–the poor, ethnic and ‘racial’ minorities, women, children, the elderly. Whomever it is that we disrespect, that we dishonor, that we treat with contempt, that we marginalize, that we mistreat, that we exploit, it will be counted as if we have done that shameful and unrighteous behavior to Jesus Christ Himself. If we knowingly treat anyone who is marginalized or powerless or ‘poor’ in such a shameful manner, we can expect eternal judgment for our ungodly and satanic behavior, much like the rich man of the parable received eternal judgment for his sumptuous living while a righteous beggar starved and suffered at his gate. We ought therefore to profit from the warning provided by Luke 16 so that we do not suffer the fiery fate of the unrighteous rich man, or of the city of Sodom who were judged not only for their immorality but also for their lack of generosity to the poor and powerless.
Conclusion
Having considered the consistent importance of generosity to those who are without in scripture, and the severity of judgment for those who disrespect or exploit the poor in scripture, let us deeply consider these matters in our lives. What blessings can we provide to those who are without–if not material blessings, perhaps encouragement and a positive example of behavior, the offering of pleasant company and the sharing of that which God has given us. Let us not find ourselves in judgment because we have been selfish and stingy with the gifts God has given us, for all that God gives to us He expects to be shared widely and freely with others. If we find ourselves in the position of Lazarus, we know that whatever present trials we face will be repaid many times over in future blessings by God, so long as we suffer for righteousness’ sake and not our own mistakes. However, if we find ourselves in the place of the wicked and ungodly rich man, let us resolve to repent and follow the godly commands of the law and prophets concerning our blessings lest we fall into fiery judgment. We have been warned, and therefore if we mock and insult God by disrespecting those created in His image, we do so without excuse.
[2] http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=362&letter=A
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