¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ ²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ ²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ ³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

The other Lazarus of the bible is a poor man. He has been lying at the gate of the rich man for many years. The rich man never showed any kindness to the poor man – even to throw him some scraps from the table. It is apparent that the dogs have been treated better by the rich man in comparison, which of course is something we all should stop and consider. Look, I am an animal lover—but it is true that sometimes the poor, homeless and outcast of our society are treated worse than our pets.

I once was asked by a girl, probably in 5^th grade, if I believed that there was a place called Hell. I replied that I believed that evil existed, but, according to Paul and his theology, once Jesus comes again, those who believe will be saved, will become one with G-d, and those who don’t, well, that is the big unknown. How will evil, once it is finally defeated, will evil be redeemed, renewed, restored, and reworked—or will it be rejected? Anyway, this girl referred to this text to see if this confirmed that Hell existed. I replied that some will want to look to this text to bolster their argument that Hell exists. But, I believe that this text is a metaphor for the chasm that exists between those who choose not to have a relationship with G-d – and those who do. Though G-d will not change who G-d is, and what G-d stands for, through Jesus Christ, that relationship between us and G-d is completely restored – and it begins with a loving G-d who calls us to do acts of love to and for those who are the last, least, lost and little of our society. If we put all of our trust in this world, and the things that we have or accumulate, and do not live our lives within the reality of loving G-d and neighbor, including having a heart of giving to those in need, then there is a chasm that exists between us and G-d that is the essence of who we are – it is a heartless existence, one that even a ghost could not change.  But, then again, I am reminded of Ebenezer Scrooge…..

Pastor Dave