Overcoming the Great Chasm
Scripture Luke 16: 19-31
Reading
Jesus told this parable to those among the Pharisees who loved money:
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously every day.
And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who longed to satisfy his hunger
with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs
would come lick his sores.
‘The poor man died and was carried away by angels to be with Abraham… “
Reflection
For the Pharisees who loved money, they did not see their circumstances as evil nor were they mishandling ‘mammon’. They were successful and exacting keepers of the Law and thought themselves justified before God as being righteous. The rich man in this story wasn’t an evil person as we normally think of evil. He has not caused Lazarus’ poverty, at least not directly. He did not even chase Lazarus away from his gate. He merely ignored him. But Jesus is sharpening their awareness when he reveals to them that this blocking the flow of compassion and generosity is a great offence in this new covenant of Love. This withholding of one’s abundance and this kind of blind indifference to the agony of Lazarus was for them ‘the great chasm’ – the root sinfulness – the painful dis-connection that keeps happening within the human family.
Here at this earthly banquet table sits a rich man inside his house while a poor man Lazarus, sits outside the house, longing for even a few crumbs from the master’s table. Then, such a shocking reversal of how it will be in the ‘kingdom of God’…which is, already here and now! Then, at the eschatological banquet, sits the poor man, resting in the bosom of Abraham while a rich man sits languishing outside the feasting table, longing for a drop of water.
It is important to understand that Jesus is not saying God rewards the good and punishes the bad. What the gospel is saying: “Good is good, evil is evil. If you do what is good, you enjoy the fruits of the good. If you do what is evil, you suffer evil.” And here we also need to correctly interpret Hades or Sheol – not as the “hell” we have for centuries of Christian catechesis heard of - stated as an eternal fire and brimstone. Rather hell is the ‘abode of the dead. The meaning of Jesus’ teaching here is that if you choose death, you will in fact be dead. Lifelessness is to be in Hades, Sheol. It is nonlife, nonexistence. There are people who are dead already now. They may be walking around in their bodies, but they are dead inside. God is now offering you life, saying ‘Live in the kingdom. Choose life. Choose love. Choose sharing. Choose communion. They last forever. We call that forever, ‘heaven’.
And Jesus promises that once we have made the choice for ‘heaven’, for God’s kingdom - not mammon, not material possessions, not one’s own ego needs, not for ‘hell’ – we will experience the Divine Love within us, overflowing and empowering us, making us capable of loving ourselves and all others. There will be such a flow of generosity, compassion, and service that comes forth from God-within us. We will create these bridges of compassion. Compassion will heal our wounded human family. Jesus has come to set us free, to liberate us from oppressive cultural practices and religious legalisms that stifle the Spirit. “Between you and us a great chasm has been fixed.” The great chasm between living in a state of heaven or hell, between living in fear or in faith, between life and death itself has been fixed now by Jesus. He has walked over that bridge and invites us to follow in his example. Healthy Christians are now attracting others by their cheerful and generous witness of choosing life, life more abundantly.
This week, I pray that we might allow this Lazarus and Dives Gospel story, help us to overcome those tensions in our own lives where we are still striving to bridge those chasms ~ between our choices for life or death, our choices for good or evil, and our choices for false self or true self. May we stay awake and aware of those ‘heaven’ moments and those ‘hell’ moments … and move towards the bridge of redeeming grace that is found in surrendering to the power of Christ. The encouragement from today’s gospel is that Jesus is inviting us all to be his ‘kingdom’ followers. So as we consider that wonderful gathering up of all the people of God throughout the world, who freely come choosing to live in these kingdom values, we can be full of rejoicing. There are many bridge-persons today who are witnesses and agents of transformation. They are helping to overcome the great chasm that keeps the human family alienated and trapped in fear. They live and preach a gospel of grace and freedom.
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