Betsey Moe

Sermon 9.25.22 [proper 21]

The Chasms Between Us

 

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 

23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 

27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham, 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, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

What do we do about the chasms between us?

 We know firsthand about the chasms the text describes. We live with them in Guatemala, we live with them in the United States. The wealth gap, the education gap, the access to healthcare gap. What do we do about them?

 Jesus begins this parable by describing the differences between two men who saw each other every day: there is a rich man covered with purple and fine linen; and then there is Lazarus, covered with sores. The rich man lived in a gated community; Lazarus lived most of his hours at the rich man’s gate. The rich man feasted sumptuously every day; Lazarus fantasized about the leftovers from these feasts. The rich man died and had a burial; Lazarus died, no burial mentioned. The chasm of differences is wide between the men, made even wider by the lack of interaction. Whenever the rich man left his gate, I’m guessing he never rolled down his tinted windows.

 In past weeks, we’ve heard about a theology that was prevalent in Jesus’ day that is similar to what we would call “the prosperity gospel:” the belief that people with wealth are being rewarded by God for good behavior. But this thinking is not just common in religious circles; it’s everywhere. People with wealth are often assumed to be smarter, more responsible, and deserving of what they have. The rich man in this parable and everyone around him would have assumed that he was a good man, blessed by God, who must have done something to win God’s favor, and that Lazarus, the poor man who lay at his gate, was cursed because of the sins that either he or his mother committed.

 But after both men die, the truth about the prosperity gospel comes out. The rich man goes to Hades, a place of torment, while Lazarus is carried off by angels to sit with Abraham. Wealth turns out to be not a sign of God’s favor; it’s a hindrance, maybe even a curse! Jesus’ words from Luke chapter 6 come suddenly into focus: “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.” (6:24-25).

 The rich man, in torment, lifts up his eyes and sees Abraham sitting with Lazarus at his side. He begs Abraham to send Lazarus to bring him some relief. But now, Jesus says, there is a great chasm that is fixed between the rich man and Lazarus. What’s done is done. The opportunity for interaction, the opportunity for change, has passed.

 The ironic part of this story is that while it seemed during their lifetime that there was a great chasm between the men, that chasm could have been crossed. The rich man could have talked with Lazarus. He could have learned his story. He could have shared his food, even just his leftovers, with Lazarus. He could have welcomed Lazarus into his home and, like the good Samaritan, tended to his sores and made sure he had a safe place to sleep.

 But he did not act when he had the chance. While he was living, he only thought about himself. And sadly, even in the afterlife, the rich man was still concerned only for the well-being of his own brothers rather than for others in the larger community.

 Some people, when reading this parable, get distracted by the details and think it’s about what the afterlife is like – heaven, hell, how there is no way to cross from one side to the other. But that’s not what this parable is about at all; it’s about how to live, particularly with wealth and privilege, in the here and now.

 It is not as if the rich man did not know his higher calling as a wealthy man while he was alive. The rich man was a man of faith; he recognized Abraham in the afterlife and addressed him as “Father.” Every time he went to the temple, he would have heard the law and the prophets. He would have heard the call to care for his neighbor, especially the poor and those without a safety net.

 As the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah:

Is this not the fast I choose… to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
    and not to hide yourself from your own kin? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

 And this call to know one’s neighbor and care for them was not just a big “SHOULD” in the law so that life would be fair. The call to care for neighbor arises from the very nature of God, who, in love, created humans for relationship – relationship with God and relationship with one another. We are fully alive – experiencing that “life that really is life” when we are sharing in community. In fact, God cared so much about whole, life-giving community that God came in Jesus Christ to make true community possible by reconciling all things. God has already bridged the chasms that threaten to undo us.

 The rich man lived as if those chasms were real and binding. And in the parable, he realized the truth too late. But it is not too late for us. And herein lies the good news: We aren’t dead yet! Tinted windows can be rolled down; iron gates can be opened. Names can be learned – did you noticed how the poor man got a name in this story? Stories and wisdom and resources can be shared, systems that keep some people down and other people up can be challenged. It is NOT too late. Are we willing, today, to cross the invisible divides?

 God is inviting us to experience beloved community in the here and now. May the Spirit give you the courage to act. Amen.