Making friends in Heaven

Lazarus at the Gate (Luke 16:19-31, see below)

·        What motivates you and I to act in a Christian way towards our fellow humans?

·       Which persistent excuses do we use to avoid doing the things that we know we should?

The story of Lazarus and the rich man at the gate is crude to a certain degree, but its crudeness is intended to cut through our sophisticated reasons for avoiding acting with mercy, generosity and compassion. So, one of the things that this story asks of us is to look quite starkly at our own reasons for avoiding doing the things that we know we should be doing. Which neighbours whose suffering we are well aware of are we avoiding? In what ways are we trying to get out of our obligations to our fellow humans? Which reasons and excuses do we most often use?

But the other thing that the story does, which is more complicated, is to analyse our motivations for doing the right thing. In the past of course the threat of eternal damnation was much more real and was used by the church to motivate people to act in a Christian way. Judgment and eternal damnation is a subject that modern liberal minded Christians tend to avoid, for a whole host of reasons, some good and some less so. But one of those reasons could be that the Christians doing the speaking and reflecting are not the ones that are systematically denied justice and mercy in this life. For those who are life’s victims the thought of God’s judgment at the end of time might be a much more appealing one. And this is how the story goes – Lazarus and those like him can look forward to a time when their suffering will end and they will enjoy everlasting joy in heaven. I don’t know about you but there have been times in my life when I have seen certain people suffering and I have imagined and hoped for their eternal salvation in similar terms, surely God owes those who have suffered to such a degree in this life – some eternal mercy. We can think of those today caught in the hellish conflict in Syria.

But of course the other side of God’s judgment is his judgment on our sin. The rich man is condemned for being indifferent and selfish, as well as greedy; it’s sobering to consider the persistent and widespread nature of such attitudes today. To be a Christian, to follow God’s laws, is quite simply to be a person who notices the suffering of others and who tries to alleviate it. The story presents us with one version of what will happen if we don’t. Whether today we believe or not in eternal damnation of the sort imagined in the story, for God’s sovereignty to be real and meaningful we must imagine that there are real and genuine consequences for turning a blind eye to the suffering of others, which we have the capacity to do something about. For the rich man could have easily in some ways alleviated Lazarus’ suffering, even the dogs managed to show more compassion than he. The consequences for the ‘rich man’ are that he becomes isolated in hell, where not even Father Abraham can reach him – and this can be read metaphorically. His own model of self-sufficient isolation has meant that his world has so narrowed that love cannot reach in: ‘a great chasm is between us’ as Father Abraham puts it. And that is surely a real consequence of sin, of selfishness and greed – isolation and fear. People put up walls to keep others out and to protect what they have; but in so doing they also stop the good stuff coming in. Walls of fear and so called protection ultimately bring a diminished existence for those who’ve built them and those on the other side of them. Wherever we deny love and compassion to others, wherever we narrow our viewpoints and our framework, we deny ourselves a corresponding friend in heaven.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 10.2)

For the rich man did not realise that in reaching out to Lazarus in love he could have received love in return – love does not require money or power, simply a heart open to truth and goodness and it can be given and received by any and all.

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

 ‘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 and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 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.” 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. 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.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” 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.” ’