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Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jesus doesn’t condemn the rich man for doing anything wrong. He condemns him for not doing something right.
Lazarus literally laid outside of his home, covered in sores, starving to death. It was impossible to ignore him; the rich man would’ve had to step over Lazarus just to leave his home!
Had the rich man been a little more steeped in scripture, then he would’ve known that it was Christ suffering in Lazarus, not just a person down on his luck.
As the Lord says in his final sermon, The Judgment of the Nations, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”
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The Gospel application is clear: serve those less fortunate than ourselves.
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However, we’d give this passage an unfair, surface-level reading if we only interpreted it physically. While we should feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless, there are plenty of others who suffer in silence.
Nobody walks around with a t-shirt on saying, “Hi, I’m lonely.” … “I’m struggling with my mental health.” … Or, “I just received a malignant diagnosis.”
It’s takes a little more effort on our part to dig beneath the surface, seeing what’s actually happening in the mind and heart of our neighbor.
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Think about a handful of people whom you interact with often, whether it’s family members, co-workers, or friends.
Say a prayer for them. Ask how they’re doing. Listen, even probe a little bit out of love. Offer a hug if needed.
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Whatever we do to them, we do to the Lord himself.
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Image credits: (1) Google Play (2) Illustration of Lazarus, Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886 (3) Real Solutions Nursing Consultants