The rich get richer, the poor get the picture... so sang Midnight Oil on their 1982 album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. It's this line that I think of when I read the parable of Lazarus and the rich man in this Sunday's Gospel. In it we hear in some detail about the rich man, whom tradition names Dives, and his lavish lifestyle. We also hear about the poor man Lazarus, who lay outside his gate and longed for, but didn't receive, the scraps that fell from the rich man's table.
The author of Luke's gospel sets up the two men in stark contrast, in life and in death. We are told that Lazarus is carried to the bosom of Abraham, whilst the rich man is simply buried.
As the story unfolds, the privilege that characterised their lives is upended, and the man who lived with abundance is tormented in the fires of hades. Despite having shown no regard for the poor man outside his gates in life, Dives now calls on Lazarus by name. At first, he begs that Lazarus should ease his suffering, and then that Lazarus should warn his brothers of the fate that awaits them so that they may repent. But the chasm between them is too deep, even to be bridged by compassion.
This is a difficult point to reconcile - that the gulf between Dives and Lazarus could be so fixed that not even God could bridge the divide. But the reason is that the gulf has been created by Dives himself - by his indifference to the suffering of others, and his ongoing concern only for himself and those like him. (Note that he does not plead for those who continue to suffer from poverty and deprivation, but for his brothers, that they can avoid the torment that he is now experiencing).
Ultimately, this is a parable, and one written by and for a community of faith gathered after the resurrection of Jesus. So, what does it say to us today?
For me, the clue is in the final line. Abraham - the father figure of the chosen people - tells Dives that his brothers have been warned already by Moses and the prophets and that they have not heeded the warning. Nor would they listen, even if someone should rise from the dead. This is a clear allusion to Christ's resurrection, and a warning. That although His sacrifice effects our salvation, it is not an automatic get out of jail free card.
Like Dives and his brothers we are called to listen to the Gospel, the cry of the poor, and the urging of God’s Spirit in us. To narrow the gap between ourselves and those less fortunate.
Not to say as that Midnight Oil song does, “No one ever tells me, how am I to know.” But to make a clear choice between God’s will for this world, or wilful ignorance.
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