Luke 16:19-31 - Jezuiti

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24-26: “The rich man still tries to be in charge of things. He begins with a polite address, ‘Father Abraham,’ as if reminding Abraham of his descent from the patriarch. (Abraham responds by calling him his child in 16:25). A part of Abraham’s family, he deserves some consideration … The man’s wish is not granted. He has already received his share of good things (as though there is a limited supply). Moreover, the chasm between the rich man in Hades and Lazarus with Abraham is too great to cross. The fact that it is ‘fixed’ means that it has been established by God.” (Hultgren, p. 113) The fact that the rich man identifies himself as a “son of Abraham” (i.e. a Jew) is, in and of itself, a condemnation, since he makes it clear that, although he was of Jewish descent, yet he made no effort to put the demands of his Jewish faith into practice in his own life. “The idea of an intermediate state of the soul, release from which may be obtained by intercession of the saints, is clearly dwelt upon in the Testament of Abraham, where the description is given of a soul which, because its good and its evil deeds are equal, has to undergo the process of purification while remaining in a middle state, and on whose behalf Abraham intercedes, the angels joining him in his prayer, whereupon the soul is admitted into paradise.” (Kaufmann Köhler, “Purgatory”; online at: www.jewishencyclopedia.com). Some early rabbinic authors suggested that there was the possibility of post-mortem repentance, and that such a soul would be freed from torment a year after his/her death 4 . 27-28: Once again, the rich man tries to invoke the “family bond” he and his brothers share with Abraham. However, if his brothers are no more sensitive to the needs of the poor and marginalized than this rich man was, it is at best a superficial type of relationship, which, in the end, doesn’t really impact their lives very much. It is somewhat hypocritical—and more than a little cynical—to “play this card” at this point. Interestingly, once again, the man’s concern remains somewhat selfish—he is interested only in the needs of his own immediate family, and does not acknowledge in any way his long-term neglect of Lazarus’ needs. If this man truly had considered himself part of Abraham’s family, then he would necessarily have understood that Lazarus was, in a very real way, his brother as well, deserving of his concern and attention. “The rich man’s claim that Abraham is his father is of no effect, for he has not done the deeds which would have signified repentance from his self-centred, callous way of life.” (http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/cpr26l.shtml) 29: “Moses and the prophets (referring to the Old Testament books) are clear in their teaching. God’s will is not difficult to figure out. One is supposed to help the poor and miserable that are nearby. The brothers are without excuse.” (Hultgren, p. 114) 30: “The rich man … objects to what Abraham has just said. His brothers will certainly repent if someone goes to them from the dead. That a person from the realm of the dead would visit the brothers seems at first sight to depend on post-Easter Christian imagery. But the motif is older than Christianity. Various texts speak of the dead contacting the living, especially through dreams [I Sam 28:6-19; II Kings 21:6; Isa 8:19; Samuel Lachs provides several ancient Jewish examples in his Rabbinic Commentary on the New Testament]” (Hultgren, p. 114) 4 “The view of purgatory is still more clearly expressed in rabbinical passages, as in the teaching of the Shammaites: ‘In the last judgment day there shall be three classes of souls: the righteous shall at once be written down for the life everlasting; the wicked, for Gehenna; but those whose virtues and sins counterbalance one another shall go down to Gehenna and float up and down until they rise purified; for of them it is said: I will bring the third part into the fire and refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried' [Zech. xiii. 9.]; also, He [the Lord] bringeth down to Sheol and bringeth up again’.’ (I Sam. ii. 6) … Regarding the time which purgatory lasts, the accepted opinion of Rabbi Akiba is twelve months; according to Rabbi Johanan ben-Nuri, it is only forty-nine days. Both opinions are based upon Isa. lxvi. 23-24: From one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before Me, and they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; the former interpreting the words "from one new moon to another" to signify all the months of a year; the latter interpreting the words ‘from one Sabbath to another,’ in accordance with Lev. xxiii. 15-16, to signify seven weeks.” (www.jewishencyclopedia.com)
31: “The concluding statement of the parable, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead, provides a hint that even Jesus’ resurrection will not help some to respond. The message of God should be good enough. Scripture is the sign to be heeded.” (NET Bible notes) “We do have someone risen from the dead, Jesus Christ. Does that mean that we don’t need to listen to Moses and the prophets, that somehow the resurrection is going to make all things right? No, just the opposite. If we have not hearts that are open to see the needs of people, then even the resurrection of our Lord will be meaningless, as well.” (Göttinger Predigten im Internet; online at: http://www.predigten.unigoettingen.de/archiv-6/040926-4-e.html) A sculpture of the story of Lazarus on the façade of the medieval abbey church in Moissac, France. On the right side, we see the rich man feasting, while Lazarus lies starving outside his gate, with the dogs licking his wounds. In the centre, we see an angel coming to escort Lazarus to heaven. On the left, we see Abraham clutching Lazarus to his bosom, while a figure on the far left (an angel?) points to a list, showing the accounting of how the rich man received good things during his life, while Lazarus received only evil things. “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” (Étienne de Grellet, French Quaker missionary, 1773-1855) “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” (U.S. President John F. Kennedy, 1917 – 1963; inaugural address, January 20, 1961) “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 1910 - 1997) “It is not simply a question of eliminating hunger and reducing poverty. It is not enough to combat destitution, urgent and necessary as this is. The point at issue is the establishment of a human society in which everyone, regardless of race, religion, or nationality, can live a truly human life free from bondage imposed by men and the forces of nature not sufficiently mastered, a society in which freedom is not an empty word, and where Lazarus the poor man can sit at the same table as the rich man.” (Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio [On the Progress of Peoples, 1967], #47)
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Page 7 and 8: Mark Corner and Christopher Rowland

Luke 16:19-31 - Jezuiti

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