Understanding Jesus’ parable of the rich man
03/20/2025
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.”
Every year around Christmas time, I
love to watch the Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.” Many people do
not know the full title of the short book is: “A Christmas Carol. In Prose.
Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.” What a jarring juxtaposition: no one thinks
of a ghost story in association with the season of Christmas. Right?
But I believe Dickens touches on
the very heartbeat of Christmas: a baby is born so he could one day die and
rise again, not as a ghost but in glory, so that we might not be ghosts but
enjoy that glory, too. You remember, of course, the rough contours of the
Dickens’ classic. An elderly miser named Ebenezer Scrooge cares only about
money and hates everything about Christmas: the fun, the faith, and the family
time.
He is visited by three ghosts – one
of Christmas past, another of Christmas present, and a third of Christmas
future – and he sees how his life is unfolding and begins to see the error of
his ways. But the purpose of the ghostly visitors was not so much to scare the
hell out of him – which they did very well – but more so to scare the heaven
into him, which they accomplished beautifully.
How so? Well, remember in the end
when he runs through the streets in his pajamas singing and dancing and buying
everyone gifts? He was living the true Christmas spirit, namely, living
inspired by the Holy Spirit, rather than being haunted by ghosts, dead spirits.
As a result, Scrooge’s own future would not be ghostly but full of glory.
In the gospel today Jesus tells a
very unusual parable about a rich man and ghosts, surprisingly similar to
Dickens’ “A Ghost Story about Christmas.” I have always wondered if this
parable inspired Dickens’ literary imagination. A rich man ends up in a place
of torment and begs Abraham to help his five brothers: “If someone from the
dead [a ghost] goes to them, they will repent.”
The irony is that even though
Ebenezer repented of his greed, Abraham foresaw the opposite effect for the
rich man’s brothers. He foretells the future incredulity of the Jewish leaders
after Jesus rises from the dead: “If they will not listen to Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”
My friends, both Dickens’ prose and
Jesus’ parable lay a challenge at our feet today, in this season of Lent. What
will it take for us to change our lives and live entirely according to the
Spirit of Christmas, that is, always inspired by the Holy Spirit, traditionally
called “the Holy Ghost”? In other words, do we need the hell scared out of us
like Scrooge did, or can we have the heaven scared into us like the disciples
did after Jesus’ resurrection?
They saw not a ghost but our Lord’s
glory. And not only were their lives changed but they changed the world. In a
sense, they apostles became like Ebenezer Scrooge and only cared about faith
and fun and family. They ran and danced throughout the world buying gifts for
the poor. You know, I really wish people would remember the longer title of Charles
Dickens’ classic: “A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of
Christmas.”
Praised be Jesus
Christ!
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