Homily Two on the Fifth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Two on the Fifth Sunday of Luke  
(22nd Sunday After Pentecost)

On the Rich Man and Lazarus

By St. John of Kronstadt

In today's Gospel, beloved brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself depicts the visible inequality of people's status and lives in this temporal life and, correspondingly, the inequality of their fate in the endless afterlife. This Gospel is highly instructive for all of us, for people of every status and rank. It tells the story of an unnamed rich man, and a beggar named Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31).

Who then is this ill-fated rich man, this luxurious merry fellow, who has inherited eternal torment? Judging by the fact that he calls Abraham his father, and that he and his brothers were familiar with the writings of Moses and the Prophets, one must assume that the rich man was of Jewish descent and law, a descendant of Abraham. What was his sin, his guilt, for which he so unexpectedly found himself in hades? The Gospel says that he was rich; but, undoubtedly, wealth was not the cause of such terrible torment which the rich man experienced in hades. Abraham, in his time, was also a very wealthy man, yet his wealth did not prevent him from being a friend of God, for he was hospitable, welcoming, and in all respects faithful and obedient to God. It is further said that he was clothed in purple and fine linen, that is, in a manner befitting a king, and that he feasted splendidly every day. It would seem that there is no particular fault in this either; a wealthy man, who has thousands and perhaps millions in money and vast estates, why should he not dress in silk and velvet? Even in the present time, this is not considered an extraordinary luxury, although at that time, fine linen was particularly expensive. Furthermore, it is said that he feasted magnificently every day, meaning he ate, drank, and enjoyed himself with his friends and flatterers; yet even in our enlightened era, frequent feasts and expensive dinners are common, and those who host them do not think that they are grievously sinning or destined for hades, especially if they do not forget the poor. Let us proceed further in seeking the fault of a wealthy merry fellow. 

What does the Gospel say? "There was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who lay at his gate covered in sores, and longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, while dogs came and licked his sores." Here lies the true guilt of the rich man, which renders him culpable both in his luxurious dressing and in his daily lavish feasts: this guilt is cruelty and lack of mercy toward the poor, arising within him from a passion for luxury and extravagance, for idle and indulgent living. Right at the gates of his house lies poor Lazarus in sores; such a poor man, whose very appearance and condition should have evoked compassion and mercy, prompting the rich man to help. Yet the rich man, though he sees him, might as well not see him, for he does not extend the slightest compassion; he is absorbed in his feasts. The dogs are more compassionate than he, for they come and lick Lazarus’s sores. Lazarus "longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table," which means that he was given nothing from the abundant fare. It is for this very cruelty and mercilessness that the rich man was sent to hades after death; whereas Lazarus, for his patience, meek endurance, and honest poverty and deprivation, was granted the bosom of Abraham, eternal rest, and blessedness. 

What lesson does this depiction of the rich man and the poor man, this description of their lives and conditions on earth and their fate immediately after death, teach us? First and foremost, the lesson that wealth and poverty, health and illness, joy and sorrow — all earthly things pass quickly and vanish, but human deeds, vices, and virtues do not die; they accompany a person into eternity, where they will either justify or condemn him before the Judge of all human thoughts and deeds, ultimately leading him to paradise or casting him into the depths of hell, from which there is no escape forever. Therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, let us not be harsh-hearted and unmerciful toward the poor when we ourselves have abundance; let us not be conceited in wealth and comfort, but rather share with the poor according to our abilities; so that, in the event that we fail in good deeds, they may receive us into the eternal dwellings, according to the words of our Savior (Luke 16:9). See how, after the death of Lazarus and the rich man, the fate and condition of each is suddenly transformed! The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom. What honor, what love shown to him by the heavenly beings! They bear and accompany him to paradise as to their fellow citizen. The angels of heaven, these faithful friends of those faithful to God. And the rich man also died and was buried; and in hades, in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom. What a spectacle! Lazarus, poor, sick, and once despised by the rich man, now in a place of light, coolness, and blessedness, while the rich man is in hades, in torment, receiving no help from anywhere.

And where are the fellow diners and flatterers? Perhaps they, too, are in hades? You know what comes next: the rich man pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus to dip just the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue, that pleasure-loving tongue, now horribly burning and parched. But even this was denied to the rich man. Indeed, Abraham calls him "child," just as the former rich man had called him "father" — yet this designation, "child," served only to rebuke the rich man, who had not performed Abraham's deeds, who had not shared his temperance and hospitality. What, then, is the reason for denying even a drop of water? The reason is that the rich man received his good in his lifetime, while Lazarus received evil. What good did he receive? That which he considered good — namely, eating, drinking, dressing elegantly, and indulging in merriment, without thinking of God or seeking to please Him, without performing good deeds, and therefore living like insentient cattle, unconcerned for his immortal soul. Consequently, he received exactly what he had lived for, enjoying what he had considered his good; he prepared nothing for eternity, did not acquire the desires and needs for spiritual and eternal blessings, and proved to be indifferent to love for God and neighbor. Therefore, he has no place even in paradise, which is reserved only for the righteous and for those who love God and one another with pure love. Lazarus, however, was purified of sins through the crucible of illness and deprivation and suffered their punishment in the very afflictions and hardships he endured; for this reason, Abraham says, "he finds comfort here, while you suffer."

This is how suddenly the roles of one and the other changed – and immediately after the death of both. Oh, how fickle, unstable, and unreliable is all that is earthly! How constant and eternal are virtue and its reward! Furthermore, Abraham presents another reason to the rich man as to why Lazarus cannot come to him – even with the smallest comfort, only a drop of water on his finger – namely, because there is a chasm established between those in hades and those in heaven, impassable forever. This was meant to strike the rich man with a renewed horror of the hopelessness of mercy, a horror born of despair, and he no longer asks Abraham for himself, but for his brothers, that Abraham might send Lazarus to them to bear witness to the actual existence of hades and the eternal torment in its flames, and to the existence of heaven – the eternal dwelling and place of joy for those who lived virtuously or suffered punishment for their sins and repented. But the former rich man was also refused in this matter; it was said that his brothers should listen to Moses and the prophets, that is, read and follow their writings. The rich man begged Abraham again for the same, and he received a new refusal, that they would not believe in the existence of eternal punishment and eternal life even if they were raised from the dead, unless they listened to Moses and the prophets, who spoke by the Holy Spirit. 

This is a good, instructive lesson for all the current foolish intellectuals who do not believe in the existence of human souls after death, in the actual reality of eternal fire, in the everlasting torment of unrepentant sinners, and in the future blessedness of the righteous. They too would wish that the dead would come to them more often and assure them of the truth of what is said in the Gospel – but the dead will not come to convince them of what the eternal Truth Himself once and for all declared – Christ our God. And if they wish to change their mindset and way of life and attain eternal life, let them diligently read and listen to the Gospel and perform what is written in it. Here is a brief discourse on the current Gospel. Reflect on what is written in it and believe with all your heart in all that is written there. For not even an iota shall pass from what the Truth – Christ – has spoken, and all will be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.