Homily 45. #
On Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, a Homily from the Gospel about the Rich Man and Lazarus
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is beneficial for all of us—both for the rich and the poor. Let the rich be generous, lest they be condemned like that merciless man. And let the poor endure sorrows and deprivation while giving thanks to God, so that they may receive good things like Lazarus.
There was a certain man in Jerusalem named Lazarus, who was both poor and sick. And there was also a rich man who wore costly garments, feasted sumptuously, and constantly held great banquets. His cups and vessels were of gold and silver in abundance. But Lazarus, sick and covered in sores, lay at the gate of the rich man. No one would even touch him, nor did anyone come to visit him. Dogs would come and lick his sores. Yet in the midst of such misery, this poor man neither complained nor reviled the rich man. And at the end of his life, he was found worthy of great honor: he was carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom.
The rich man also died and was buried. How great was the honor shown him in burial, like a tree full of leaves but bearing no fruit. Truly, it is said that even while he was alive, his soul was as if already buried. His body—fattened by many kinds of food and drink—was his grave.
When he died, he was brought down into hell, and “he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame’” (Luke 16:23–24).
Why did he see Lazarus with Abraham and not with any other righteous person? Because Abraham was hospitable, while this rich man ignored the one who lay at his own gate.
See the wisdom of Abraham, who did not rebuke him with harsh words like, “Thou merciless and cruel man,” but instead said: “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed” (Luke 16:25–26). This gulf is the separation that divides the righteous from sinners.
Then he said: “Father, I pray thee therefore, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:27–28). Having sinned, he now offers supplication—not for himself, but for his brothers.
Abraham answered, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29). But the merciless man said: “Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent” (Luke 16:30).
He said this judging from his own experience: “I myself always heard, yet I did not believe—I thought the Scriptures were but fables. But if someone were to rise from the dead, then surely they would believe.”
Even today, there are such people who say, “Who knows what happens in that place? Who has come back to tell us?” But they do not listen to the Scriptures or the teachings of the Church. And if they do not listen, neither would they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.
This is exactly what the Jews did. Not believing in the Scriptures, they saw the dead raised and still did not believe. They even sought to kill Lazarus, whom Christ had called back from the dead. At Christ’s crucifixion, many of the dead rose, and yet they still did not believe—indeed, they acted more wickedly, stoning the apostles and all who bore the name of Christ.
They even saw God Himself—Jesus Christ—risen from the dead, and yet they would not believe.
If such resurrections were truly helpful for faith, then the Lord would have raised the dead more often. But now, the Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Church are more beneficial. If the dead were to rise often, the devil would deceive many through his illusions. Therefore, God did not allow this, but instead gave us the Scriptures as ever-shining lights, illuminating and confirming the Orthodox faith.
And there is nothing the devil can devise that the Scriptures cannot expose. All his wicked snares are laid bare by them.
So, brethren, let us listen to the Divine Scriptures, that we may be saved. Seek not the resurrection of the dead as proof. The bosom of Abraham signifies the Kingdom of Heaven, where the souls of the righteous dwell. But the sinners shall be sent away into various places of torment.