Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus

[mdgspencer]

see full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2011/10/selected-quotes-of-fathers-on-parable.html
Jesus gave this parable: a poor man full of sores lay every day at the gate of the rich man, a poor man, named Lazarus, who longed to eat the scraps from the rich man’s table, who ignored him. Both died and the rich man, in hades, seeing Abraham in heaven with Lazarus in his bosom, begged father Abraham to send the poor man to dip his finger in water and come to cool his tongue from the flames. Or to send the poor man to his brothers to warn them, so they will repent. Abraham said no–there is a great chasm fixed between you and the poor man, and if your brothers will not hear Moses and the prophets, they will not listen if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:19-31)

 

[Eileen_T]

Well, I am not a great Catholic commentator but the last time I heard this Gospel I thought about two things.

First was Jesus’ choice of the name of the poor man. Lazarus was His wealthy friend. This showed me that Jesus had a sense of humour.

Second was* “…and if your brothers will not hear Moses and the prophets, they will not listen if someone rises from the dead.”* This literally happened with Lazarus. Jesus raised him from the dead, after several days when he was good and stinky so they couldn’t say he wasn’t really dead. And they still didn’t listen!

If you go back to Chapter 14, Jesus was speaking to the lawyers and Pharisees, the same who were present at the resurrection of Lazarus… and they still didn’t make the connection.