Gospel Luke 6:19-31
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.’"
Reflection In the world of the Pharisees, they taught what is called the prosperity gospel. But back then it was just simply an understanding that the more that you follow the rules and regulations, the more perfectly you follow the law,
the more you would be blessed by God. And the blessing of God was not to make you into a servant as Jesus explains it, but to make you prosperous, important. And all the things you longed for and needed physically, emotionally would be there for you. It was a misunderstanding completely of what it is that God is asking from us.
He's not asking us to do what we're told and then be blessed. He's calling us to something so much more complex and beautiful. To be human beings who live in a world listening to our own needs and the needs of others, and longing for nothing more than to relieve the pain and suffering that they see there. The rich man had no interest in anyone who was suffering because they were considered unworthy.
What a radical change. That Jesus had brought to the temple and what an important change that would actually save the world.
Closing Prayer Father, one might say that you treated the Pharisees harshly and seem to condemn them, but we know basically inside of you there was a longing and a desire that every single one of them would be touched and transformed and move away from their shallow understanding of what God is really about to something richer and fuller. But as you condemn them, it's so clearly that what you were condemning were their ideas, their ways, not them individually. So bless us with understanding and patience with people who are not seeing the role that God has promised to inspire them and nurture them in. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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