The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
September 30, 2007
Vol. 10 no. 35

Everything But...
           Is there ever an end to parables? Yes, but not today, for one of my favourite tales is at the plate, all about that rich man again and Lazarus rocking his soul in the bosom of Abraham. The spiritual rings through our minds in the background.
           Jesus talks a lot about rich men to his audiences of poor people, but here he omits something. He gives the rich men no names, because for once their wealth makes them nobodies. The chain of parables Jesus has been telling is broken up by Luke a few verses earlier referring to the Pharisees who, scoffing at Jesus’ ideas, were “lovers of money.” And he says it as if it were something wrong! Can money be a religious problem?
           Nah! Jesus’ story is about the rich man and how well he feasted and ate. Rich people stuff. This poor fellow Lazarus happened to be lying about the tables looking for a handout, an obscene scene with all the dogs licking his sores. He died, but straightway was swooped up by the angels to the bosom of Abraham who had to know his name.
           Meanwhile, the anonymous rich man also died, and instead of being lifted up he was buried down. Really down - into Hades - not pleasant at all. The real torment was that somehow he could see all the way across a great chasm from Hades right up to heaven, right where Abraham was hanging out with his bosom buddy. That really hurt to see so far.
           Money did not count anymore. As a matter of fact, no money was to be seen. There was no longer anything to possess up high or down low. There was nothing you needed and there was nothing you could demand or buy. Sometimes it works that way around here among people, eh?