Crossing the Chasm in This World

“But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.'"

 — From Luke 16:19-31

This week’s gospel lesson is the well-known parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Within it is a clear invitation to attend the world while we live in it. The rich man is filled with regret after his life is over, and he realizes that he did not attend the needs of Lazarus who had been at his gate all along. In a scene worthy of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol, the rich man implores Abraham to let Lazarus warn his [still living] relatives to pay closer attention, so they do not find themselves in a similar predicament. What is somewhat disconcerting is that the rich man is not accused of behaving in a particularly immoral or cruel way to Lazarus but recognizes that he was distracted by wealth during his earthly pilgrimage. The parable is set within the context of Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees who are described as “lovers of money.”

In this parable, the image of the “fixed chasm” seems to indicate that there may not be an ability to overcome the distance from God we create by the decisions we make on our earthly walk. Presently, there are many chasms keeping us from one another and many of us feel a sense of discouragement imagining these divisions are already fixed. As people of faith, we have an opportunity to act before those chasms become permanent.

The chasms around us in these times are many. Chasms between the haves and the have-nots. The chasm of our political and cultural rhetoric. The chasm of violence and hatred. The chasm of broken relationships and unwillingness to engage in the hard work of reconciliation. There is the chasm that is forged by isolation and lack of encounters with people who are different than us. I’m sure you could suggest many other chasms when you think about the many challenges we face in this world.

To feel discouraged is human. I also believe that we possess the opportunity to start taking small steps to bridge the divides that we encounter. I must believe that those chasms are not fixed, and closing those gaps relies on intentionally stepping toward one another to shorten the distance.

What might that look like in your own life? Perhaps it begins by knowing someone’s name. It strikes me that Lazarus is the only one in this story with a proper name. The person with the least power is the one who is portrayed as a whole person rather than a category or abstraction.

When you find yourself concerned about “those people,” take a moment and seek someone who is very different than yourself. Have a conversation with them that pursues the commonality of human life and purpose. Maybe when we do that, we can narrow the chasm.

Peace, Beth +