No Excuses: We Have One Who Is Risen

It is easy for us to focus on the wrong things. We are often more concerned with the pleasures of life than with what truly matters. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a familiar parable about a poor man named Lazarus and a rich man. The rich man enjoyed all that life could offer, while Lazarus had nothing. He would have been grateful even to be treated like one of the rich man’s dogs.

In the culture of ancient Israel, wealth was often seen as a sign of God’s favor, while poverty was considered a curse. But Jesus overturns this expectation. When the rich man dies, he is not rewarded, but condemned. Lazarus, meanwhile, is carried to the side of Abraham — a place of comfort for the righteous. The rich man finds himself instead in torment in the netherworld, the place of the dead, cut off from hope. What seemed like success in this world is revealed to be empty when measured against eternity.

In the Christian tradition, this netherworld- Sheol- was understood as the place where the dead waited until the coming of the Messiah. At the fitting time, as Saint Peter teaches, Christ descended to proclaim freedom to those who were held there, breaking open the gates of death.

The rich man pleads with Abraham, first for relief, and then that Lazarus might be sent to warn his brothers. Abraham refuses, reminding him that they already have “Moses and the prophets.” Then comes the striking conclusion: even if someone were to rise from the dead, many would still not believe. As Christians, we know this has come to pass. Christ is risen, yet even now there are hearts that remain closed. The prophet Ezekiel warned long ago that we need hearts of flesh, not hearts of stone. The rich man’s heart was hardened — he could not see the suffering at his very doorstep. We, too, must pray for hearts made new by the Spirit, so that we can recognize Christ in our neighbor and welcome the One who is risen from the dead.

What was the rich man’s great failure? It was not his wealth, but his blindness. He did not love rightly. He ignored the poor man at his gate, living only for himself. In contrast, Saint Paul writes in his letter to Timothy that we must “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” These are the true riches that lay hold of eternal life.

The prophet Amos also warned against complacency, speaking to those “lying upon beds of ivory” who live in self-indulgence. Our own comforts, if they lull us into forgetfulness of God and neighbor, can do the same. The Church places these readings side by side so we might examine our own lives: Do we rest secure in luxuries, or do we live in vigilance, ready to give an account before the Lord who is King of kings and Lord of lords?

We have more than Moses and the prophets. We have One who is risen from the dead. We have no excuses left. The question is whether we will listen, believe, and live as disciples who love God above all things and neighbor as ourselves.