"They live out their days in prosperity, and slide peacefully down into hell."
Job 21:13
“There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen, and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ But Abraham said to him, ‘My son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31
The sin of the rich man in the parable of Lazarus was not that he had been given great wealth, even though has no gratitude, and thinks that it is all because of his own merits. No, his sin is that his pride made him blind to the suffering of Lazarus, who sat every day on his doorstep. He saw, but did not care.
It was in the torment of the abyss that the rich man's eyes were opened. Looking across the great chasm he finally sees Lazarus and holy Abraham. And the first thing that the rich man does is to beg for favors and comfort for himself.
He feels no shame, no repentance, never once saying that he is sorry. Even as his eyes were opened, his heart remained hardened in the grip of his greed. His sins are the chasm that separates him from salvation. He holds himself apart from the abundant grace of God.
Nations that have been blessed can blind themselves to the misuse of their power and good fortune, given to them by God, to oppress and subjugate others, and please their greed and vanity. They exalt themselves as the greatest good, the exceptional— even as they oppress and plunder and murder. Until at long last God breaks the backbone of their power, and with chastisements humbles them.
One has come back from the dead and spoken to us, we who oppress the weak and murder the prophets.
“I am going to shock the ears of all who hear. I will bring forth the things that I have proclaimed. I will judge their house because they knew their sons have made themselves contemptible to me, and they did not try to restrain them.”
1 Samuel 3:11-13
God will not remain silent. And when his hand moves, the proud and the powerful will fall, and the servants of the beast will rage against it.
Look to their downfall, and repent.
