Does the Rich Man Get What He Deserves - Essay Example

Does the Rich Man Get What he Deserves? A cursory reading of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16, 19-31) leaves one with the clear impression that a materially wealthy man will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Accepting this construction of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus since earthly possessions are presumed to be the measuring stick by which a man’s place in the after life is judged then it is certainly not true that the rich man gets what he deserves. Upon a closer examination of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus the reader comes to the realization that the message is not meant to use wealth as means of judging a person’s goodness or lack thereof. The message conveyed is far more poignant than that. Should a rich man place his wealth above his faith in God, he will not be rewarded with entry into heaven. At the end of the day, despite earthly possessions each individual has their own unique connection to God. A man endowed with earthly possessions may not be so endowed with spiritual connections. The opposite may by true for the poor man, whose earthly possession may be paltry while he is rich spiritually, Just as Harry Potter observed, we don’t know what goes on in another’s life and certainly cannot come to any conclusions by merely judging from the outward appearances. (Rowlings, 219) The point is, we may have to experience the lives of another to empathize with them. (Rowlings, 219) This too may very well be the underlying message of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Likewise, author J.D. Peters observes that an individual’s connection to another in the absence of bodily contact can only be gauged by the individual’s soul and spiritual communications. (Peters, 179) As in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus there was an obvious disconnect between the rich man and spirituality as well as between the rich man and the poor, suffering man. Applying Rowlings and Peter’s contention to the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus the underlying hypothesis is that a rich man may be more tempted by the evil seductions associated with wealth, but one will never know by mere appraisal of his or her wealth whether or not he has forged a faith and belief in God so as to forgo the claim that the rich man is bound to perish in Hell. In the final analysis, if the rich man is judged according to his own personal connection to God and his conduct and not by his possession, then he will according to the Gospel of Luke get what he deserves, and that is he will suffer the perils of Hell should he place his faith in his earthly riches rather than in God. When one approaches Luke 16, 19-31there is no other reasonable conclusion other than that riches can endanger a man’s priorities in such a way as to have a negative influence on his faith in God. As with the rich man in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus he was obviously content in his wealth and comforts notwithstanding that a poor and sick man lay at his gates longing for food. The impression left by the parable is that the rich man ignored the plight of the poor, sick man. The following excerpt bears this out: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table...”( Luke 16, 19-31) What follows in the Parable is what can only be described as just desserts or perhaps Karma. The question is whether or not the rich man got what he deserved for his seeming indifference to the obvious suffering and torment of his fellow human being. As it turned out the both the rich and the poor man died and were retired to different parts of the outer world. The poor man went to Heaven and the rich man went to hell. The following change of fortunes are described in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” ( Luke 16, 19-31) The tables have obviously turned on the rich man who suffers a fate he brought upon himself. His suffering is akin to the suffering of Lazarus. Just as Lazarus longed for relief from the rich man who had plenty to spare, the rich man in Hell longs for relief from Lazarus. The rich man pleads with Abraham to have Lazarus “dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.” (Luke 16:19-31) At this point Abraham takes the opportunity to remind the rich man of how he ignored Lazarus’s suffering while he lavished in the good life. Abraham said: “...Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst they good things, and likewise, Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” (Luke 16:19-31) The rich man is further informed by Abraham that there is a “gulf” between them that bars rendering any assistance. (Luke 16:19-31) While Abraham’s words may be given their literal meaning in concluding that there is a physical gulf between heaven and hell it is also possible to give Abraham’s words a figurative meaning. The gulf between the rich man and Lazarus is conceivably a spiritual one, a gulf which prevented the rich man having any connection with the suffering of his fellow human and likewise disqualifies him from any form of relief in the other world. This sort of spiritual disconnect is quite common in today’s materialistic world where all too often man is shaped and formed by things of the flesh. (Peters, 186) Man communicates his values via his conduct. (Peters, 186) Likewise the rich man in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus communicated his spiritual values, or more accurately his materialistic values and lack of spirituality in his obvious delight over his riches. He lived lavishly and had no feeling of empathy for Lazarus and his perils as communicated by his indifference accompanied by his ability to continue to enjoy his wealth despite the poor man’s plight at his own gates. Ironically it was not until the rich man found himself similarly disposed that he was able to empathize with the suffering of the poor man. This was a lesson learned by Harry Potter and his friends who upon impersonating Grabb, Goyle and Millicent came to the realization that they did not truly appreciate the difficult lives of those whom they impersonated until they were placed in their shoes. As Potter claims “this isn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped.” (Rowlings, 219) Similarly, the rich man in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus could not appreciate the suffering of his fellow human being until such time as he suffered an almost identical fate. Notably absent in his desire for relief and the reminder or his previous indifference in his lifetime was any show of remorse. Quite possibly the rich man realizes that he is too late to repent since he is dead as is the poor man, and this brings to mind Peters’ contentions that: “...there exist no such thing as direct connection between souls...the only way to communicate is via our bodies...” (Peters, 181-182) The rich man’s only concern at this point was for his rich relatives who were following in the rich man’s path. He attempts to enlist Lazarus’s help with warning his relatives and pleads with Abraham: “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my fathers house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” (Luke 16:19-31) Abraham denies this request lamenting that the word of God should be sufficient to move the rich man’s family into living lives that are not spiritually bankrupt. (Luke 16:19-31) At the end of the day the message in Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is that a man’s earthly wealth can spiritually bankrupt him. Physical possessions do not dictate who we are because underneath it all we are all the same. As Peters puts it: “Under our skins we are all ghosts, and we ought to extend the same hospitality to all our fellow ghosts.” (Peters, 186) Material possessions do not distinguish us from each other, at least not in the sight of God. This is a lesson that the rich man did not learn when it counted. It counted when he was in a position to render meaningful assistance to another human being and refused and/or failed to do so. By failing to render assistance to another human being the rich man demonstrated a bias in favor of his material wealth, a sign that he valued his wealth over the word and teachings of God. Elsewhere in the Bible, man is cautioned to love they neighbour as thyself. (Matthew, 19:19) The rich man’s treatment of Lazarus goes against this Christian tenet and was so extreme as to warrant some sort of penance. In the end he paid the price by suffering the same fate he failed to identify with in his lifetime. As a result it is fair to say that he got just what he deserved, his just desserts. Bibliography Luke, 16: 19-31 Matthew, 19:19 Peters, John, D. “The Quest for Authentic Connection or Bridging the Chasm.” Cited in Peters, John, D. Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication. University of Chicago Press, 2000. Rowlings, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Arthur A. Levine Books, 1999. Read More

In the final analysis, if the rich man is judged according to his own personal connection to God and his conduct and not by his possession, then he will according to the Gospel of Luke get what he deserves, and that is he will suffer the perils of Hell should he place his faith in his earthly riches rather than in God. When one approaches Luke 16, 19-31there is no other reasonable conclusion other than that riches can endanger a man’s priorities in such a way as to have a negative influence on his faith in God.

As with the rich man in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus he was obviously content in his wealth and comforts notwithstanding that a poor and sick man lay at his gates longing for food. The impression left by the parable is that the rich man ignored the plight of the poor, sick man. The following excerpt bears this out: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.

”( Luke 16, 19-31) What follows in the Parable is what can only be described as just desserts or perhaps Karma. The question is whether or not the rich man got what he deserved for his seeming indifference to the obvious suffering and torment of his fellow human being. As it turned out the both the rich and the poor man died and were retired to different parts of the outer world. The poor man went to Heaven and the rich man went to hell. The following change of fortunes are described in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

” ( Luke 16, 19-31) The tables have obviously turned on the rich man who suffers a fate he brought upon himself. His suffering is akin to the suffering of Lazarus. Just as Lazarus longed for relief from the rich man who had plenty to spare, the rich man in Hell longs for relief from Lazarus. The rich man pleads with Abraham to have Lazarus “dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue.” (Luke 16:19-31) At this point Abraham takes the opportunity to remind the rich man of how he ignored Lazarus’s suffering while he lavished in the good life.

Abraham said: “.Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst they good things, and likewise, Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” (Luke 16:19-31) The rich man is further informed by Abraham that there is a “gulf” between them that bars rendering any assistance. (Luke 16:19-31) While Abraham’s words may be given their literal meaning in concluding that there is a physical gulf between heaven and hell it is also possible to give Abraham’s words a figurative meaning.

The gulf between the rich man and Lazarus is conceivably a spiritual one, a gulf which prevented the rich man having any connection with the suffering of his fellow human and likewise disqualifies him from any form of relief in the other world. This sort of spiritual disconnect is quite common in today’s materialistic world where all too often man is shaped and formed by things of the flesh. (Peters, 186) Man communicates his values via his conduct. (Peters, 186) Likewise the rich man in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus communicated his spiritual values, or more accurately his materialistic values and lack of spirituality in his obvious delight over his riches.

He lived lavishly and had no feeling of empathy for Lazarus and his perils as communicated by his indifference accompanied by his ability to continue to enjoy his wealth despite the poor man’s plight at his own gates. Ironically it was not until the rich man found himself similarly disposed that he was able to empathize with the suffering of the poor man.

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