the rich man died, he reached a new territory. The Bible calls it “Hades,” and suddenly this man who had lived the good life was now on the wrong side of the line.
The poor man, on the other hand, died and was carried away by angels to be with Abraham and enjoy the good life on the right side of the line that he had not experienced on earth. It was a complete reversal of fortune for each man.
The rich man, only after he found himself on the wrong side of the line, realized his error while on earth. He finally realized that he should have reached out to the poor man when he had time. But he did not do so, and by his failure to act, built a huge gap, a big fat line between himself and the poor man.
As the rich man discovers his error, he begs Father Abraham to enact a rescue operation and send the poor man to bring him some relief!
Imagine his gall, we might think. This rich guy didn’t care a speck about the poor man when he was suffering, and now this rich guy wants some mercy and relief?
Father Abraham declares that it’s too late for the rich man. In so many words, Abraham tells the rich man, “You drew the line long ago and you refused to broaden your line, to open up your territory to help the poor right around you. The gap you created is too large to be crossed.”
The rich man isn’t completely dissuaded yet. So he tries again, this time for the benefit of his five brothers still on earth.
“Father Abraham, if the gap is so large that I cannot be saved, then at least send the poor man back from the dead so that he can warn my five brothers, that they be spared my fate.” Again, the answer is “no.”
Abraham says, “They have been taught what the Bible has to say and they should listen. But if they do not listen, then they surely won’t be convinced if someone comes back from the dead.”
End of story.
In my mind, I try to imagine what came next. I want the story to continue. I want to hear the rest of the dialogue. Did the brothers ever get the message and broaden their lines? We aren’t told. For that is the question the story leaves for us to answer. And to answer the question, we need to look at the lines we’ve drawn in our lives.
Think about it for a moment. What lines have you drawn? Are you so busy protecting yourself that you fail to see and act for the poor at your doorstep?
Is your life increasingly subdivided by lines? What lines keep you from interacting with the Hmong in our community or the poor, or the homeless? And I wonder what we are teaching our children about lines?
Where are we drawing the lines as we teach children to have compassion for and act on behalf of people in need?
Even in the church, there are lines and we all draw them. There are lines between old and young, married and single, long-time members and newer, those with wealth and those with modest means.
This congregation is about to cross a big, fat line next Sunday. One week from tonight for the first time, we’ll be welcoming homeless families into our building for a week-long stay.
As a host congregation in the new Interfaith Hospitality Network, we’ll be housing homeless families for five one-week stays a year. This new ministry will cross lines for many of us.
We have a stigma attached to the homeless. We consider homeless people to be lazy or poor decision makers, drug-users, alcoholics. If this is your opinion, I urge you especially, to get involved by being a part of Trinity’s hospitality to homeless families - and bring your children too.
By our participation in the hospitality network, we’re eliminating the lines, bridging the gap. I think that’s what Jesus wants us to do. Get rid of the lines, and instead draw a big, expansive circle.
The only way for us to escape from these lines, wherever they may be in our lives, is to draw together all the lines and create the eternal line, the circle.
That circle is made by Jesus Christ. Jesus was always crossing lines, and every time he did so, he upset people to the point of being put to death. But that didn’t stop him, because his mission was to eliminate the lines and draw a circle.
Jesus Christ draws a circle around all people. Jesus draws circles of love, circles of hope, circles of peace, and circles of hospitality.
Back to the Bible story for a moment. I don’t want you to leave this morning despairing for the rich man. I want you to learn from his mistake.
The rich man in his dire straits was a man loved by God. He was never outside the circle of God’s love. However, the rich man just didn’t seem to get it. Maybe he was dense or hard-headed. I think he was just plain self-absorbed. He didn’t follow God’s ways when he had the opportunity. He was so caught up in his own good life.
God did try to teach him how to live. God sent people to teach him. God gave him an abundance of money and possessions with which to be generous. God even sent that poor man to him, so the rich man could practice compassion and generosity. Yet he didn’t.
The rich man refused to listen, to see, and most importantly, he failed to act. In spite of it all, God in amazing love sent Jesus to break through those dividing lines, bringing the circle of life.
Today, I hope you’ll look at your life and examine the lines you’ve drawn. Do they form a circle, or are they drawn to keep out others, to protect your money and your possession and your time? In other words, how are you living your life with respect to the needs which exist around us all? Do your lines define a narrow territory or are they expansive and inclusive in the ways that Jesus Christ showed us?
You know the truth of God’s teaching - to care for your neighbor, to give your money and time to benefit the less fortunate - to draw a circle of love that encompasses the whole world.
Let’s pray:
Gracious God, save us from insensitivity and unconcern for the poor. In our wealth and security, open our eyes to the needs of those who have less. Give us the grace to live for more than our own wants and desires. Enable us to rise above materialism and greed, and decisively act in your ways by giving and sharing and bringing hope to others.
Amen.
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