LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN
THE WORLD AND CHRIST
Inok Vsevolod (Filipiev)
http://www.russian-inok.org
In the Gospel narrative about the merciless, careless rich man and the poor man Lazarus we hear the instructive and truly frightening conversation between the above-mentioned rich man and the forefather Abraham. What is frightening about it? Is it not frightening to hear the refusal of the righteous Abraham to the request of the rich man (already cast into hell), to send Lazarus to the unrepentant sinners, the rich man's brothers, so that having seen the poor much-suffering Lazarus risen in glory, they might repent. As we know, Abraham replied to the rich man that if the sinners do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then they will not listen to one who has risen from the dead, nor believe him.
Such was the reply of Abraham. The answer is strict and just. But this is not the reply of God. And is it not surprising that the reply of God was different? This reply was given not to just one sinner, but to all people, of all ranks, times, and nations.
The Lord, Who is Love, heard the entreaties of mankind, which was languishing in darkness and the shadow of death, and sent His Only-begotten Son to save the world. Having redeemed mankind with His suffering and voluntary death, the Saviour rose from the dead! And so the requested resurrection took place.
Notice that He Who came to call to repentance, to preach salvation, and to bear witness to the truth by His resurrection was not poor Lazarus… but Who? The God-man came to mankind, the Son of God, the Son of mankind came, Love Himself, Truth Himself came! He came and rose from the dead; and this miracle of the resurrection continues before the gaze of mankind for already two thousand years. One might ask if mankind has repented, if it has come to believe in Christ, if it has united itself with the saving community of believers, the Church of God.
But, perhaps that is too far to look; let us look at ourselves: have our evil hearts and stone-like souls softened? Have we changed our lives for the better, contemplating the mystery of the Resurrection of the Christ? Do we not sing the Paschal and Resurrection hymns every year and every Sunday? Do we endure, along with Lazarus of the Gospel, all the salvific sufferings that are sent down to us? Or are we like that "certain man" - rich and self-satisfied, are we clothed in purple and fine linen and do we feast sumptuously every day (cf. Luke 16, 19)?
This is why the world - such a magnificent, powerful and enlightened world - until now has not recognized or accepted Jesus Christ, its meek and humble Saviour. This is why that same world has accepted and still accepts hundreds and thousands of false prophets, who come in purple and fine linen, not in the garb of a poor wanderer.
In the past two thousand years an entire assembly of brilliant false prophets and false leaders has passed before the gaze of mankind. They have come in the roles of world rulers, of benefactors of the people, and they have appeared in the garments of ecclesiastical figures. The rich of this world, the powerful of this world, the wise of this world, the glorious of this world - the blind leaders of the blind - they have all been cast down into the pit of destruction, into the very same hell where the rich man of the Gospel is suffering. Probably many of them, seeing such a pitiful end, would like to warn their brethren, that is, you and me, who are still completing our earthly sojourn, of the threatening calamity: that wealth, power, wisdom, the glory of this world, are not able to free us from the tortures of hell.
In truth, the only one who is powerful enough to free us from these tortures is Christ, Who Himself rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, He Himself, the humble and meek Wanderer, who had no place on earth to lay His head, Love Himself, Whom many of us have denied.
In our time, however, this is still not the worst calamity.
With sorrow we acknowledge that we contemporary Christians very often deny Christ in our life; but still we believe in Him, in His redemption and resurrection. But sometime, perhaps soon, will come the woeful time when, according to the prophecy of St. Seraphim of Sarov, even Orthodox hierarchs will become so impious that they will not believe in the Resurrection of Christ. And if the hierarchs do not believe, what can be said about the flock?
Disbelief in the Resurrection of Christ is not necessarily a denial of the very fact of a Resurrection, although probably there will be those who deny this as well. Disbelief in the Resurrection of Christ is an inner, secret renunciation of Christianity, a repetition of the kiss of Judas, a recognition that all the work of our salvation is a lost cause. At the same time, such an unbelieving Christian - whether he is a hierarch or a layman - will outwardly retain the appearance of correct Christian practice. And the community of such pretend-Christians will, as before, be called a church. Thus the Church of Antichrist will appear on earth.
Such "Christians" and such a church will receive the soon-approaching brilliant genius of this world, arrayed in purple and fine linen. They will lead Antichrist into the temple of God and they will bow down before his genius, his wealth, his glory, his greatness. He will become for them a truly living icon of their god, an icon of Satan.
But what about us? What will happen with those who wish to remain faithful to Christ and His Church? We know that the gates of hell will not overcome the Church of God. But how will one find Her in the time of persecution? How will one distinguish the Church of Christ from the church of Antichrist, arrayed in bright vestments?
Likes recognize each other, and similar types attract each other.
The meek, the humble, the merciful, the forgiving, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will always be able to distinguish truth from falsehood, light from darkness, pastors from false-pastors, the Church, the Bride of Christ from the adulterers of Antichrist.
The proud, the self-loving, the self-sufficient, those who are sure of their own righteousness, their infallibility, their "superior Orthodoxy," will not find the way to the true Church; this meek dove of Christ will be hidden from their sight.
Frightening, truly-frightening, is the fate of all the pseudo-spiritually rich of this age, who do not see their genuine spiritual poverty. Already in this life, in their hearts they are creating an abyss across which they will not be able to cross in the future life. This abyss is between Paradise and hell, between light and darkness, between meekness and pride, between God and Satan. This is that very abyss about which the righteous Abraham spoke to the careless rich man.
Blessed and thrice blessed is the fate of all the humble Lazaruses, who patiently and without complaint bear their cross in life and who believe in the Risen Christ. Already in this earthly life they are granted to contemplate in their souls the joy of the Resurrection of Christ, which in the future life will completely sanctify and illuminate them, and make them light-bearing.
Jordanville, 2000
(Translated from Russian by Andrew Choufrine)
