The transition between the Dishonest Manager and the Rich Man and Lazarus involves Luke’s characterization of the Pharisees as “lovers of money” (16:14). From the Widow’s coin and the Prodigal’s inheritance in chapter 15 to the Dishonest Manager’s handling of debts in 16:1-13, Luke has been engaged with the topic. Luke places the parable in a context dedicated, in part, to money. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation” (6:20, 24)? The Greek noun translated consolation in 6:24 shares the same root as the verb describing Lazarus’ comfort in 16:25. 1 Do we take seriously Luke’s Jesus: “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. In the next life, a great chasm divides the two and cannot be crossed (16:26). Do we push too far if we speculate that the reason for these changes lies in the juxtaposition of obscene luxury and abject poverty? (The daring preacher is willing to name luxury as obscene.) In this life, Lazarus lies at the gate (the Greek suggests Lazarus is “thrown” or “dumped” there 16:20), affording the Rich Man an opportunity to intervene. The Rich Man descends from luxury to suffering, while Lazarus is promoted from pain to blessedness. Through verse 23, all we know about these characters is that their fates have been radically transformed. How far should we push? The parable does not explicitly explain why the Rich Man suffers torment in Hades while Lazarus reclines at Abraham’s bosom, though one might read 16:25 as such a justification. Moreover, does this parable teach that the wicked suffer torment in the afterlife? Few mainline preachers devote significant pulpit time to that distressing prospect. (Paul may voice a different view in Philippians 1: “to live is Christ, but to die is gain.”) Luke’s story of the thief on the cross also suggests an immediate transition into the afterlife: “Truly I tell you: Today you will be with me in Paradise” (23:43). The hope for life resides only in the resurrection. In those early letters, Paul regards death as, well, death. Does death deliver us immediately to our eternal fate? Such a view would seem to contradict that expressed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. At the moment of death, it seems Lazarus journeys to Abraham’s bosom while the Rich Man descends into torment. For example, the parable might reflect Luke’s view of what happens after we die. We could push the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus very far. The matter of limits for interpretation has dominated the conversation concerning parables for over a century. How far may we push a parable? Should we regard parables as helpful fictions that open our imaginations to new possibilities, or should we approach them as condensed pedagogical vehicles designed to carry specific teachings?
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