Reversal of Fortune!

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Jer 17:5-10; Lk 16:19-31

In today’s Gospel, Jesus helps us understand that the Kingdom of God is a reversal of fortune. 

There are several insights from the parable. 

1.To begin with, let us look at the way Jesus reverses the order. Usually, powerful and influential people are named in stories. Whereas here, Jesus names only Lazarus, the poor man, and not the rich man, who probably enjoyed social clout. 

2. Secondly, the word ‘feasting’ explains the rich man’s sin of indifference. The rich man was not just eating but feasting every day so that even from his ‘life-long’ celebration, he eliminated the thoughts of the poor Lazarus, who was lying at his door. The rich man never let the misery of Lazarus discomfort him in the least. He did not think for a moment that he was even remotely responsible for Lazarus’ condition. The rich man could not have any remorse for Lazarus because he never ‘noticed’ Lazarus. 

3. In exposing the wrongs of the rich man, Jesus makes the parable ‘this-worldly,’ though it appears other-worldly in tone. While the rich man could symbolize our ‘indifference,’ Lazarus signifies our ‘responsibility’ toward the needy.  

Jesus, the master storyteller, carefully weaves the story so that we do not have to wait till the end to learn of Jesus’ judgment. 

Jesus reverses the fortune even when he names Lazarus while leaving out the rich man.

The Kingdom praxis, with its radical implications for ‘reversal,’ is of this world with no compromise. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar