“Say ‘Hello’ To The Lazarus At Your Gate!”

“Say ‘Hello’ To The Lazarus At Your Gate!”(Lk.16:19-31).
LORD, in thankfulness for a new day, we remind ourselves that the earth is yours, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.(Ps.24:1).
Our acknowledgment that you are the LORD and owner of the earth, the world and all that is contained therein humbles us; reminding us that we brought nothing into the world, and we shall take nothing out of it.
The fact that some people have less than us is a reminder that our surplus is the reason for their less. If we give some to them, we are only giving back to them part of their rightful shares.
In other words, the Lazarus at the gate of any rich man is a reminder that the rich man possesses part of the per capita income of Lazarus. But, due to the disparity in income distribution, the standard of living of the rich man is at the expense of the Lazarus at his gate.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is an indirect call for an egalitarian society. The story emphasises we guard “against the spiritual and moral dangers of wealth and indifference.”
Those who are blessed with abundance owe it as a duty to show compassion and generosity to the poor, thus promoting a more just and equitable society.
Justice and equity are what the LORD has been advocating from the time of Moses and through the prophets until the present time.
Besides, in the afterlife, there may be a reversal of our statuses. This is not to say poverty creates automatic saints or that wealth creates candidates for hell.
Far from that, love for God and love for neighbour is what makes us humane. It is likely that the rich man hardly ever noticed Lazarus.
My friend, we have the word of God to live by. We prepare ourselves for eternity by how we live the reality of the gospel as social beings. “I am because you are, and since you are, therefore I am.”
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the Lazaruses at our gates. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
19/09/2025.