Peace, friends! Here's an exegetical paraphrased translation of the Gospel text for this week. I took some liberties, as one should, and put any extra clarifying or interpretive additions in brackets. It's really fun to watch the interplay of familial titles in the texts, as well as the kinda twisted humor throughout. Wild.
I also broke it up into "three readings," in case, as it is here, sometimes less is more.
Please note that this text has been utilized by fascists throughout history to demonize Jewish people. Let's not do that. Not even a little bit.
I hope it's helpful.
Peace!
Tom
An Exegetical Paraphrase of Luke 16:19-31
September 20, 2022, Thomas R. Gaulke
FIRST READING: We are Rich, We Are Poor: A Story Told to the People of God Who Desired to Keep Serving Mammon
[After Jesus told them, “You can’t serve both God and Mammon,” the very religious people made fun of him. They thought he was naive and idealistic. Silly, even. But he didn’t seem to care. He just stood right up and told them another story.]
"One time, one of us was a very rich man who was always putting on a show, constantly covering himself in purple and donning slick custom clothes. He feasted like a king, full of joy and splendor. And he did this every day.
Right around that same time, one of us was a poor man. Lazarus was his name. And he had been thrown away by his family. He was tossed [out of a carriage] at the edge of the rich man’s gate. ['Perhaps these people can afford to feed him!' they said.] The only purple Lazarus wore was his skin, covered in sores and scars. He was filled not with food, but only with longing. He'd be happy to eat the scraps that fell from the table or the leftovers [that, like him, would be tossed away]. But he didn’t get a taste. Only the dogs did. They encircled him, rejoicing in the saltiness of his broken skin.
SECOND READING: A Different Perspective (But Also Not)
Eventually, Lazarus died. He was lifted from the dust and carried away by angels. They gently placed him into the warm embrace of our first parent whose name is Abraham. The rich man died, too. Of course, he could afford a proper burial. [But his final destination was lower than the pallbearers thought it would be. For, when they dropped him], he landed way, way down in the tormented part of Hades.
When he lifted his eyes, the rich man saw Lazarus in the distance at their ancestor’s side. Thirsty, he cried. ‘Father Abraham, please! Feel for me! Feel for me! Tell Lazarus to come here. And tell him to dip his fingertip in some of that water so I can use it to cool down my tongue. It’s hot as hot gets in here.’
THIRD READING: An Inversion and a Void
But Abraham said, ‘Child, you spent your life consuming the things that you took from others while Lazarus, at your gate, received only your scoffs. Remember that. He’s receiving healing here, even as you suffer in your place. And anyway, a great Void has somehow fixed itself here, between us and you. If someone wanted to be near you, they couldn’t make the trip anyway. And [before you ask] no one from there can come here, either.’
The rich man sobbed, ‘Father, I’m begging you here. At least tell Lazarus to go to my dad’s house to warn my five brothers so that they won’t wind up in this tortuous place, too.’ ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets,’ said Abraham. ‘They’re kind of crystal clear on exploitation and the mistreatment of the poor.’ ‘Ugh. You know what I mean,’ the rich man grunted, ‘It’s different. If someone shows up from a place of death, they’ll get the point. And they’ll change.’
‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets,’ Abraham said, ‘do you think they’ll be persuaded by an uprising of the dead?’”
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