Image via Wikipedia Rich FoolRICH FOOL Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.
JESUS Man, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?
JESUS (CONT’D) Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.
JESUS (CONT’D) There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, ‘I don’t have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself! But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?
JESUS (CONT’D) This is how it is with those who pile up, riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.
JESUS (CONT’D) There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to, eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
JESUS (CONT’D) The poor man died and was carried by the angels to the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, and in hell, where he was in great pain He looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!
JESUS (CONT’D) But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain.
JESUS (CONT’D) Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over to us from where you are.
JESUS (CONT’D) The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you father Abraham, send Lazarus to my house, where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain. Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have the scriptures to warn them; your brothers should respond to what it says.’ The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, Father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins! But Abraham said, ‘If they will not respond to the scriptures, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’
Jesus stands up and starts back down the hill, a RICH MAN runs up, kneels before him and asks Jesus:
RICH MAN Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?
JESUS Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Keep the commandments if you want to enter life: Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother.
RICH MAN Teacher, ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do? Jesus looking straight at him with love and said:
JESUS You need only one more thing to be perfect. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me. When the Rich Man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he walks away sad, because he was very rich. Jesus looks around at his disciples and says to them;
JESUS (CONT’D) I assure you: it will be very hard for rich people, to enter the Kingdom of God. I repeat: it is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. When the Disciples heard this, they are completely amazed. They ask:
DISCIPLES Who then, can be saved? Jesus looks straight at them and answers:
JESUS This is impossible for men but not for God; everything is possible for God.
PETER Look we have left everything and followed you.
JESUS Yes and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel will receive a hundred times more houses and fields - and persecutions as well; and in the age to come he will receive eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.
JESUS Man, who gave me the right to judge or to divide the property between you two?
JESUS (CONT’D) Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.
JESUS (CONT’D) There was once a rich man who had land which bore good crops. He began to think to himself, ‘I don’t have a place to keep all my crops. What can I do? This is what I will do,’ he told himself; ‘I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I will store the grain and all my other goods. Then I will say to myself, Lucky man! You have all the good things you need for many years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself! But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?
JESUS (CONT’D) This is how it is with those who pile up, riches for themselves but are not rich in God’s sight.
JESUS (CONT’D) There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to, eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
JESUS (CONT’D) The poor man died and was carried by the angels to the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, and in hell, where he was in great pain He looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!
JESUS (CONT’D) But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain.
JESUS (CONT’D) Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over to us from where you are.
JESUS (CONT’D) The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you father Abraham, send Lazarus to my house, where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain. Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have the scriptures to warn them; your brothers should respond to what it says.’ The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, Father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins! But Abraham said, ‘If they will not respond to the scriptures, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’
Jesus stands up and starts back down the hill, a RICH MAN runs up, kneels before him and asks Jesus:
RICH MAN Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?
JESUS Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Keep the commandments if you want to enter life: Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother.
RICH MAN Teacher, ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do? Jesus looking straight at him with love and said:
JESUS You need only one more thing to be perfect. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me. When the Rich Man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he walks away sad, because he was very rich. Jesus looks around at his disciples and says to them;
JESUS (CONT’D) I assure you: it will be very hard for rich people, to enter the Kingdom of God. I repeat: it is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. When the Disciples heard this, they are completely amazed. They ask:
DISCIPLES Who then, can be saved? Jesus looks straight at them and answers:
JESUS This is impossible for men but not for God; everything is possible for God.
PETER Look we have left everything and followed you.
JESUS Yes and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel will receive a hundred times more houses and fields - and persecutions as well; and in the age to come he will receive eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.
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