Friday, January 8, 2010

Luke 16:16-31; Reversal

Some call it the Divine Reversal, when God takes what we place first and suddenly flips it upside down to be last. When a beggar turns out to have a luxurious life while a famous rich man has less than nothing. When a rejected carpenter turns out to be the king while the leaders turn out to be dead wrong.

Yet in this life, Lazarus never saw the reversal. It came after the fact, after death. Our society does not do well at thinking beyond itself to the afterlife. We are trained to live for today with no thought of tomorrow. Our movies glorify those who live "as if there is no tomorrow". Yet the divine reversal brings everything into balance because there is a tomorrow after this life is done.

This section also reaches back to the first part of the chapter and calls into question our values. What is more significant to me -- possessions or people? What is more real to me -- this life or the next? Where will I be after the divine reversal occurs in my life?

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