Clothesline 267 "Upstairs, Downstairs"

Years ago, there was a popular series on British television called “Upstairs, Downstairs.” It was about a wealthy family who lived “upstairs,” while the servants lived “downstairs.” It was a glimpse into the world of those who have…and those who have not. Sunday’s Gospel was very similar.

There was a certain rich man who lived in a fine house and ate the finest food. Outside, however, was a desperately poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores and too sick to work. And he was so hungry that he would gladly have even the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. But the rich man ignored Lazarus’ needs. Eventually Lazarus died and was taken up into heaven. Not long after, the rich man died, but he went to hell, the final destination of the unrighteous. Once there, he sees the error of his ways, regrets his treatment of Lazarus, and cries out for mercy. “Father Abraham,” he says, “send Lazarus to me with a drop of water to cool my tongue.” But Abraham says: “It’s not going to happen! During your lifetime you had plenty and Lazarus had nothing. You were in the upstairs family, and Lazarus didn’t even have a place in the downstairs family. But now you are downstairs and Lazarus is upstairs.”

Most of us have what we need to live and we live quite comfortably. But on the “downstairs” side, we know individuals who labor at low-paying jobs, struggling to make ends meet. How do we respond to such as these? Do we try and help them or do we react like the rich man?

If we look at the verses that immediately precede this parable, we can see where this parable is coming from. Jesus is responding to some Pharisees whom he knows to be “lovers of money” and he’s trying to make them understand what’s important and what’s not. They are so attached to the benefits of being in the upstairs crowd that they cannot see how desperate the downstairs people were.

The problem with the rich man is not that he was rich, but that he was so comfortable ignoring poor Lazarus starving at his gate. When our earthly life is over and we face God, will we be able to say we helped others in need, or will we be judged for being blind to the plight of our fellow man?

This parable is a warning: Don’t become blindly self-centered if you have a reasonable share of the world’s blessings. Remember the importance of caring when the opportunities are right in front of us.