Even If Someone Rises from the Dead

[A reflection on the readings for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 28, 2025, which may be found at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary/proper-21c/]

Did you ever notice that rich people do not fare very well in Holy Scripture?

There are of course the riches of David and Solomon and other Israelite kings, of Abraham, Job (post-suffering) and others, but one only has to surf through the minefields that are the Prophets, the Epistles, and even the Parables of Our Lord Himself to see that the rich come under heavy scrutiny and even harsh judgement.

Perhaps preachers of a prosperity Gospel should take earnest note...

Today is no exception. The Prophet Amos states that exile and suffering is stalking the Northern Kingdom and that the rich will be the first taken. St. Paul goes on in a letter to his protégé St. Timothy that the love of money, of riches, is the root of all evil (one may make an argument for pride but there's a lot in what St. Paul has to say). Our Lord, however, gives the most telling story, plunking the rich antagonist in the parable in the very bowels of Hell.

Not exactly a sunny prognosis, is it?

The crux of the parable is that while they both lived, the rich man did nothing to alleviate the suffering of the poor man. Likewise, Amos' complaint about the elite of Israel centuries before this parable was the blatant disregard the rich had for the poor among them. Amos foretold exile from their homeland and living in poverty for those who refused to heed. Our Lord foretold exile from the Kingdom of God and spending eternity in poverty of spirit, deprived of the presence of the Giver of Life. The only voice of hope comes from St. Paul, who sees the reasons for these outcomes and offers the rich what they need: to remember those in need, not to trust in what can be taken away in a moment, and despite the resources at hand to walk humbly. In other words, to remember that what they have is not theirs but is given to them not only for their comfort but to see to the comfort of others who do not have the means or opportunity. To paraphrase another parable (the Parable of the Talents), to whom much has been given, much is expected.

Simple enough, right? Yet Our Lord knows that many will not heed the warning. Israel did not heed Amos or his fellow prophets ("They have Moses and the Prophets; they should listen to them."), and He knew that even though He would Himself rise from the dead and His Church proclaim this message that many would not heed ("Neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead."). Still, it behooves us to take this to heart and to spread the word, regardless if others heed it or not; when we have abundance it is our duty to share for the relief of others, it is our duty to conduct ourselves with humility, and it is our duty to realize that what we have can become fog in a hot wind, blown away in a flash.

Let us heed the warnings, they are all around us.