A Split Stage Play in Two Acts

The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 16th Chapter

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

The curtain opens and on one side of the stage you see a large, bald, man with glasses, a goatee and several extra chins sitting at a long table eating a multiple course meal all by himself (played by Jason Alexander).  His butler, stands close at hand.  

On the other side of the stage, on the street outside, a man named Lazarus (played by Steve Buscemi) struggles to stay warm… unwelcome at the library, in the downtown or anywhere else.  His body is wracked with pain.  His dog licks him and he flinches with added pain from the dog's loving touch.  The light fades and as the homeless man dies, the spotlight goes out.  

Immediately there is a knock on the rich man’s door.  The butler answers.  “Death is here to see you, sir” says the butler.  “Can’t he see I’m eating” shouts the rich man, “he’s not part of my plan!” “Death seems rather insistent, sir.” says the Butler.  At that moment the rich man clenches his chest, falls to the floor and dies dramatically as the lights go out.

The scene shifts to a different, two part stage.  On stage left, a wise looking man named Abraham (played by Morgan Freeman) is sitting with a much healthier looking version of Lazarus.  Stage right, the rich man, wearing a 70’s era sweatsuit, is sweating in a gym. “Jeeves!  Jeeves!  Where is that butler!  Someone better do something about this heat or heads will roll!”  says the rich man.  He looks up from riding the exercise bicycle and yells at Abraham.  “HEY!  You!  Yeah, you, it’s really hot down here.  How about sending one of “those people” (waving toward Lazarus) down here with a bottle of Perrier or something.  Make sure it’s cold now, I’m in agony here with this heat!

Abraham replies, “I think you will remember that you had everything while you were alive and Lazarus here, had things pretty hard, but now Lazarus is much better.  Besides, even if you hadn’t been such a jerk in life, I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to.  There’s that giant chasm and there's no way over to you and no way over to us.”

“Alright then.” Says the rich, bald and now very sweaty man, “Here’s what I need you to do.  I want you to send, what’s his name… the pox guy, uhhh Lazarus, yeah, Lazarus… I want you to send Lazarus there to my brothers so that they won’t have to join this gym from hell.  Got that?”  Abraham replied, “Your brothers have been told how to treat other people.  They know what Moses and the Prophets said.  They know right from wrong… justice from injustice… they just need to do it.”

“No, no, no, no, you don’t know my brothers.  They think all that ‘do justice, love kindness’ junk is just for show.  It’s not like they live by that stuff.  BUT!  If a dead guy came and told them… THAT, they would listen to!”  Abraham replies.  “If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they’re not gonna listen to some dead guy raised from the dead either!”  And with that, the lights on the stage dim and an woman’s voice with a very Eastern European accent yells through a speaker, “1000 year aerobics starts NOW and YOU’RE LATE!!!!”… and… Scene.

Do you see?  It’s not riches that got the man sent to the gym from hell and it wasn’t homelessness that got Lazarus a ticket to sit with Abraham in the park.  Lazarus knew he wasn’t God and only God was in control.  Lazarus let God be God.  Lazarus had faith.  

The rich man thought HE was in control.  Even his own death didn’t wake him up to the fact that he wasn’t in control.  Even from the gym from hell he was still trying to throw his considerable weight around and control his life and the lives of others.  He didn’t think he needed forgiveness.  He just wanted the gym cooler.  He didn’t want life.  He just wanted a bottle of Perrier!  There was indeed a great chasm set between the park bench and the rich man and HE was the one that set it there!  The only way to bridge that chasm was to realize that he was lost and dead without God.  He needed to change, but he wasn’t ready to change, not even facing 1000 years of Eastern European aerobics!  So there he was.  Stuck.

Jesus wants us to hear this story, because when we look honestly in the mirror, the reflection we see is more often that of the rich man.  Jesus tells this story to help us realize only through DEATH do we receive life!  Only when we die to our need to be in control… die to the idea that more stuff makes us better people… die to the notion that people... human beings can be reduced to “those people” or a “pox” or a "poison Skittle” and the world revolves around me.  Die to the notion that there is “not enough” and we need to horde, cut back or squirrel away what little we have rather than share God’s abundance with radical generosity.  Jesus wants us to die to the idea of "my way or the highway" and remember that we are called to bend and change and even though that may sound hard, remember that not even death is insurmountable for God. 

Jesus wants us to look in the mirror and be honest with our reflection and then know… really KNOW that we have ALREADY been given the gift of eternal life through Christ’s death and resurrection!  That gift is ours… right now… and all we have to do to pick it up is to die.  Amen