Lazarus and the rich man

This article is the transcription of a homily delivered by Father Boris Bobrinskoy during a Eucharistic liturgy, focusing on the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk 16:19-31). The author adopts a progressive exegetical and theological approach, articulating several levels of reading of the Gospel text. He argues that the parable cannot be reduced either to a social lesson about wealth and poverty, or to a description of the afterlife, but finds its christological fulfillment in the person of Jesus, the true Lazarus who has returned from the dead. The principal theological contribution lies in the connection drawn between the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, Lazarus of Bethany, and Christ's descent into hell, making it possible to affirm that the descent of the Son of God abolishes the infernal abyss and opens the possibility of a universal mercy, as illustrated by the words of Staretz Silouan.