THE "LAZARUS EFFECT"
Autor: Derrel Homer Santee, | Publicado: 2017-08-18T00:00:00-03:00


Son,remember
that in your lifetimeyou received your good things,while
Lazarus received bad things,butnow he is comforted hereand
you are in agony.

Luke
16:25 (read 16:19-31) - NIV




The
error of the rich man was that he was living on a "fantasy
island" which is a world of false reality. He did not realize
that even though he was surrounded by walls of separation from the
outside, the life of the beggar, Lazarus, on the outside would affect
him deeply. By ignoring Lazarus in his misery, the rich man would
become even more miserable than the poor sufferer. He was unable to
avoid the "Lazarus effect". When he realized the
mistake, it was too late! There was no fixing.




The
rich man tripped over Lazarus. In death Lazarus was lifted up to
paradise while the rich man found himself in the agonies of inferno.
His relative prosperity was an illusion. In the long run our welfare
depends on the welfare of others. By ignoring the less fortunate than
ourselves we are eventually harming ourselves. The powerful cannot
remain on top of the heap at the cost of the weak forever. In the end
our well-being depends on that of others. Ignoring this law of
existence is to invite future tragedy. Time levels all things in the
law of the universe.




Today
we are witnessing the drama of the rich man and Lazarus on a global
scale. The director of the drama is the god of globalization,&nbsp;Profit!
On the stage of planet Earth there are passing unprecedented figures:
predatory plundering of non-renewable resources of nature,
trafficking in narcotics, counterfeit drugs, looting of public
coffers, the replacement of hand labor by technology, thefts, frauds
of all species. All is being done in the name of god Profit! The
immediate results are wars and generalized terrorism. Back of all the
exploitation and conflicts is a small group of powerfully rich people
who are enriching themselves by creating billions of Lazarus people.
In
the end, the exploiters will also pay the price for their greed.
It will be the "Lazarus
effect".




The
rich man's "fantasy island" paradise turned into the fire
of infernal suffering. Lazarus’ hell-on-Earth was transformed
into&nbsp;&nbsp;a feast of heaven. Death was the great leveler of
beings.




We
are all building a paradise or a hell. The "Lazarus effect"
applies to all and in all spheres of life, including the spiritual.




Many
Christians have a habit of thinking that salvation is just for them!
They live within the walls of their "isms" with their
private&nbsp;God who they think is protecting them from the "Lost
World" and other belief systems. Jesus told this story to
good people, convinced of their own salvation and spiritual
superiority. The Lazarus people of life were also listening and
getting a message of hope. The Lazarus people are the ultimate
winners.




LUKE
16:19-31 - NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)




“There
was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in
luxury every day.&nbsp;At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus,
covered with sores&nbsp;and longing to eat what fell from the rich
man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.




“The
time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to
Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.&nbsp;In
Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far
away, with Lazarus by his side.&nbsp;So he called to him, ‘Father
Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this
fire.’




“But
Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received
your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is
comforted here and you are in agony.&nbsp;And besides all this,
between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those
who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over
from there to us.’




“He
answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,&nbsp;for
I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also
come to this place of torment.’




“Abraham
replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to
them.’




‘No,
father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to
them, they will repent.’




“He
said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they
will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”