부자와 나사로 비유와 누가의 통합시도 - 누가복음 16장 19~31절을 중심으로 -

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in a Sociological Perspective

The purpose of this article is to point out the limitation of the annotation in which the parable of ‘Rich man and Lazarus’(Luke 6:19-31) is interpreted as a ‘God’s blessing for the poor and God’s curse upon the rich,’ and reconstruct Luke’s community that has been reflected in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, on the basis of a sociological perspective, which may result in a fresh understanding of Luke’s intention. Two rich men appear in this parable. They are Abraham and an anonymous rich man. The rich man is tried before the judge, while Abraham is holding Lazarus in his bosom as the agent of God. At this point, Luke describes Abraham holding Lazarus in his bosom as a positive model of rich man, and at the same time he qualifies the rich who turned Lazarus away as a negative model. However, there is something in common between the rich man and Lazarus in the parable despite many differences as they were neighbors. And the rich man who did not admit the poor as his neighbor to be taken care of is groaning in the next world, as he cannot be a true neighbor of Lazarus who is held in the bosom of Abraham. The parable reveals the hostility between the rich and the poor, as well as symbolizing the indifference of the two groups in the Lukan community toward each other. By the use of the parable of ‘Rich man and Lazarus’, Luke tries to resolve the conflict between the rich and poor groups in the community, making an effort to integrate the groups. To Luke, the rich may stand out as positive people through acting up to the principle focused on neighborly love(Luke19:1-10; 24:50-51; Acts 9:36; 10:1-8; 16:14), which is the substance of law, and the relief of the poor, which is the main commandment in the law(12:13-21; 16:19-31; 18:18-27). In short, the rich have the possibility to be both positive and negative role models. This parable recommends the rich to have an interest in the poor, to take care of them, and on the other hand, the parable encourages the poor to endure the suffering caused by poverty. And the parable also asks the poor not to blame God and not to leave the community because of the rich who show indifference or a cold shoulder. In addition, Luke presents a new identity on the expression ‘Moses and the Prophets’ in order to overcome the splits based on the dichotomous thinking in terms of the rich and the poor. The new concept based on the ‘Moses and the Prophets’ is closely related to the missionary testimonies. From the viewpoint of missionary works, the ‘Moses and the Prophets’ are the faithful witnesses delivering God’s messages. Accordingly, the self-awareness on the basis of ‘Moses and the Prophets’ builds up the new identity as ‘missionary Christians.’