What Would Lazarus Have Said? - Luke 16:30-31

And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” - Luke 16:30

    What if Lazarus had returned from the dead? What would he have told the rich man’s brothers?
    Despite our best intentions sometimes we are forced to seriously consider the loss of a friend or member of our family who was, for lack of a more delicate term, “unsaved.” Platitudes are routinely expressed by one and all and far more often than not by well-meaning folks who simply wish to express their sympathy, having had no real knowledge of the deceased’s character or reputation. But here we find ourselves, having known the individual intimately or at least to the degree that we’re certain that the man or woman being eulogized is nothing like the man or woman being described. There is a Latin phrase - “de mortuis nil nisi bonum,”  of the dead say nothing but good. It is in fact so ingrained in our culture that even the most mean-spirited and hateful professional journalists seldom break the rule.
If we, as Christians are asked to say something at the wake or memorial we may be forced to say a few words to the grieving party. We would be perfectly right to express our sympathy for their loss; however, we must never, never repeat the nonsense that their loved one is in “a better place!” That could very well be a bold faced lie. “A better place?” Where? What is it about this “place” that makes it better? Is there more leg room? Do the seats recline? Is there free WIFI? Then, of course, there’s the sage who pronounces that the deceased is “no longer in pain.” My impulse when I hear such a ridiculous statement is to ask, “What makes you so sure that they are in no pain now?”   
    Certainly we cannot know the heart of man. Only God can know what is in a person’s heart. But when the gathering begins to share what a wonderful person so-and so was we may remember a different person; one not as ingratiating as the mythological being they are all describing. That doesn’t mean we are required to correct the record but we must be careful not to feed revisionist history. And any prayers we have must be for the surviving family and friends of the deceased. What kind of prayers should they be?
    Perhaps if Lazarus could return from heaven to speak to the rich man’s brothers we would know exactly what to pray for. Perhaps if Lazarus spoke, he would have declared  “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” - John 14:6. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12. And I would add, “ . . . Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” - 2nd Corinthians 6:2. He would plead with them that if they chose Christ, now, that the offer of eternal life would be extended to them, today! He would cry out to them, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11.  He would tell them “that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It may certainly be too late for the deceased but it is not too late for the living! Blessed be the name of Jesus Christ forever. That is what I believe he would say.