John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

All the glory of man is as the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and its flower has fallen away; but the word of the Lord remains forever. Death came, and extinguished all those things; and as if taking a captive, so it led him away, bowing his head down, full of shame, without confidence, trembling, afraid, as if he had enjoyed all that luxury in a dream; and then the rich man became a suppliant of the poor man, and begged for his table, he who once was starving and was laid out for the mouths of dogs; and circumstances were changed, and all learned who was the rich man, and who was the poor man, and that Lazarus was richer than all, while this man was poorer than all. For just as on a stage some people enter, taking on the masks of kings and generals and physicians and orators and sophists and soldiers, while being none of these things themselves; so also in the present life both poverty and wealth are only masks. So just as when sitting in the theater, if you see one of those acting below wearing the mask of a king, you do not call him blessed, nor do you think he is a king, nor would you pray to become such a man; but knowing that he is some common fellow, perhaps a rope-maker, or a coppersmith, or something else of that sort, you do not call him blessed because of the mask and the costume, nor do you judge his station in life from these things, but you despise him because of his other lowliness; so also here, sitting as it were in a theater, in the world, and watching those acting on a stage, whenever you see many who are rich, do not think they are truly rich, but that they are wearing the masks of rich men. For just as that man on the stage playing the king and the general is often in fact a household servant, or one of those who sell figs and grapes in the marketplace; so also this rich man is often in fact poorer than all. For if you take off his mask, and unfold his conscience, and enter into his mind, you will find there a great poverty of virtue, and that he is more dishonorable than all men. For just as in the theaters when evening comes, and those sitting together have departed, going outside and putting aside the costume of their acting, those who seemed to all to be kings and generals are then seen for what they are; so also now, when death has arrived and the theater is dismissed, all, having put aside the masks of wealth and of poverty, have departed there; and being judged by their works alone, they are seen for who are truly rich, and who poor, and who are honorable, and who are without glory. 4. Often, at any rate, one of those who are rich here was found to be poorer than all there, just as this rich man was. For when evening came, that is, death, and he departed from the theater of this present 48.987 life, and put off his mask, he was seen to be poorer than all there, and so poor as not even to be master of a drop of water, but to beg for it, and not even to obtain his request. What could be poorer than this poverty? And hear how: for lifting up his eyes, he says to Abraham: Father, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and drop it on my mouth. Do you see how great the affliction is? He ran past him when he was near, and now he calls him when he is far away; he whom he often did not see when coming in and going out, this man he sees with precision from afar. But for what reason does he see him? Perhaps this rich man often said: what need have I of piety and virtue? all things flow to me as from springs, I enjoy great abundance, great prosperity, I endure nothing unexpected; for what reason should I pursue virtue? This poor man, living in righteousness and piety, suffers countless terrible things. Indeed, many people often say these things even now. Therefore, so that these evil doctrines might be torn out by the roots, it is shown to him that punishment is laid up for wickedness, and honor and a crown for the labors on behalf of piety. But not for this reason alone did he see him, but so that what the poor man suffered, this the rich man might also suffer now

πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου, ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεσε· τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα Κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἦλθεν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ πάντα ἔσβεσεν ἐκεῖνα· καὶ καθάπερ αἰχμάλωτον λαβὼν, οὕτως ἀπήγαγε κάτω κύπτοντα, αἰσχύνης γέμοντα, ἀπαῤῥησίαστον, τρέμοντα, δεδοικότα ὥσπερ ἐν ὀνείροις ἀπολαύσαντα τῆς τρυφῆς ἐκείνης ἁπάσης· καὶ λοιπὸν ἱκέτης ὁ πλούσιος τοῦ πένητος ἐγίνετο, καὶ τῆς τούτου τραπέζης ἐδεῖτο, τοῦ λιμώττοντός ποτε, καὶ τοῖς στόμασι τῶν κυνῶν προκειμένου· καὶ τὰ πράγματα μετεβάλλετο, καὶ ἐμάνθανον ἅπαντες, τίς ἦν ὁ πλούσιος, καὶ τίς ἦν ὁ πένης, καὶ ὅτι ὁ μὲν Λάζαρος πάντων ἦν εὐπορώτερος, οὗτος δὲ πάντων πενέστερος. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν σκηνῇ προσωπεῖα βασιλέων καὶ στρατηγῶν καὶ ἰατρῶν καὶ ῥητόρων καὶ σοφιστῶν καὶ στρατιωτῶν λαμβάνοντες εἰσέρχονταί τινες, οὐδὲν τούτων ὄντες αὐτοί· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου καὶ πενία καὶ πλοῦτος προσωπεῖα μόνον εἰσίν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ καθήμενος, ἂν ἴδῃς τινὰ τῶν κάτω παιζόντων προσωπεῖον ἔχοντα βασιλέως, οὐ μακαρίζεις αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ βασιλέα εἶναι νομίζεις, οὐδ' ἂν εὔξαιο γενέσθαι τοιοῦτος· ἀλλ' εἰδὼς, ὅτι τῶν ἀγοραίων τίς ἐστι, σχοινοστρόφος τυχὸν, ἢ χαλκοτύπος, ἢ ἕτερόν τι τοιοῦτον, οὐ μακαρίζεις διὰ τὸ προσωπεῖον καὶ τὴν στολὴν, οὐδ' ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτοῦ κρίνεις τὴν πολιτείαν, ἀλλὰ καταπτύεις αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν ἄλλην εὐτέλειαν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, καθάπερ ἐν θεάτρῳ, τῷ κόσμῳ καθήμενος καὶ ἐπὶ σκηνῆς παίζοντας βλέπων, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃς πλουτοῦντας πολλοὺς, μὴ πλουσίους ἀληθῶς εἶναι νόμιζε, ἀλλὰ πλουσίων περικεῖσθαι προσωπεῖα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑποκρινόμενος, πολλάκις οἰκέτης ὢν τυγχάνει, ἢ τῶν σῦκα καὶ βότρυς πωλούντων ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ὁ πλούσιος πολλάκις πάντων πενέστερος ὢν τυγχάνει. Ἂν γὰρ περιέλῃς αὐτοῦ τὸ προσωπεῖον, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ἀναπτύξῃς, καὶ εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν εἰσέλθῃς, πολλὴν εὑρήσεις ἀρετῆς ἐκεῖ πενίαν, καὶ πάντων ἀτιμότερον ὄντα τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν θεάτρων τῆς ἑσπέρας καταλαβούσης, καὶ τῶν συγκαθημένων ἀναχωρησάντων, ἐξελθόντες ἔξω, καὶ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ὑποκρίσεως ἀποθέμενοι, οἱ βασιλεῖς καὶ στρατηγοὶ πᾶσιν εἶναι δοκοῦντες φαίνονται λοιπὸν ὅπερ εἰσίν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ νῦν τοῦ θανάτου παραγενομένου καὶ τοῦ θεάτρου λυθέντος, τὰ τοῦ πλούτου προσωπεῖα καὶ τὰ τῆς πενίας ἀποθέμενοι πάντες, ἀπῆλθον ἐκεῖ· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων μόνον κρινόμενοι φαίνονται, τίνες μὲν ἀληθῶς πλούσιοι, τίνες δὲ πένητες, καὶ τίνες μὲν ἔντιμοι, τίνες δὲ ἄδοξοι. δʹ. Πολλάκις γοῦν τῶν ἐνταῦθά τις πλουτούντων εὑρέθη πάντων ἐκεῖ πενέστερος ὢν, καθάπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ πλούσιος οὗτος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ ἑσπέρα κατέλαβε, τουτέστιν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ θεάτρου τῆς παρούσης 48.987 ζωῆς ἐξῆλθε, καὶ τὸ προσωπεῖον ἀπέθετο, ὤφθη πάντων ἐκεῖ πενέστερος ὢν, καὶ οὕτω πένης, ὡς μηδὲ σταγόνος ὕδατος εἶναι κύριος, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ταύτης προσαιτεῖν, καὶ μηδ' αὐτῆς ἐπιτυχεῖν τῆς αἰτήσεως. Τί ταύτης τῆς πενίας πενέστερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Καὶ ἄκουε πῶς· ἐπάρας γὰρ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, φησὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραάμ· Πάτερ, ἐλέησόν με, καὶ πέμψον Λάζαρον, ἵνα βάψῃ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ δακτύλου αὐτοῦ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐπιστάξῃ τῷ στόματί μου. Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἐστὶν ἡ θλῖψις; Πλησίον ὄντα παρέτρεχε, καὶ πόῤῥω γε ὄντα καλεῖ νῦν· ὃν πολλάκις εἰσιών τε καὶ ἐξιὼν οὐχ ἑώρα, τοῦτον μακρόθεν ὄντα μετ' ἀκριβείας βλέπει. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν αὐτὸν ὁρᾷ; Πολλάκις ἴσως εἶπεν ὁ πλούσιος οὗτος· τί μοι εὐλαβείας καὶ ἀρετῆς χρεία; πάντα μοι καθάπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἐπιῤῥεῖ, πολλῆς ἀπολαύω τῆς ἀφθονίας, πολλῆς τῆς εὐημερίας, οὐδὲν ὑπομένω τῶν ἀδοκήτων· τίνος ἕνεκα μετέρχομαι ἀρετήν; Οὗτος ὁ πένης ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ εὐσεβείᾳ ζῶν, μυρία πάσχει δεινά. Ταῦτα δὴ πολλοὶ καὶ νῦν πολλάκις λέγουσιν. Ἵν' οὖν πρόῤῥιζα ταῦτα ἀνασπασθῇ τὰ κακὰ δόγματα, δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ, ὅτι καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ κόλασις κεῖται, καὶ τιμὴ καὶ στέφανος τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας πόνοις. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον αὐτὸν εἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα, ὅπερ ἔπαθεν ὁ πένης, τοῦτο καὶ ὁ πλούσιος πάθῃ νῦν