Gospel in Art: And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus

Lazarus and the Rich Man or "In Luxury Beware" by Jan Steen,1677, oil on canvas © The Leiden Collection

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 5 March 2026
Luke 16:19-31

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees, 'There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame." But Abraham said, "Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not do so, and none may cross from there to us." And he said, "Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house - for I have five brothers - so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment." But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." And he said, "No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." He said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." '

Reflection on the painting

The parable in today's Gospel places before us two men who live at opposite ends of society. One is surrounded by wealth and comfort, the other marked by poverty and need. Though they are physically close, a very deep divide separates them. The tragedy is not distance, but indifference. The rich man lives as though the poor man is invisible, passing by him day after day without truly seeing him.

His failure is not one dramatic act, but something quieter and more dangerous: a failure to notice and to pay attention. And if we are honest, this can be our struggle too. We can live alongside others, even in our own homes or communities, and yet remain very distant in heart. When we fail to see, or actively refuse to see, we fail to love. The parable reminds us that what we ignore does not disappear; sooner or later, it will confront us.

To notice another person requires us to step out of ourselves and enter, even briefly, into their world. Sympathy and empathy are needed. Sympathy feels for someone (recognising their suffering for example), whereas empathy goes deeper, entering into their experience, seeing and feeling from their perspective; and it is this deeper empathy that moves us to truly respond in love.

Today's parable is literally set in stone (the bench in the foreground) by Dutch painter Jan Steen. In the foreground, we encounter a lively, seductive scene: a Bacchanalian lady crowned with vine leaves plays her instrument, gazing outward as if inviting us into the merriment. Beside her, a flushed drinker in a feathered red hat raises his glass, clutching a jug at his side, while musicians (a bagpiper and flautist), add to the noisy, unrefined festivity. Children play nearby, offering food and grapes, all echoing the old proverb "Sine Cerere et Baccho friget Venus" ( "Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus grows cold"), that love cannot flourish without food and drink. It is a world of pleasure and abundance see. And yet, as our eyes move beyond this immediate scene we see, almost hidden, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man: a wealthy figure feasting at table, while poor Lazarus lies at his feet, ignored, a dog licking his wounds. Even a servant shows more care to a pet than to the suffering man before her. The contrast is striking: indulgence in the foreground, indifference in the background.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-16-19-31-2026/