“The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers. He needs to warn them so that they don’t come to this place of agony.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. They must listen to them.’ The rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will change their hearts and lives.’ Abraham said, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

Luke 16:27-31

Why would the rich man’s family be convinced by a zombie?

The rich man is suffering in death, and because of that, he suddenly changes his heart and wants to reach out to his family. He wants to help them avoid what he’s going through. His heart is in the right place. But why would his brothers listen to the walking dead?

Jesus reminds the crowd that what he’s talking about is bigger than scaring people. He points to Moses and the Prophets and what they have to say about clothing the naked and feeding the poor. Jesus wants us to think bigger than zombies warning about hell; Jesus wants us to love God and love people.

Peter Wischusen

365.org