“And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”       Luke 16:26, KJV

MONDAY MORNING MANNA

In my studies this week, I stumbled across an obscure man whose story is so heart-stirring that it must be told into the ears of everyone in the world.  The story involved a man named Elwin Wilson and it took place in Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1961. As you are aware across this country racial prejudice ran rampant during the 1960s so much so, that African Americans were not allowed to eat in the same restaurants as whites, not able to drink from the same water fountains as they and not allowed to exercise their right to vote as American citizens. One morning in Rock Hill, a group of young people visited the city in hope of trying to register blacks in the South to vote.  These young people from both the black and white race got off a greyhound bus and entered into the ‘whites only’ section of the greyhound bus waiting room where they were assaulted and severely beaten by a Klansman named Elwin Wilson.

Elwin Wilson would go on to live a fruitful life inclusive of becoming a CIA agent but what should be noted about him was not that he hurt and almost killed the two men in the station that day but the actions he took to right his wrong later in his life. Nearly fifty years after the beating that I’ve alluded to occurred, Elwin Wilson learned that one of the men he assaulted was the late octogenarian and civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis. In Wilson’s own words when asked where he was going when he died, he replied “I’m going to hell for the things I’ve done earlier in my life”. This epiphany led the then elderly Elwin Wilson to travel to Washington D. C., to personally apologize to Congressman Lewis and the two men went on to make multiple appearances during which Wilson apologized to the late congressman over and over on national television. In my opinion there is no finer story of racial reconciliation than this in the whole of American History and I can only pray that all of our hearts would be so touched by learning this story that we too become able to see the dangers in hurting others. 

As you are aware the month of March brought with it what I like to call the great equalizer.  By that I speak of the coronavirus that has claimed the lives of well over 3,000,000 people across the world and nearly 200,000 people in our own country. Though the number of African Americans dying from COVID-19 is proportionally higher than other races the fact remains that regardless of age or race still a lot of people are dying from this virus making it a significant equalizer.  According to a study published on July 8^th by the APM Research Lab staff, the coronavirus has killed 69.7% of African Americans, 51.3% of Native Americans, 40.5% of Pacific Islanders, 33.8% of Latinos, 30.2% of Whites and 29.3% of Asians living in America.  By viewing the numbers one can see that this thing has left no demographic untouched thereby making it the ‘great equalizer.’  Even more dismal than the numbers of the many who have lost their lives due to the coronavirus is the fact that every one of them have had to die alone.        The coronavirus is so devastatingly infectious that inside the hospitals those many staff members (i.e., nurses, doctors and surgeons), who are treating infected persons do so from behind face masks, gowns and gloves. What’s more alarming is that because of the heightened possibilities for infection family members of those infected with the virus are prohibited from visiting them.  The same distance is recognized in the fact that inside prisons and jails all visitors have been prohibited from seeing their loved ones, church pastors as well as church leaders are also not allowed to sit with their congregants during their final hours of life and even hospital chaplains seldom visit dying souls leaving them to die alone! 

I cannot fathom taking my last breath on this side without my wife, my children, my mother nor my siblings there with me.  Similarly, I recall the passing of my dear great-grandmother many years ago.  At the age of ninety-three, Mudear as we called her, took her last breath in her bedroom with all of her living children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Though painful at the time, it was also the most beautiful sight in the world to see the smile upon her face as she left this world surrounded by those she loved.  Specific, to my writing today is that no one in this world should have to experience the loneliness that exists apart from the bonds of human fellowship. 

To that end, one should consider the ways in which he lives on earth because should he die without having accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior not only will he have failed to form fruitful relationships of peoples from all walks of life on earth, he also will spend his eternal life alone.  This is precisely what occurred in our text today. 

It happens that a rich man who lived in a large mansion tucked away behind large gates went in and out of those gates for an unmentioned period of time while just outside his gates lay a sick man by the name of Lazarus who begged to be fed the crumbs from the rich man’s table.  It followed that both Lazarus and the rich man died and Lazarus went to Heaven while the rich man was sent to hell.  From this passage we can learn a few things about what the literal hell may encompass.  It seems that according to the verses of consideration today that hell is a place that one still retains his sensibilities which means that in hell one will be able to speak, see, hear and feel.  The rich man looked up and saw Lazarus sitting with Abraham, he felt the intense flames of hellfire and even posed a question to Abraham.  The rich man asked if Lazarus could come and give him just a small volume of water to which Abraham replied, “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” This is a reminder to us that while on earth we should do all the good we can, to all the people we can, all the while we can which means we should refrain from ever hurting anyone. An additional message that can be delineated from this passage is that we never know when will be the day on which we take our last breath!  Unfortunately unlike Elwin Wilson, this rich man had not the time to right his wrongs before leaving this earth therefore, it behooves you and me to maintain positive relationships with everyone for we know not the day nor the hour when God will call us!  Even more pressing is the need to garner good relationships because hell is a place of what seems to be utter loneliness.  According to verse twenty six we read that the next thing Abraham said to the rich man was that even if Lazarus wanted to bring you some water he was prohibited from doing so because, “There is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence,” which inculcates that not only is hell hot, it is also a place of loneliness whereas Heaven is not.  Abraham specifically states to the rich man that you cannot come to US and neither can anyone here come to YOU! It should be understood that this particular hell is not the literal hell that we fathom in our minds but rather a place where souls were kept before Jesus died on the Cross to free all of those who belong to God.    

Today, that place accurately called hades in the Scriptures is non-existent but from the text I can only imagine the loneliness the rich man felt still may be a construct of the literal hell experience.  My appeal to you based on today’s lesson is this, “When and where we die is not up to us but how we die very well may be.” That Said, ponder this question in your mind today, if you were to take your final breath tonight will it be taken in the presence of all those who love you or would that breath be taken – Alone? If so, I encourage you to make the necessary changes in your life that you can control towards repairing broken relationships and building new ones before the final bell rings for you.  Some ways to restoring relationships may include writing or telephoning your loved ones to make amends, forgiving others who may have hurt you and/or asking those you hurt to forgive you.  Overwhelmingly and most importantly relationship restoration starts best by asking God to forgive everyone of your sins and accepting Jesus as your personal Savior so that should everyone else in this world be prohibited from being with you in your final hour, the one who says He will never leave you nor forsake us will gladly be standing by your side!

In Jesus’ Name,