"And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us".
Within the context of this passage, we see that the great gulf represents a barrier that could prevent us from moving from one place to another. Literally, a gulf is a deep chasm. It creates a separation between two divides. It does not allow easy movement from one part of the divide to the other.
That was the case in our text above. Going by the lifestyles the rich man and Lazarus lived on earth, they both unavoidably ended where they ended. The rich man by virtue of the "carefree" life he lived placed him at a disadvantage at the end. While Lazarus enjoyed the bliss of the hereafter, the rich man was in endless torment. All pleas from him to Abraham made no meaning. What ultimately made his request for a "dip" of cool water on his tongue impossible, was the presence of the "Great Gulf".
Friends, the great gulf as we see it here, did not start overnight. It's a gradual process of lackadaisical attitudes that accumulate overtime, which later culminate in a barrier that made life unbearable for the rich man when it mattered most in his life. Too late to be remedied, even for his five brothers at home, to be warned of the impending doom, if they did not repent on time.
The question is what is (are) the great gulf (s) in our lives? Is it greed,(Gehazi), selfishness, (the unforgiving servant), lateness, (the ten virgins), etc.? These are little little negligible acts we directly or indirectly engage in, that wait for us in the future. There's always a payback day ! Beloved, let us take a deep thought and reflection about those things we are doing now that could "add" up as great gulf waiting for us in the future.
I pray that the LORD will open our eyes to these acts, avoid them and retrace our steps. Amen!
Remain blessed.
Olusegun Emosu
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, (Rehoboth Parish)
1879, S Stone Mountain Lithonia Road,
Lithonia GA 30058
April 5th, 2021.