How thin is the great chasm?

     The gospel lesson for this Sunday is from Luke 16.19-31.  It is the story of the rich man and Lazarus, one that is very familiar with many.  As I was in conversation with colleagues this week, I heard some reminisce about how they heard this story growing up.
     Some said that they remember this being a very scary passage because of the burning torment that the rich man feels.  Some said that they think about what 'rich' means when they hear about being dressed in purple and eating sumptuously.  Some said they wonder if cremation is better since the rich man was buried and Lazarus was 'carried to Abraham's bosom.'  There is a lot to wonder about in this text, but before we get to even more mysteries I'd like to make a few observations:
1) Names.  It is interesting that the one in the story who is named is Lazarus, the poor man who was thrown in front of this gate, whose sores are licked by dogs.  The rich man, the one with the power and wealth, is not even deemed important enough to get a name.
2) Blessings.  The text suggests in verse 25 that material blessings in life have nothing to do with blessings in eternity.  It also suggests that the blessings given in life have nothing to do with the nature of the person receiving them.  It would seem from Abraham's response to the rich man's request for Lazarus to dip his finger in water that could Lazarus have done so, he would have done it, regardless of how the rich man had treated him during their lifetime.  ("Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so... verse 26)
3) Power.  Even after death the rich man, who is in a place of torment, wants to use the power he enjoyed during his life to make others, who are below him, work for him.  The rich man doesn't ask Lazarus directly, but instead asks Abraham.
4) Death.  When the rich man finally realizes that his 'fate is sealed', so to speak, he begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers.  Again, he is attempting to use his power, which he no longer has.  And, perhaps a little coldly, Abraham tells the rich man that his brothers have the law and the prophets to guide them and that is sufficient.  Even if someone came back from the dead they wouldn't be persuaded to repent.

     These observations have left me with one mystery above all others.  How thin is the great chasm that separated the rich man and Lazarus?  Perhaps as thin as the front gate near which Lazarus lay??  While Abraham mentioned that the rich man and his brothers all had the law and the prophets to guide them and their actions in terms of justice for the poor, he conspicuously left out the fact that the whole family had Lazarus as a living reminder of what the law and prophets said.  Each day when these brothers left their home they passed by, or perhaps even had to step over Lazarus.  Yet they didn't see.  The chasm that kept the brothers from seeing and understanding that they did have power, but they weren't using that power correctly.  Instead of using their power to be good stewards of their money and care for the poor, they used their power for their own selfish gains, feasting sumptuously and dressing in fine clothes for others to see.  Who do we walk by or step over on our way to use our own wealth and power for selfish gain instead of serving those in need? 
     One thing we do have going for us is that Abraham was also not quite right in his statement that, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead," in verse 31.  You see, we have Moses, the prophets, and the one whom death could not hold, Jesus Christ.  The power that Christ has over the grave is the same power that Christ can use to free us from our own greed, open our eyes, and help us to see those who sit at our gates, poor, hungry, and sick.  How thin is your great chasm?