Teachings of Jesus (part 30) The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
As I read this parable and thought about what Jesus was teaching here, I was amazed by the variety of topics He touched on.
Today I would like to take a few moments to consider some of these topics.
#1. The rich man obviously did not take pity on poor Lazarus. The local dogs seem to show him more mercy than this rich guy did.
#2. Both died – whether rich or poor no one can escape death. It is the fate of us all.
#3. After death there is only two destinations mentioned: A place of torment and the abode of the faithful.
#4. Once in the place of torment, there is no more hope of mercy or salvation. Once in your future abode, one cannot pass from one to the other. Nor can one go back and warn the living.
#5. The only hope for the living is what God has provided already, Jesus, His word, and teachings given by His prophets.
Today I would like to take a few moments to consider some of these topics.
#1. The rich man obviously did not take pity on poor Lazarus. The local dogs seem to show him more mercy than this rich guy did.
#2. Both died – whether rich or poor no one can escape death. It is the fate of us all.
#3. After death there is only two destinations mentioned: A place of torment and the abode of the faithful.
#4. Once in the place of torment, there is no more hope of mercy or salvation. Once in your future abode, one cannot pass from one to the other. Nor can one go back and warn the living.
#5. The only hope for the living is what God has provided already, Jesus, His word, and teachings given by His prophets.
To begin with one must realize and understand that this parable of the rich man and his brothers, who did not listen to Moses and the prophets represent the Pharisees (vv. 16-17). The Pharisees did believe in a future life and a coming judgement, but they, like the rich man did not allow those beliefs to deter them from the pursuit of present wealth (vs 14). Jesus implies that even His resurrection would not change them. In this story Jesus also affirms the fact that our present decisions affect our future destiny. (Constable)
Verses 19-21 introduces the main characters. He presented the rich man as living selfishly, in the splendor of luxury and rejoicing in his present earthly prosperity. Only the very wealthy in Jesus’ day could afford to dress in the expensive purple garments that kings wore. White linen garments under a purple robes were a sign of the highest opulence.
But then there was Lazarus who was described as being a poor, incapacitated, hungry, and a diseased beggar.
But then there was Lazarus who was described as being a poor, incapacitated, hungry, and a diseased beggar.
Jesus seem to make the point that the rich man had disregarded the Old Testament teachings that Israelites should care for the poor among them.
Proverbs 14:21 says, “It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.”
Proverbs 14:21 says, “It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.”
Proverbs 19:17 says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
Proverbs 21:13 says, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”
And Proverbs 28:27 says, “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.”
Wow strong words, even for us.
#2. Both died – whether rich or poor no one can escape death. It is the destiny of us all. In Psalm 89, in verse 28 the Psalmist asks, “Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?” Of course the answer is, ‘No one.’
Psalm 49 has much to say about this truth: It says,
“Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
so that they should live on forever and not see decay.
For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had named lands after themselves. 12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.”
when wicked deceivers surround me—
those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?
No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—
so that they should live on forever and not see decay.
For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had named lands after themselves. 12 People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.
They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.
But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;
he will surely take me to himself.
Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
for they will take nothing with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.
Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.”
#3. After death there is only two destinations mentioned: A place of torment and the abode of the faithful.
Verses 22-24 describe the two destinies which were are as different as the lives of these two men on earth had.
Angels escort Lazarus’ spirit to “Abraham’s bosom,” which denotes a place of security, and Godly fellowship. It was the paradise Jesus told the thief on the cross he would enter. But the rich man experiences a burial without the heavenly honor. Formerly the rich man had enjoyed banquets and abundance, while Lazarus had begged for scraps from his table, but now the tables were turned.
Angels escort Lazarus’ spirit to “Abraham’s bosom,” which denotes a place of security, and Godly fellowship. It was the paradise Jesus told the thief on the cross he would enter. But the rich man experiences a burial without the heavenly honor. Formerly the rich man had enjoyed banquets and abundance, while Lazarus had begged for scraps from his table, but now the tables were turned.
For the rich man, we read that he was in a place of “torment.” Another punishment was the very fact that he could see the righteous “far away,” but there was no escape to paradise for him. This whole story told by Jesus refutes the idea, or doctrine of “soul sleep,” the theory that when people die they simply become unconscious.
#4. We also see from Jesus’ story that Once in the place of torment, there is no more hope of mercy or salvation. Once in your future abode, one cannot pass from one to the other. Nor can one go back and warn the living.
This refutes the idea of purgatory which is an intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven “undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030)
Also the former rich man’s pleading for just a drop of water is also a hopeless wish because of the impossible barrier between the two realms.
Not only that, when he pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his brothers, so that they could be saved from his fate, Abraham lets him know that they would probably not believe what Lazarus would have to say even if he did come back from the dead.
Which leads to our final point, #5. The only hope for the living is what God has provided already, His word and teachings given by His prophets.
Abraham told him, “‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Abraham told him, “‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Some Lessons for us:
• The rich man had chosen a life of personal comfort rather than a life of allegiance to God’s Word. His sin was not that he had done something bad, but that he had done nothing, when he should have done something good.
In his epistle James wrote in 4:17. “17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” It’s not a sin to be wealthy and have a lot of nice things, rather it’s what we do or don’t do with that wealth that may be the sin in our life.
• Another thing we learn is that there comes a point when, it just too late to repent. I say it is better that we make a commitment to God right away, and do our best to do His good will everyday of our life, because we don’t know when we are going to die.
Jesus once said. In Matthew 10:28, “28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
• Also Hades (or hell) is not only real and terrible, there is also no hope for escape. I simply don’t want to go there, nor do I want anyone else to.
• With that in mind, just as that former rich man wanted to warn his brothers so that they could possible escape his own fate, we too should be concerned about the future fate of those around us. There will come a time when it will be too late to tell anyone or convince them of what we know about Jesus and what He has saved us from.
Some will listen and believe, but sad to say, Jesus said that some will not, not even if someone were to come back from the dead.
I’m sure that if we could hear the cries from hades, of those in torment, begging us to speak the Good News and the message about Jesus to their brothers, sister, moms and dads, or any other loved one still remaining alive on this earth, their pleas to us would be deafening. We would hear them pleading and crying out to us to go and tell their loved ones so that they would not have to suffer the torment that they are now suffering.
You may not feel like you know enough to convince anyone, but what I see here is that God’s Word has all the answers one needs to escape the torments of hell; this should be a priority. We have to at least point people in the right direction if God’s Word holds all the answers.
• Jesus also warns us here against putting too much hope in signs or wonders to persuade people to believe, rather the Word of God is a more convincing witness to Him than any miracle. Scripture itself is the Holy Spirit’s primary tool in bringing people to repentance.
The Hebrews 4:12 says, “12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
What lesson will you take from this parable of Jesus today? I pray that it will move your heart to be generous and good as God would have you, to what you have with those God has put in you path, and I pray that you will see the value of sharing God’s word with others before it is too late.