There is one section at the end of Luke 16 that hurts my heart – it is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I equate a hurting heart with being mournful. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, includes, Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. š It is not easy to carry the weight of being both blessed and mournful – reading this story highlights why.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 āThere was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich manās table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 āThe time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abrahamās side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, āFather 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.ā
25 āBut Abraham replied, āSon, 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. 26 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.ā
27 āHe answered, āThen I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.ā
29 āAbraham replied, āThey have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.ā
30 āāNo, father Abraham,ā he said, ābut if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.ā
31 āHe said to him, āIf they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.āā
Observations: These verses are at the end of Luke 16 after Jesus tells His disciples about being wise with the things of this world and directing that wisdom toward their inheritance in the eternal kingdomā¦ specifically, the gaining of friends. Friends that will welcome you in eternity.
He follows with teachings on the endurance of the Law and the Prophets as well as citing a specific incident of the Lawā¦ on divorce and adultery.
So, with our minds on riches, this life vs. eternal life, the Law, and faithfulness, Jesus tells the story above: The Rich Man and Lazarus ā and it stabs my heart. There are many great pastoral messages on this story. But the story is rich enough on its own for anyone to consider and the concluding verse can be understood by a child. Wealth can test anybody ā especially towards contentment in this life. Do they have a false belief that a fortunate life on earth is the assurance of a blessed eternal life? Do they see no need to concern themselves with the Word of God? I am certain that enjoying God’s blessings… dressing in purple and fine linen and even living in luxury… are not, in themselves, sinful. So what happened? How did the rich man end up in hell?
Before digging into this story, review Genesis 1:26-28. Man was created in the image of God. He blessed them and gave them authority to rule over His good creation. (That was before sin entered the world and broke the communion between God and man.)
Who are the players? In their earthly lives, we see a no-named, rich man and a beggar with a name, Lazarus. (Being named in Scripture is important.) After they both die, we see Abraham as part of the continuing story. (And we remember that Abraham was renamed from Abram during his journey with God in Genesis 17:5.) We also see that the rich man has unrepentant brothers and the man is now concerned for their eternal welfare.
Where does this take place? In the earthly part of the story Lazarus begs at the rich manās gate. Recall the significance of āgatesā in scripture: These are places that mark off dominion and where rulers make decisionsā¦ affecting themselves and those in their dominion. At the rich man’s gate, the rich man enjoys his luxury while Lazarus begs and longs for food. In the eternal part of the story, we get a glimpse of heaven and hell. It is not a stretch to imagine there are gates that completely separate these two dominions.
When does this take place? This is the killer. Here we see a story that transcends earthly lifetimes into eternity for two individuals that once shared space in the same dominion. There are implications of what you can and should do in this lifetime. (Micah 6:8 comes to mind… seek justice, have mercy, and walk humbly!) Opportunities on how to rule our own dominions are available now; they will no longer be available after our death.
This story has shaped my idea of hell and I struggle with it. Some of the points I consider are:
- All good things come from God.Ā And we have the opportunity to use these good things to praise God and be merciful to those who are not in the same position.Ā
- Our āgateā marks our dominion – what we call our ‘sphere of influence’ – the time is now to make decisions, using the resources given to us, to affect those around us, for all eternity. We either rule our dominions now according to our wills or we bow to God’s authority learning to rule in submission to His will.
- The rich man in hell still doesnāt have a name.
- The rich man in hell still thinks he has the status to call on Abraham, as father, and demand Abraham to send Lazarus to serve him.
- The rich man in hell can see Lazarus and remember his name.Ā Hell does not erase memory.
- There is no mention of Lazarus seeing the rich man, only of his receiving comfort.
- Abraham answers with gentleness and calls him āsonā.Ā Abraham also answers with truth ā the kind of truth that hurts.
- The rich man in hell is in agony and there is no mention of anyone with him.
- There is no possibility of crossover.
- Death is not the great equalizer!Ā Here it appears to be the great reversal.
- The Bible ā Old and New Testaments ā has always been teaching the same message of Godās redemption plan.Ā It is our decision to submit to Godās wisdom and Godās authority.Ā Many in Israel’s history would not listen to the law and the prophets.Ā Many still reject Jesus.
- The Bible teaches us of God’s unchanging nature. He is God of both love and justice. We love the idea of love, but ignore His ‘wrath’ as it makes us uncomfortable. It is meant to. That conviction of guilt is His wisdom in action, intended to draw us closer. He is God and we are not. When we admit our guilt, place our trust in Him, and commit the rest of our lives to living under His authority, according to His will, He frees us from the burdens we carry and gives us new, abundant life. Choosing to ignore His call did not end well for the rich man.
- If we are not changed by The Word, we will not be changed at all.
Lazarus means, āGod has helped him.ā With only an earthly focus, we might conclude that the name does not seem to fit this beggarās condition, but with an eternal focus, we rethink our conclusion.
I see that rich man, alone, in hell in agony forever.Ā I imagine an endless set of cubbiesā¦ infinitely far apart, where those who reject God all their lives, those who are shouting, āLeave me aloneāā¦ get exactly what they want.Ā Placed in isolation without all the good things that have come from God.Ā There are no fine foods, fast food, comfort foodsā¦ no soda, water, beer, wine, coffeeā¦ no friendsā¦ no familyā¦ no petsā¦ no politicsā¦ no tvā¦ no musicā¦ no internetā¦ no chess, no darts, no bowling, no footballā¦ no cars, no clothes, no work, no studies, no artā¦ no mountains, no beaches, no treesā¦ no light… there is nothing to distract you from God in hell.Ā And you wonāt be able to avoid the knowledge of God in hell, because you will have all your memories and an eternity to think about all the good things He gave you, with the purpose of calling you closer to your creator with a sense of gratitude and a posture of praise.Ā And you will remember how often you rejected Himā¦ mocked Himā¦ and scorned His loving call.Ā
And maybe the worst agony would be seeing across the chasm, for all eternity, all the peace, beauty, comfort, and goodness, being enjoyed by a community that loves God and loves each other, that excludes you, because you would not submit to the loving discipline of God.
Why is it that some people believe that heaven is some cloud-like place where ‘good’ people, with wings like an angel, now sit around playing harps all day worshipping God? Clearly they haven’t read the Genesis creation story. Why do some people picture hell as that place where they finally get to live their lives in peace… the way they live them now, but without any shame or guilt or internal sense of condemnation. Do they not recognize those feelings as spiritual turmoil designed to repent and return to communion with God?
š Heavenly Father, You alone are good and all good things come from You. Forgive me for the times I took Your goodness for granted. I pray that You keep my eyes open to see others as You see them and to make them friends to enjoy for eternity. Thank You for Your Word. Your Word reveals truth – the only weapon we have to fight the lies and deception in this world. I pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus – the victor for all time and eternity! š Amen.