(As Jesus continues to share parables that show bad examples, He begins the following about a rich man and a poor man.....) Jesus continued, “There was a rich man who dressed in purple linen clothes everyday. He lived like a king and always had the best food served to him. There was also a poor man named Lazarus who had many wounds on his body. He waited by the door of the rich man and begged for the pieces of food that fell from his dining table. But, no one helped him. Only the local dogs came and licked his wounds." “Later, the poor man who had begged for food died and he was taken by the angels into the arms of Abraham. As it happened, the rich man died also and was buried. In hell, the rich man was in much pain. He looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus -the beggar that sat at his front door- beside him. He cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me. Send Lazarus. Let him put the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in much pain in this fire.’ But, Abraham said, ‘My son, do not forget that when you were living you had many riches and lived well. Lazarus had a difficult life with no money. Now, he is the one that is well cared for and you are the one in need and in pain. And more than all this, there is a big deep place between us. No one from here can go to you, even if he wanted to go. And no one can come here from there.’" “Then the rich man said, ‘Father, then I beg you to let Lazarus be given life again, so that he might go to my father’s house. I have five brothers. Let him tell them of these things, or they will come to this place of much pain also.’ Abraham said, ‘They have the Writings of Moses and of the prophets. Let them hear what they say.’ But the rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham. If someone goes to them from the dead, they will be sorry for their sins and turn from them.’ Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and to the prophets, they will not listen even if someone is raised from the dead.’” (There are many things to touch on in this parable. The fact that He uses the name Lazarus for the beggar that is suggested that he be given life ....again. When in a short while, Jesus will actually bring Lazarus -His friend- back to life, after being dead. The fact that one man lived well here and would be tormented for eternity, while the other lived in pain here and would be treated well for eternity. The fact that the rich man is told that his family -who had not followed "the Writings of Moses and the teaching of the prophets"- would not believe just because a man is raised from the dead. And both Lazarus and Jesus would be raised from the dead in a short time. The fact that the story shows opposites. The rich man COULD HAVE helped Lazarus, followed the Writings of Moses and the prophets and went to heaven, Lazarus COULD HAVE been a beggar by choice and wasted everything that God had tried to do for him. But, the story is meant to highlight the passing well-being or wounds of THIS life and put emphasis on the eternal well-being and completeness of life in heaven.) -Luke 16:19-31
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:33:15 +0000
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