***EVER WONDERED?*** For Today! Question:- What should we learn from the story of the rich man and Lazarus? Luke 16:19 - 31 ESV - 19 There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores. Response:- ** S. Michael Houdmann, Supporter Got Questions Ministries- * Luke 16:19-31 contains the account of a very rich man who lived a life of extreme luxury. Laid outside the gate of this rich mans house, however, was an extremely poor man named Lazarus who simply hoped to eat what fell from the rich mans table (v. 21). The rich man was completely indifferent to the plight of Lazarus, showing him no love, sympathy, or compassion whatsoever. Eventually, they both died. Lazarus went to heaven, and the rich man went to hell. Appealing to Father Abraham in heaven, the rich man requested that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue with a drop of water to lessen his agony in this fire. The rich man also asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers to repent so that they would never join him in hell. Both requests were denied. Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not believe in Scripture, neither would they believe a messenger, even if he came straight from heaven. There is some question as to whether this story is a true, real-life account or a parable, since two of its characters are named (making it unique among parables). Parable or not, however, there is a much we can learn from this passage: First of all, Jesus teaches here that heaven and hell are both real, literal places. Sadly, many preachers shy away from uncomfortable topics such as hell. Some even teach universalism - the belief that everyone goes to heaven. Yet Christ spoke about hell a great deal, as did Paul, Peter, John, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews. The Bible is clear that every person who has ever lived will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Like the rich man in the story, multitudes today are complacent in their conviction that all is well with their soul, and many will hear our Savior tell them otherwise when they die (Matthew 7:23). This story also illustrates that once we cross the eternal horizon, thats it. There are no more chances. The transition to our eternal state takes place the moment we die (2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23). When believers die, they are immediately in the conscious fellowship and joys of heaven. When unbelievers die, they are just as immediately in the conscious pain, suffering, and torment of hell. Notice the rich man didnt ask for his brothers to pray for his release from some purgatorial middle ground, thereby expediting his journey to heaven. He knew he was in hell, and he knew why. Thats why his requests were merely to be comforted and to have a warning sent to his brothers. He knew there was no escape. He was eternally separated from God, and Abraham made it clear to him that there was no hope of ever mitigating his pain, suffering, or sorrow. Those in hell will perfectly recollect missed opportunities and their rejection of the gospel. Like many these days who buy into the prosperity gospel, the rich man wrongly saw his material riches as evidence of Gods love and blessing. Likewise, he believed the poor and destitute, like Lazarus, were cursed by God. Yet, as the apostle James exhorted, You have lived on earth in luxury and self- indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter (James 5:5). Not only do riches not get one into heaven, but they have the power to separate a person from God in a way that few other things can. Riches are deceitful (Mark 4:19). It is certainly not impossible for the very rich to enter heaven (many heroes of the Bible were wealthy), but Scripture is clear that it is very hard (Matthew 19:23-24; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24-25). True followers of Christ will not be indifferent to the plight of the poor like the rich man in this story was. God loves the poor and is offended when His children neglect them (Proverbs 17:5; 22:9, 22-23; 29:7; 31:8-9). In fact, those who show mercy to the poor are in effect ministering to Christ personally (Matthew 25:35-40). Christians are known by the fruit they bear. The Holy Spirits residence in our hearts will most certainly impact how we live and what we do. Abrahams words in verses 29 and 31 referring to Moses and the Prophets (Scripture) confirms that understanding the revealed Word of God has the power to turn unbelief into faith (Hebrew 4:12; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). Furthermore, knowing Scripture helps us to understand that Gods children, like Lazarus, can suffer while on this earth- suffering is one of the many tragic consequences of living in a sinful and fallen world. The Bible says our earthly lives are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Our earthly sojourn is exceedingly brief. Perhaps the greatest lesson to learn from this story, then, is that when death comes knocking on our door there is only one thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus Christ . What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36). Eternal life is only found in Christ. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:11-12). The truth is, if we wish to live apart from God during our time on earth, He will grant us our wish for eternity as well. As one pastor aptly said, If you board the train of unbelief, you will have to take it all the way to its destination. ** Aurel Gheorghe- *In the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus was not talking about the afterlife; instead, He was addressing the Pharisees (Luke 16:14) and their unfaithfulness in regards to their responsibility. They had a special message of truth and failed to share it with the Gentiles, who were eager to hear it. And we clearly know this is a parable because of the many allegoric elements of the story. In Luke 16:22 the NKJV says ....that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. This is the first clue: theres no other Scripture that says that the saved go to the bosom of Abraham. Second, Jesus uses the word Hades, a mythological Greek place. Jesus did not believe in Greek mythology and is undoubtedly using here a figure of speech that the audience understood. Third, both (Lazarus and the rich man) are being taken to their respective places of reward. Their bodies apparently came along, for we find the rich man desires to have his tongue cooled by a drop of water from the finger of Lazarus who is resting in Abraham’s bosom. Are we to believe that the graves of these two people are now empty? It would make no sense to take the story literally. Also, there is no other place in Bible where people in heaven are communicating with people in hell. The lesson is that the rich man, who symbolizes Gods people and who have the truth are not sharing their food with the poor, the lost, and that they may find that in the Judgment the poor are saved and the rich are lost. Jesus thus rebuked the Pharisees for their disregard of the Scriptures, foreseeing that even a supernatural event would not change the hearts of those who persistently rejected the teachings of “Moses and the prophets. ***BREAKING**BREAKING*** WELL BE TRANSFORMING EVER WONDERED? INTO A FACEBOOK PAGE SOON. SO EVERYONE CAN POSE THEIR CHRISTIAN BASED QUESTIONS AS WELL AS GET ANSWERS TO CRITICAL ISSUES CONCERNING THIS FAITH RACE THAT WE RUN, TO HELP STRENGHTEN ONE ANOTHER. Please Encourage us here by indicating your support, by commrnting your feelings, so we know we are growing as part of a larger family. GOD BLESS YOU!
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 13:19:24 +0000
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