The Rich Man and Lazarus – Pt. 2

There 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 man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s 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, ‘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.’

25 “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. 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.’

Luke 16:19-26 (NIV)

Last time, we began thinking about this interesting and chilling passage from Luke’s Gospel. You can read part one here.

We briefly considered the stark difference between the life of the rich man and that of Lazarus, whether this was a real life account or just a parable, and also a little about heaven and hell and Hades. Today we continue thinking about the story.

Abraham’s Response

We left off last time with the request of the rich man asking Abraham to send Lazarus to him with a drop of water to soothe him in the agony of fire. I commented that it was a rather odd request. Why not ask for freedom? Why not mercy? Instead, he asks for Lazarus to help him. Given that Lazarus lay at his gate for his entire life, and this rich man apparently did nothing to help, it is rather ironic to seek his service now.

How does Abraham respond? Verse 25 tells us:

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

Luke 16:25 (NIV)

Abraham begins his reply with the word “Son.” This is not a term of rejection or dismissal, but a recognition that this (now poor) rich man, was indeed part of Abraham’s family in the nation of Israel. There is no scorn in Abraham’s words, nor joy at just punishment, rather I wonder if I hear a note of sadness?

Abraham tells the rich man that while he enjoyed luxury during his lifetime, Lazarus had nothing. Now, in the afterlife, Lazarus is comforted and the rich man is punished. This comes down to a matter of justice.

Justice is a key theme in the Bible. You can be certain that our God will put all things right in the end. Even if you suffer at the hands of many injustices in this life, like Lazarus did, you will be comforted in the next if you have your sins paid for by Christ’s work at the cross.

The rich man could have helped Lazarus at any time during his life. Day after day, this rich man would have passed this poor beggar as he came and went. Often, I wonder, would he have complained about the unwashed man dirtying up his nice and tidy property. It seemingly never occurred to him to offer Lazarus a roof over his head or food to eat. Lazarus longed to nibble the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table, and yet went hungry.

The issue is not “having wealth” per se, as I wager most people reading this are fairly wealthy compared to the average across the world. I am humbled by this, knowing full well that although I don’t consider myself to be “rich,” I have a roof, clothing, food, car, phone and many “luxuries”. I do not have a “Lazarus” sleeping at my gate, but I would not have to travel far to find one. If I refuse to share my relative riches with the poor, then I am no better than this rich man.

It should spur me and you, dear reader, to some form of action. There are no shortage of those in need in our world, and this passage and others should convict us to bless those less fortunate.

I say again that I do not think this parable is teaching us to have nothing at all. It must be recognised though that having too much or too little can be a temptation. We Christians should be led by the Spirit of God, giving where He prompts us and trusting Him for our needs.

A Great Chasm

Abraham has pointed out that the rich man is reaping the reward for his actions on earth, but even so, there is a great chasm between the places where Lazarus and the rich man find themselves.

I am intrigued by verse 26 which states that no one can travel from one side to the other. I certainly understand the desire of the rich man to travel to where Abraham is, but why would anyone want to make the reverse journey?

No great insight from me here, except the idea that perhaps those in heaven long for their loved ones lost in hell. Heaven, I imagine, offers total satisfaction and so it is hard to imagine any reason why someone would wish to leave. The chasm which blocks the way prevents any such journey, and the lesson for us is simply that we only get one chance to make the right decision.

What decision have you made? Where do you want to spend eternity? The choice is yours.

I have more to say, and there are verses beyond that which I’ve included above which we will cover next time.

For now though, let’s reflect on the fact that this account highlights justice. It was unjust for the rich man to wallow in luxury while a poor, sickly beggar lay at his doorstep. This was put right in the end.

For us, justice means paying the penalty of sin. We do that ourselves as the rich man did, or we look to Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. I strongly urge you to choose the latter!

If I take you out to dinner, paying for whatever you want, and at the end of the meal you insist of paying the bill again, then I will be more than a little offended. How much more so will God be indignant towards those who, through their sin, forced Christ to the cross, and yet insist on paying the penalty themselves for all eternity?

Jesus suffered and died so that you don’t have to. All you need do is put your faith in Him, asking for forgiveness, and living your life under His authority. Due to His death and resurrection, you can go free, washed clean of all of your sin and live now to please God.

Please choose Christ today! It is not just a life or death matter, but one where all eternity hangs in the balance!