Rich Man and Lazarus

Few Sighs From Hell, or the Groans of a damned Soul (John Bunyan)

INTRODUCTION

True, the Parable of the Unjust Steward was primarily spoken ‘to His disciples,’b that of Dives and Lazarus to the Pharisees.

Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1896), 264.

Luke 16:19 - Homo quidam erat dives, qui induebatur purpura et bysso, et

Man. A certain to be rich who clothed purple and fine linen and

epulabatur quotidie splendide

To feast daily splendidly

Beggars were put into the same category as the blind and lame.

John 9:2 sets the scene for the disciples of Jesus, asking Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?”

This may be tied to Psalm 37:25 - I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Yet, it is seen as an unfavorable existence - Luke 16:3 and the parable of the unjust steward in which he says, “I am ashamed to beg.”

Yet, we are God’s beggars - Mt.7:7 (Augustine)

D.T. Niles — “Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where he can find a piece of bread.”

Beggars had to go by certain rules:

1. Beggars were not permitted to solicit alms on the Sabbath, contrary to the customs of other nations, so as not to afford any one an excuse for carrying money on that day.

A. The Bible refers to death as an enemy of men (I Cor. 15:26).

And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

B. Unless the Lord Jesus Christ returns, all of us will have to face this persistent opponent (Heb. 9:27).

And as it is appointed unto men once to die…

C. Having seen death, man often wonders:  “What happens when one dies?”

1. On his own, man has no way of answering this question.

2. Fortunately, deity has provided us some insight into this matter.

D. In this lesson, we are going to study:  “The Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-31).

1. Some refer to this as a parable.

2. Others do not believe it is a parable.

a. Because of the way the account begins (Luke 16:19)

There was a certain rich man…

b. Because the account is so literal:  a beggar named Lazarus, angels, Abraham, and the rich man’s brothers.

I. DISPARITY IN LIFE (Luke 16:19-21)

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sump-tuously every day:  and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which laid at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:  moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

A. Here, we see the two opposite poles of economic status:  one was rich and one was poor.

1. This distinction within society will never be overcome (Matt. 26:11; Mark 14:7; John 12:8).

For ye have the poor always with you…

2. The “perfect” society will never be created from an economic perspective.  All societies will always have poor people and rich people.

B. The rich man

1. Abundance:  Rich – abounding in wealth

2. Basics:  Clothed in purple and fine linen

3. Luxuries:  Fared sumptuously

4. Constantly:  Every day

Surely, this man said, “Be of good cheer, “eat, drink, and be merry” (Lk.12:19)

C. The poor man

1. Distressed:  a beggar – straitened in circumstances

2. Humbled:  laid at the rich man’s gate

3. Infirmed:  full of sores

4. Desperate:  desirous of the crumbs

5. Miserable:  the dogs came and licked his sores

D. Lesson:  We desire the first position.  Yet, the blessings of salvation are most often appreciated by the poor (James 2:5).

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

II. COMMONALITY IN DEATH (Luke 16:22)

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:  the rich man also died, and was buried.

A. Death has been called the “equalizer” of mankind.

B. The rich and the poor will all face the appointment of death.

1. Job 21:13

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

2. Ecclesiastes 8:10

And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done:  this is also vanity.

3. James 1:11

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth:  so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

III. DISPARITY IS DESTINIES (Luke 16:23-26)

And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  But Abraham said, Son, remember, that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things:  but now he is comforted, and thou are tormented.  And beside this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:  so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

A. When one dies, he enters into the hadean realm.

1. The word “hell” in verse 23 is “hades,” not “gehenna.”

2. This is referred to as “the unseen realm of the dead.”

3. It is divided into two sections.

a. Abraham’s bosom:  a place of comfort (Luke 16:25)

b. Torments:  a place of anguish and agony (Luke 16:25-26)

4. This unseen realm is a place of

a. Consciousness:  these men were cognizant of their surroundings after death and could interact

b. Recognition:  the rich man saw and recognized Lazarus and named Abraham

c. Feelings:  “Have mercy upon me” and “I am tormented in this flame”

d. Unmet needs:  “Cool my tongue”

e. Remembrance:  “Son, remember” (See also vs. 27-28)

f. Separation:  “There is a great gulf fixed…”

B. This account always raises some questions.

1. Is one judged immediately after death?

2. If not, but your destiny is sealed, what is the purpose of judgment?

3. Answers:

a. Question #1:  No, we are not judged at death.  The Bible teaches that there will be a “day” of judgment (Matt. 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36; Mark 6:11; Rom. 2:5; II Pet. 2:9; 3:7; I John 4:17; Jude 1:6).  On this day, all nations shall be gathered before the Son of God to be judged (Matt. 25:31-32).

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him.  Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:  and before him shall be gathered all nations:  and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

b. Question #2:

1) We get to give an account of ourselves unto God (Rom. 14:12).

2) God will issue final sentencing either to heaven or hell (Matt. 25:34, 41).

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

IV. COMMONALITY IN OPPORTUNITY (Luke 16:27-31)

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:  for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he said, Nay, father Abraham:  but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

A. It is interesting that the attention of the rich man turns from himself to his brother in the flesh.

B. NOTE:  He does not want his brethren to come to this place of torments.

1. Often people learn that their relatives were never saved as they study to become Christians.

2. Many get angry.  Others terminate the study.

3. They need to understand, that if their relatives are lost, they do not want them coming there.  They want their family members to give heed to the Word of God and escape the place of torments.

C. God provides all men with the opportunity to learn of Him by means of the Word of God.

1. Today, the Old Testament has been abolished (Eph. 2:14-15).

2. We are now under the New Testament (Heb. 9:15-17).

3. Man needs to give ear to its demands (Heb. 2:1).

4. One returning from the dead would not suffice in convincing individuals to be obedient unto God.

Allegorization & Other Considerations

How is Jesus’ message transposed from rich-poor to Jew-Gentile in the text? Possible intimations of this move include the following:

 The Hellenized name, Lazarus, may recall Eleazar (Hebrew for ‘God is my help’) of Damascus—the Gentile servant of Abraham. As Abraham’s faithful steward, Eleazar had been heir to the patriarch’s estate (Gen. 5:2-3) but was de facto disinherited through God’s covenant to grant Abraham and Sarah a son. All of Abraham’s wealth, reserved for Eleazar for many decades, was left to Abraham’s flesh and blood heirs (Isaac, Jacob and their progeny – Gen. 15:4-5; 24:36), effectively leaving Eleazar with nothing. He and his children would remain servants (‘beggars at the gate’), dependent on the family’s charity. This may be why we see Lazarus with Abraham in the parable and why the rich man acts as if he is still on call for errands in Abraham’s service—and his own, for that matter.

 Lazarus is said to beg outside the rich man’s gate (v. 19). He longs to eat even the rich man’s table scraps. This is reminiscent of the Gospel story in which Jesus reserved his healing ministry for “the lost sheep of Israel” but a Canaanite woman appealed: “Even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Note the multiple allusions with Lazarus, who “…longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table, “Even the dogs came and licked his sores” (vs.21).

 Uncircumcised Gentile proselytes of Judaism were referred to as “gate proselytes” or “strangers inside the gate.”7 They enjoyed certain rights and privileges under the Mosaic Law. Is the parable condemning the rich man for leaving Lazarus outside when the Law obligated Jews to provide for foreigners inside? Or more shocking, is Jesus saying that even those legally outside the gates (non-proselyte Gentiles) may displace Abraham’s sons in paradise!8

 Further, we are told the rich man has five brothers (v. 28). Judah, like the rich man, had five brothers (Gen. 35:23). Historically, the Jewish temple and priesthood (‘dressed in linen’) as well as her throne and king (‘fine purple’) were centered in Judah’s capital, Jerusalem (v. 19). They were graced with the oracles of God (‘They have Moses and the Prophets’ – v. 29). But even then, rather than making God’s temple “a house of prayer for the Gentiles / nations,” a corrupt priesthood had turned it into “a den of thieves” (cf. Jer. 7).

Source: https://www.clarion-journal.com/files/rich-man-and-lazarus-edited.pdf

Other items of interest:

Angels were mentioned here in reference to Lazarus

Angels were concerned about the body (cf. Moses’ body, Jude 9 and Luke 16:22).

Angels will accompany the Lord at His 2nd coming (Jude 14).

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Are the dead conscious? (Wayne Jackson, Christian Courier) https://christiancourier.com/articles/are-the-dead-conscious

Perception

The rich man could see both Abraham and Lazarus; he thus possessed perception. Perception involves an awareness of objects, hence, consciousness.

Satisfaction

Lazarus was described as being “in Abraham’s bosom.” This expression is a biblical idiom which suggests a state of honor (cf. John 1:18; 13:23). It implies that Lazarus was in a warm and respected fellowship with Abraham. Alfred Plummer notes that the language suggests that the former beggar now shares Abraham’s “happiness” (1896, 303). Clearly, this indicates consciousness.

Sensation

The rich man is in “torments.” Indeed, he is suffering “anguish,” which certainly affirms conscious sorrow (cf. 2:48; Acts 20:38). On the other hand, Lazarus is “comforted.”

Communication

The rich man could both speak and be spoken to. Communication is possible only with conscious beings. The suffering rebel had not been annihilated.

Recognition

The rich man recognized Lazarus and requested his services by name. Recognition involves consciousness.

Comprehension

The rich man made two requests of Abraham. First, he asked that Lazarus be permitted to dip his finger in water in order to cool his parched tongue. Abraham reasoned that such was impossible because an impassable gulf separated the righteous from the wicked. Second, the rich man requested that Lazarus be allowed to go and warn his brothers not to come to that place of punishment. The patriarch replied that those brethren had access to the Old Testament Scriptures, and that such was sufficient to prevent those kinsmen from dying lost if they were disposed to heed the message. Apparently, the rich man understood Abraham’s response; he had no further comment to make. Again, the narrative implies consciousness.

Volition (free will)

The rich man’s petition that Lazarus be allowed to enter the hadean realm where he was, or that he be permitted to return to earth, implies that Lazarus had the volitional and/or locomotive ability to accomplish that feat if divinely allowed. That further suggests consciousness.

Recollection

Abraham reminded the rich man of his earthly status: “Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things.” Where there is memory, there is consciousness.

Emotion

When the rich man reflected upon the spiritual condition of his earthly brothers, he evidenced concern and urged that they be warned not to enter that dreadful hadean realm. People without consciousness evidence no concern for others.

A careful and honest consideration of the information contained in this account can only lead to the conclusion that the dead are conscious. Theories which allow for the extinction of the wicked, or for “soul-sleeping” on the part of the righteous dead, are not consistent with this divine teaching as given by Jesus Christ.