A Tale of Two souls
Notes
Transcript
Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please journey with me in your copy of God’s word to Luke 16:19-31. Thats page number 823 in our church provided Bibles. Today we will read one of Jesus most vivid and theologically debated parables.
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,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—
28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Introduction:
Introduction:
We have been journeying through the gospel of Luke together as a church family now for 81 weeks. (Not counting any special breaks or travel). This marks our third sermon in Luke 16. So far in Luke 16 the Lord has been somewhat relentless in confronting the heart of his listeners. In v.1-13 He gave us the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (vv.1–13), challenging us to steward temporary resources with eternal wisdom.
Then 3 weeks ago in v.14-18 we saw where the pharisees were listening in as Jesus instructed his disciples and scoffed at Jesus teaching because they were “lovers of money”. Jesus exposed their hypocrisy and obsession with external appearance over genuine righteousness before the Lord. He even gave them a real-world example (divorce) of how they denied God’s Word.
Today, Jesus is continuing to speak to the same audience of Pharisees who scoffed at him by giving a vivid account that compared and contrasted two men— an unnamed rich man, and a poor beggar named Lazarus. It’s a parable that cuts even deeper at their love of money and denial of God’s word not just in its authority but in its sufficiency.
Parable or True Story?
Some debate whether this is a real event or a parable. Many think it is a real story because the beggar is given a name, Lazarus, instead of being just a generic man. Leading them to think he was someone people knew. It also mentions Abraham’s side, Hades, and flames—making it all sound very concrete.
But when you step back and look at the context, it becomes pretty clear: this is a parable. It’s a classic rabbinic teaching tool—full of contrast, symbolism and aimed straight at the Pharisees. The structure fits with the parables that come before it: two men, two destinies, one divine warning. It’s not a news article it’s a sermon illustration crafted by Jesus to make a theological point about the pharisees need to heed God’s word.
So, with that in mind, let’s walk through this “Tale of Two Souls” and unpack all of the rich truth that is found in it by viewing its contrasts.
1.) Contrasting lives. (v.19-21)
1.) Contrasting lives. (v.19-21)
A.) The Rich Man. (v.19)
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
One word sums up this man’s life: opulence. He had the best of everything.
Purple- This was an outer garment that was more than just a bold color choice, it was a status symbol.
Tyrian purple dye was made by extracting the mucus of the murex snail which lived along the Phoenician coast. It was a grueling process that took up to 10,000 snails for a single gram of dye—it was worth more than gold. Because of its expense it was only worn by emperors, high priest, or the ultra wealthy. Wearing purple was a public declaration of power, privilege, and wealth (Liss, David. “Purple: A Color Fit for a King.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018).
Think Hermès, Tom Ford, Gucci. He wasn’t dressing for comfort. He was dressing to signal wealth.
Fine linen- This was his undergarment. This was sourced from Egypt's Nile Delta.
It wasn't the course homespun cloth of commoners but a smooth, almost translucent fabric, meticulously woven for comfort and luxury. It was soft, cool, and exorbitantly priced. (Aldrete, Gregory S. Daily Life in the Roman City: Rome, Pompeii, and Ostia. Greenwood Press, 2004).
Think luxury brands like Loro Piana or Brunello Cucinelli—$1,000 undershirts, $3,000 loungewear. Even his undergarments whispered wealth.
He didn't wear these garments just for special occasions; he wore them every day as a constant flex.
His lifestyle matched his wardrobe.
Feasted sumptuously every day-The Greek here implies lavish, celebratory banquets.
Exotic delicacies, imported wines, and a host of servants all while living in a gated estate designed to impress. Indulgence was his daily reality.
Like a modern day celebrity everyone would have known his name; but Jesus leaves him nameless.
B.) Lazarus. (v.20-21)
20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Lazarus could not be more different than the rich man.
He’s not anonymous but intentionally named.
Lazarus- was a very common name. It’s the greek form of the Hebrew name Eleazar which means “God is my help.”
He doesn't live behind the gate but is laid (literally cast, thrown) at the gate. This suggests that he was very ill and had to be carried and deposited at the rich mans gate to beg. Perhaps as one last desperate attempt to find help.
He's not clothed in the finest fashion but is covered in oozing sores that likely left him in constant agony.
Instead of feasting he's begging for crumbs.
The only relief he gets comes from the dogs who lick his sores.
These could have very well been stray dogs but one scholar suggest:
“Instead of a servant coming with the fallen scraps, the dogs come from having consumed the scraps and continue their meal with the juices that ooze from the afflicted man’s sores”
John Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34, Vol. 2 (Dallas: Word, 1993), p. 829
Whether stray or domestic, these “unclean” animals showed more compassion than the rich man who completely neglected the beggar at his gate.
Lazarus was forgotten by the world but known by God.
2.) Contrasting Destinies. (v.22-26)
2.) Contrasting Destinies. (v.22-26)
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
The rich man and Lazarus had two very contrasting lives but they also had two very contrasting deaths.
A.) Lazarus
Lazarus dies and it's given no funeral but, angels come and escort him to Abraham side.
“Abraham’s side” (or “Abraham’s bosom,” in some translations)-is a Jewish term for the afterlife destination of the righteous (Heaven). Abraham, Israel’s faithful patriarch, represents those in God’s presence.
Remember this is a parable, Jesus is painting a theological word picture of the joys of Heaven.(Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus, 1972, 182–185).
In life Lazarus is despised and cast at the gate full of sores. In death, honored, comforted and named by God.
B.) The rich man
The rich man dies, and likely has a lavish burial just as stylish as his life. But no angels come. He wakes in Hades (hell), nameless and tormented in flames.
In life he was exalted, indulgent, and self-sufficient. In death, tormented, desperate, and anonymous.
C.) The Doctrine of Heaven and Hell
This parable gives us a glimpse into what happens when we die.
"Abraham side"-is eternal joy, comfort, and communion with God. It's not earned by poverty but by faith in God's promises, fulfilled in Christ.
Lazarus’ faith secured his place in paradise, where every tear is wiped away.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Hades- Hell, Is a place of conscious, eternal torment. Illustrated here by the rich mans anguish (distress of body and mind) and flames.
Throughout Scripture, hell is described as punishment for unrepentant sin– eternal separation from God marked by regret, pain, and isolation.
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
(This is a quote of Isaiah 66:24)
Hell is not annihilation it is a state of unending torment, where the full weight of rejecting God is felt. The rich man’s plea for just a drop of water shows the intensity of his suffering and the hopelessness of finding relief.
“Great chasm”-a deep, unbridgeable valley or trough between two points.(Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996, 11.) This chasm is divinely fixed, impassable and eternal. Pictures for us the finality of God's judgment – once death comes, our destinies are sealed.
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
There is no appeals process, no transfers, and no second chances.
It also illustrates the eternal divide between the saved, who trust God's word, and the lost, who reject it.
Application: Friends hell is real, eternal, and irreversible. Jesus spoke on this theme 31 times in the four gospels, eight of those in the gospel of Luke alone. He did so not to scare but to warn.
The rich man's Tyrian purple and fine linen couldn't shield him from judgment; his trust in his wealth deceived him into thinking that heaven was his destiny. But friend, only faith in Jesus can secure that!
3.) Contrasting Responses. (v.27-31)
3.) Contrasting Responses. (v.27-31)
In his deep agony the rich man pleads for his brothers, asking for Lazarus to come back from the grave and warn them of the torment awaiting them.
27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
But, notice the response from Abraham:
29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
Moses and the Prophets-The Old Testament which taught repentance, faith and righteousness.
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
This points us in two directions:
A.)The Blindness and deception of the Pharisees
Let's not forget who this parable was spoken to, the Pharisees who twisted scripture to justify their sinfulness.
The rich man is a mirror of their theology: he thought his wealth and daily feast were proof of God's favor, assuring him of heaven. His love for money and status blinded him to the condition of his soul, just like the Pharisees.Just as he was shocked to wake up in Hades, so too would these religious elites be if they failed to repent and place their faith in Christ the Messiah.
B.)The Sufficiency of Scripture
The Old Testament, from the law to the prophets was God's revelation, pointing to the Messiah (Jesus).
The coming of Jesus didn't abolish the old testament; it fulfilled it.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Fulfill- to complete or bring to its intended goal.
The old testament was a shadow pointing to Jesus, its substance.
The law reveal God's holiness and humanities sin.
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Jesus kept it perfectly.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
The sacrificial system prefigured his death on the cross and the atonement it would accomplish. With every offering pointing to the cross.
Prophecies, like Isaiah 53’s suffering servant or Psalm 22’s forsaken King were fulfilled in his life, death, and resurrection.
Every tiny stroke of a Hebrew letter finds the purpose in Jesus.
The Pharisees missed this by their cherry picking of scriptures to justify their greed while ignoring Jesus the Messiah. The old testament was sufficient to point to salvation through faith in the coming Christ.
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
Abrahams declaration:
31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
This shows us that no sign or miracle, like Lazarus being sent from the dead to preach this man's brother, trumps the word of God!
The Bible, now complete with the New Testament, is gods authoritative, sufficient revelation.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
We don't need signs and wonders we need the word of God!
Friend if Jesus is not your savior, don't wait for a miracle – repent and trust him today.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
This tale of two souls is not just a contrast between wealth and poverty—it’s a warning about eternity.
The rich man, dressed in purple and fine linen, assumed his wealth meant God’s approval. But he woke up in torment, nameless and alone. Lazarus, forgotten by the world, was carried by angels into comfort and joy.
Jesus told this parable to jolt His listeners awake—and it’s meant to do the same for us.
The Pharisees trusted in status, wealth, and religious appearance. They loved money and scoffed at Jesus’ teaching. They had the Scriptures, but they didn’t listen. Tragically, many still do the same.
Don’t repeat their error.
God’s Word is clear:
Heaven is real.
Hell is real.
And eternity is just a breath away.
How should we respond to this “Tale of Two Souls”?
How should we respond to this “Tale of Two Souls”?
Examine your foundation.
Are you trusting in Christ—or in your comforts? Your status? Your religious habits? Only faith in Jesus saves.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
If you're unsure where you stand, today is the day to settle it. Don’t wait for a sign. You already have the Scriptures. You’ve heard the truth. Turn from your sin and trust Christ.
Let Scripture shape your life.
God’s Word is enough. Are you reading it? Hearing it? Submitting to it? Let it govern your money, your priorities, your relationships, your heart.
4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Don’t just agree with the Bible—obey it. Let it lead you to repentance and fuel your faith.
Live with eternity in view.
The rich man lived for now. Lazarus lived for God. Whose example are you following? Eternity is forever—don’t live for what will fade.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Start investing in what will outlast this life. Use your resources, time, and influence for the kingdom of God.
Warn those around you.
The rich man suddenly became evangelistic—but it was too late. Don’t let it be too late for the people you love. Share the Word now. Invite them. Pray for them. Live the gospel in front of them.
Invitation:
Invitation:
If you’re not a believer in Jesus, today is the day. Not tomorrow. Not “when things settle down.” Today.
2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)
…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Come to Christ. Repent of your sin. Trust Him alone to save you. He bore your judgment so you could be carried to His side.
If you’re already in Christ—live like it. Don’t sleepwalk through this life. Be faithful with what God has given you. Be shaped by His Word. And share His truth while there’s still time.
Closing Prayer:
Closing Prayer:
Father,
Thank You for this sobering but merciful parable.
Thank You that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Forgive us for trusting in wealth or appearance or anything else but You. Draw those who don’t yet know you to faith today. And for those who do—help us to live with eternity in mind, shaped by Your Word, and faithful until we see You face to face.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
