‘Lazarus and the Rich Man’

Luke 16:19–31

In this parable Jesus speaks of a rich man who wore clothing made of expensive purple clothe and fine linen. He dressed like royalty and feasted in luxury like a king.  He lived in a walled compound with a large secure entrance gate. Watchmen with their dogs kept watch as people passed by the gate and visitors went in and out of that gate. There was plenty of foot traffic there since the owner lived in luxury everyday and threw banquets regularly. All these activities made this a place where a poor beggar, named Lazarus, could be laid to beg. The man's parents has given him the name, Lazarus, which means, ‘God has helped’. But his name seemed to mock him for where was the help of God in his life? Had God abandoned Lazarus or had Lazarus abandoned God? He looked forsaken, particularly because his body was covered with sores (Job 2:7). Lazarus seemed to have no comfort in his life. He longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table, but the scrapes were quickly devoured by the rich man’s guard dogs who then like Lazarus' sores. Lazarus quietly endured the harsh and sad reality that was his life. (16:19-21)

By contrast to Lazarus, the rich man lived in luxury and feasted every day. He sat secure inside his compound enjoying all the luxuries associated with royalty. He feasted regularly at his banquet table among his well-respected guests and sat content well-dressed in his fine clothing. Lazarus, on the other hand, sat in misery covered with sores outside the gate among the dogs. He longed to eat the leftover scrapes from the rich man’s table, but the dogs beat him to the scrapes and they licked Lazarus' open sores after they had their fill. Lazarus’ appears to be forsaken by God, while the rich man appears to be living under the blessing and favor of God.  

Every time the 'rich man' left his property to attend meetings and functions he would see the pitiful Lazarus there having been laid at his gate. They lived radically different lives, but in time death came and visited them both. The rich man throughout his lifetime lived in luxury daily, while unemployment, poverty, hunger, physical ailments, and the shame of begging was Lazarus’ daily existence. Lazarus’ appeared to be forsaken by God, but the angels came and carried Lazarus away to the very side of Israel's great patriarch Abraham. Poor Lazarus lived in poverty, experienced hunger, was covered with sores but now he found himself seated at the very side of the blessed friend of God and the Father of Israel, Abraham! Lazarus becomes part of the inner circle who dwelt and dined with Abraham at his very side. The rich man also died and he received a burial. Surely, all the important people were there so the 'rich man' had a long and elaborate funeral. However, while the crowd attended his funeral the rich man sat ironically 'suffering in isolation in hell’. (16:22-24)

The story speaks of a 'great reversal’ after death in which Lazarus is comforted at Abraham’s side and the formerly rich man is in agony in hell. In his torment he could look up and see Abraham far away, with Lazarus by Abraham’s side. Note that Abraham was a wealthy man so let’s not think that having material comforts in this life necessarily means curse in the life to come. At the same time having material comforts in this life does not mean that one is living and will die under the favor of God either. 

The rich man calls to Abraham to pity him and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his tongue for he was in agony in fire. Curiously, the man in hell does not humbly ask Lazarus in brokenness and contrition to pity him and help him. Rather he wants Abraham to tell Lazarus to help him. The rich man had passed by Lazarus almost everyday. Sure he knew Lazarus' name, but had grown accustom to regularly ignoring Lazarus in his suffering. Ironically, now the man wants Lazarus to come and comfort him in his agony which is exactly what he refused to do for Lazarus in their earthly lives. Abraham tells the man that he had received good things in his lifetime, while Lazarus had received bad things. However, now things were reversed and Lazarus was comforted and the rich man was in agony.  The man was free to and could have helped Lazarus at anytime he wanted to in life. But now in the afterlife there was a fixed chasm between them which no one could crossover and Lazarus couldn't help him. (16:22-26)

We should remember that 'sin in the heart' seeks to live independently from God. Moreover, we’ve all sinned and our sins separate us from God (Gen.3:5, Isa.59:2, Rom.3:23). Hell is God letting us go our own way and giving us what we want. God will withdraws all His goodness from us if we persist in choosing to live independently from God. The Bible says that in hell there is weeping (Matt 8:12), gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:50), torment (Luke 16:23), flames (Luke 16:24), and darkness (Matt 25:30). The man holds a conscious discussion so this is not literal fire, (dark fire?) but it is conscious torment.

In hell, the formerly rich man who refused to comfort Lazarus now wants Lazarus to come and comfort him. He had no time for the pitiful and unclean Lazarus, with his open sores that were licked by the dogs. Now, however, he wants Lazarus to dip his finger in water and to cool his tongue with the water from his Lazarus’ finger. He wants the transformed and made new Lazarus to cool him off because he is suffering in fire. (16:23-24) Abraham addressed the man respectfully as a son, but reminded him that in his lifetime he had received good things (a fine home, fine foods and clothing) while Lazarus had received bad things.  Abraham talks of a great fixed chasm between where Abraham was and where the man was in torment or agony and that no one could cross over from the one to the other.  

This formerly rich man still sees Lazarus as an inferior who ought to be sent to serve him.  Then he wants Lazarus to be sent back from the dead to warn his five brothers so they would avoid the place of torment. Abraham’s response was that they had Moses and the Prophets so they should listen to them. But even in hell the rich man corrects Abraham implying that the testimony of Moses and the Prophets was inadequate. He tells Abraham that his brothers would repent, but only if someone from the dead came back and warned them to avoid the future agony to which they were headed. In other words, he is claiming that they were given inadequate evidence regarding the severity of the judgment after death. He corrects Abraham and claims that if they experienced a miraculous testimony of someone back from the dead then they would repent.   The man implies that God had given inadequate testimony of himself and that they would repent (Luke 13:1-5, 15:7, 10) if they were given sufficient evidence. According to the man in hell Abraham was wrong and Moses and the Prophets were inadequate. Jesus makes the point from the parable that the word of God is sufficient to lead one to repentance. Moreover, Moses and the Prophets testify to the coming Messiah, that is Jesus himself, so to believe Moses and the Prophets is to trust in Jesus to whom Moses and the Prophets testify (Luke 16:25-31, See Luke 24:27).