Rich Man & Lazarus
Jesus told a story ( Luke 16: 19-31) about a rich man; he died and went to hell because of his sins. While he had lived on earth in luxury, he had ignored a beggar called Lazarus who sat daily at his gate waiting for help from him. Both of them died; Lazarus was taken up into heaven, while the rich man went to hell. The rich man was in torment and saw Lazarus sat with Abraham in paradise while he was suffering, full of sorrow and regretting how he had lived his life.
The rich man realised that he could have obeyed God’s word - now it was too late! He asked for mercy, he cried out;
‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames’ (Luke 16:24).
Abraham then reminded him of how he had lived for himself during his time on earth, rejected the Word of God; and so was now reaping the consequences of his selfishness. Also a great chasm separated them both and nobody from either side could cross it.
The rich man then asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to his family;
‘I want him to warn them about this place of torment so they won’t have to come here when they die’ (Luke 16:28).
Abraham told the rich man,
“‘Moses and the prophets have warned them [already]. Your brothers can read their writings anytime they want to.’ The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.’ But Abraham said, ’If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead’” (Luke 16:27-31) [My Paraphrase].
What is Jesus saying?
What is Jesus saying here? We need to place this messsage in today’s context. The message of Jesus: the gospel, has already been told; the work of Jesus is complete; there is no more. Jesus has won our salvation. He will return and we will all be judged on whether we have accepted Him or rejected Him in our life ( Matthew 25: 31-46).
Rejection
The rich man realised too late that what he had rejected all his life was in fact the truth. In the same way that we can reject the gospel: the message of Jesus and go about our daily lives in selfishness, putting ourselves first, pushing Jesus aside and carrying on living without Him in our lives. We can dismiss the gospel as rubbish, an old story that bears no relevance today. We can reject it because we wish to continue living the way we are and in our pride not humble ourselves to turn to Jesus.
Eternity
In telling the story of the rich man Jesus is making us aware of our selfishness and that how we live today will have consequences which will affect us for eternity. The rich man was in torment - he had accepted his eternal fate - he knew he could not change it and in remorse he did not want his family to suffer the same fate as him. He wanted them to believe in Jesus before it was too late. He could not cross the chasm to warn them. Jesus does not want the same fate for us, He loves us too much, but it is our choice.
The Gospel of Jesus
Jesus says that the truth has been told through God’s Word, the message of salvation and forgiveness of our sins has already been accomplished by his death, but people refuse to believe this now. The rich man’s plea is that if someone was to return from the dead, they - his family - will turn from their sins. Jesus returned from the dead! Do you believe Him and turn from your sins? Or continue to reject Him and live for yourself; regarding His message and death as immaterial? Is even the message of someone dying for you and then returning from the dead, to give you the chance of being saved from the same fate as the rich man enough to make you turn to follow Jesus - is it?
As with the rich man, the message has been given, will it make you change your ways and turn to Jesus ? Have you believed this and acted upon it, or will you wait until it is too late and then cry out for mercy. The choice is yours - Jesus has already done everything, the rest is up to you. Your choice is now an act of faith. We cannot wait until we know for sure - we have to take that step. When we do know for sure, it will be too late! Jesus loves us - enough to die for us; and wants us to be stood with Him in paradise like Lazarus. Could he do anymore? Can you for Him? Is He not worthy of your love? He is waiting for you.
Going Forward
If you feel you want to know more about this, or seek out Jesus in your life then the link below will direct you to a Church in your area who will be able to help you on this journey.
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