In Jesus’ parable of a rich man and a poor man, their fortunes were exactly reversed at death: the poor man went to paradise, while the rich man suffered in hell. In agony, the rich man cried out for help, asking Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers of this tragic, irreversible fate.
16:19-21 Finally, regarding the Pharisees’ attitude toward money (they “dearly loved” it, 16:14), Jesus gave an illustration that vividly portrays the value of money in light of future judgment. This Lazarus should not be confused with the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead in John 11. Incidentally, this is the only person in any of Jesus’ stories who is given a name. The rich man in this parable lived out the lifestyle afforded to the wealthy who lived in the Roman Empire. Splendid clothing, delicious food of all types, and days lived in luxury could be had by those with enough money.
In contrast, there is a poor diseased beggar. Ancient Rome had no middle class—there were the very rich and the very poor. Often the poor were reduced to begging in order to survive. This man, Lazarus, was sick, hungry, and abandoned, so he lay at the rich man’s door, longing for scraps from the rich man’s table. Leftovers were all he desired, and the rich man could easily have shared from his extravagance by sending a servant out with a plateful. But the rich man chose to spend his money on himself, refusing to share, probably not even taking notice of the poor man at his door. His wealth was not sinful, but his selfishness was. While he had everything he could possibly want, Lazarus lay hungry with even the dogs licking his open sores.
- LIFE APPLICATION – HARD-HEARTED HOARDING
- The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of a person’s righteousness. Jesus startled them with this story where a diseased beggar is rewarded and a rich man is punished. The rich man did not go to hell because of his wealth but because he lacked faith and compassion by refusing to feed Lazarus, take him in, or care for him. The rich man was hard-hearted despite his great blessings. The amount of money a person has is not as important as the way he or she uses it. What is your attitude toward your money and possessions? Do you hoard them selfishly, or do you use them to help others?
16:22-23 In time, both the rich man and Lazarus died, for death takes everyone regardless of social station or wealth. The rich man ended up in torment in the place of the dead, the destiny of those who have refused to believe. The “torment” is described in 16:24 as “flames.” Added to the torment was the rich man’s ability to see paradise, with Abraham and Lazarus in peace and luxury. The role reversal is obvious—as Lazarus once lay in pain outside the door of the rich man’s house watching him feast, so here the rich man was in torment watching the joy far away in heaven.
In contrast, Lazarus must have been a God-fearing man, despite the fact that God had not allowed him an easy or pleasant lifetime on earth. When Lazarus died, the angels carried him to be with Abraham, another way of describing the Kingdom.
Jesus’ words teach about the danger of making money a god or idol, trusting money more than God, and the finality of God’s judgment.
16:24-25 Not only could the rich man in this story see into heaven’s bliss from his torment, but he could call out to those in paradise as well. He spoke to Father Abraham, a title any Jew would use for Abraham, the father of their nation (John 8:39). The request for Abraham to send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water shows that the rich man’s basic attitude had not changed. For all his deference to Abraham, he still thought of Lazarus as no more than a messenger who could be sent by Abraham to do the rich man a favor.
Abraham sent an answer, but not the one that the rich man wanted or even expected. The rich man may have thought there was a mistake. He had been rich, and if wealth was a sign of God’s blessing, why would he be in agony? Abraham explained that, during their time on earth, the rich man had everything, but Lazarus had nothing. While the rich man could have helped the poor within his reach (such as Lazarus), he chose only personal pleasure. The roles for eternity would be reversed. Lazarus went from pain and hunger to comfort; the rich man went from pleasure and merriment to anguish. This would have unnerved the Pharisees who were listening to this parable. To them, wealth was a sign of God’s blessing, poverty a sign of God’s disfavor. So they enjoyed their wealth and did not attempt to bridge the chasm that separated them from the “disfavored ones.” But Jesus was explaining that another chasm would develop, and they would find themselves on the wrong side.
16:26 Abraham explained to the rich man that he couldn’t send Lazarus because between them and him was a great chasm and no one can cross over. The ultimate fates cannot be changed. God’s decision upon death is final. There is only one life on this earth, and that is the time of decision. People cannot wait until eternity to make their relationship right with God—it will be too late. The judgment will have been made on the basis of their choices, and it will be irreversible.
16:27-29 The rich man still thought Lazarus could be sent on messenger duty. If Lazarus could not come to help him, then he wanted Lazarus sent to warn his five brothers about the place of torment so they wouldn’t have to go there when they died. Abraham simply explained that they could read the words of Moses and the prophets (that is, the Old Testament) and there find the warnings about the place of torment. If those brothers hadn’t heeded the major message of God in his word, they would not heed a messenger.
- LIFE APPLICATION – HARD-CORE SKEPTIC
- In his life, the rich man refused to listen to God’s command to be generous to the poor. Honest and difficult questions about God will always tug at the minds and hearts of honest searchers who are open and curious and do not regard questions as threats or sins. Hard-core skeptics reject such questions as unsolvable and therefore unimportant. Their minds are resolved to avoid matters of faith, God, and eternity. If you have questions, that’s good. Keep looking for answers. If you have given up, take this story’s warning. The serious pursuit of good questions is our human responsibility; an uncaring disposition erects a high wall between you and truth. One day all must give an account for rejecting God.
16:30-31 Perhaps the rich man knew his brothers only too well. The suggestion that they read God’s word (or listen to it read in the synagogue) met with a no. It just wouldn’t happen—probably for the same reasons that the rich man himself never had heeded the warnings therein. So the rich man begged that someone from the dead go back to them. Surely, then, they would turn from their sins. Abraham answered that if these brothers did not listen to Moses and the prophets, then they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead and appears to them.
Notice the irony in Jesus’ statement; on his way to Jerusalem to die, he was fully aware that even when he had risen from the dead, most of the religious leaders would not accept him. They were set in their ways, and neither Scripture nor God’s Son himself would shake them loose.
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Sources: Bible Background Commentary, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Life Application Bible Commentary, Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary
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