Luke 16:19-31
Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
There are great divides and contrasts on how different people live on earth...There are high society people in many cultures and there are poor and people without homes in differing places...There are wealthy people and there are very poor people...And the question one might have and I think is an interesting one is: "Do these great divides continue throughout eternity?"...
Jesus tells His Disciples and us a story...It is about a man named Lazarus and another man unnamed...We are given the poor man's name...The named man is a poor man and his name is Lazarus...The unnamed man is a rich man and seems to represent wealth on earth...There is this great divide in how Lazarus lives and how the rich man, who dresses in purple, lives...The rich man seems to be living the good life and lives in luxury and linens, while Lazarus is covered with skin sores and longs just to eat anything that might fall from the rich man’s table...His skin is not healthy and even the dogs would come and lick Lazarus' skin sores as he sat outside the rich man's gate and house...It seems Lazarus has little to nothing...Why else is Lazarus a beggar?...And Lazarus needs help with needing food...But no help would come and give help for Lazarus...Not even one who saw Lazarus each and everyday...
This great divide of these two men is on earth...But then both have died...The poor beggar named Lazarus goes to heaven and gets to meet with the Great Patriarch Abraham...The heavenly angels surround Abraham and Lazarus...Now the rich man has to go to Hades, where he lives in torment...As the once rich man looked up he sees Abraham far, far away, with Lazarus, the poor beggar by his side...So the once rich man called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire...The rich man must have been waited on while he was on earth, because he wants Lazarus to help him and bring him water to quench his dry, parched thirst in Hades...The rich man may still think that Lazarus is still one who might serve him a drink...We know twice the rich man asks for Lazarus' help...Once for water, and then for help to tell his family, so that they might avoid his place of torment in Hades...
This great divide has continued between these two men...Now, however, Lazarus is no longer poor, for he is in heaven...In fact, there is no reason to be rich in heaven or for that matter in Hades...Money has no value in these places...But it seems, as we read this story, there still is this great divide between the once rich man who is in Hades, and Lazarus, who is now with heavenly angels and our great ancestor and Patriarch Abraham...Now the rich man needs help...And both men are where they are to live out their eternal years, not just the finite number of years that God gives us on earth...Lazarus in heaven, and the once rich man is in Hades, forever...