The rich man then pleads that Lazarus be sent back to warn his brothers. Secondly, Abraham notes that a great gulf has been fixed between them so that no one can pass from one side to the other. It is the smallest of requests for mercy – just the tip of the finger dipped in water to cool the rich man’s tongue, not the entire body.īut Abraham refuses the request on two grounds – the rich man had good things in his earthly life while Lazarus had a bad life, and now the roles are reversed with Lazarus comforted and the rich man tormented. However, the scene quickly develops into the rich man in the torments of hellfire calling on “Father Abraham” to send Lazarus with at least a drop of water to cool his burning tongue. Upon death, the poor man is carried to the bosom of Abraham where he finds repose, while the rich man is simply buried. The rich man lives sumptuously while Lazarus is covered with sores and longs to be satisfied from the things falling from the rich man’s table. The reversal of expectation will become a major theme in the story. Normally we would expect the rich man to be named and the beggar to be nameless. The first scene of the parable tells of the vastly different positions in life of two men – a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. Because names provide specificity and imply importance, it is instructive that the rich man is never named in the story. The majority of Luke 16 deals with the subject of wealth, and this parable has much to say on the topic. It is unique in that it is the only parable of Jesus that tells of events in the afterlife, and it is the only parable that includes a personal name (Lazarus). The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus appears only in Luke 16. This interpretation seems to be contrary to the general teaching of Scripture that the dead do not know anything (Eccl. The poor man is in Abraham’s bosom, i.e., in paradise and the rich man is suffering in hell while his brothers are still alive here on earth. This parable is frequently referred to as one of the biblical proof texts for the immortality of the soul. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. His request to Abraham, to have Lazarus come and cool his tongue, is audacious, for it suggests that Lazarus should do his bidding, even now in the afterlife.Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom and the rich man also died and was buried. 24, where the rich man knows Lazarus’s name, that they are not strangers to each other.) The man also is presumptuous, perhaps assuming that he deserves good things in life because of his wealth or status. This was done not out of ignorance but out of willful neglect. The man has disregarded the poor, even poor Lazarus who lived so nearby. Jesus never explicitly states why the rich man receives his torment, but the story makes some clear suggestions. After death, their conditions are totally reversed (recall Luke 1:52-53). They live close to one another, perhaps even visible to one another through the gate. One receives the dignity of a burial according to custom the other is carried off to be with Abraham God promised that Abraham would become the father of a great nation, receive a land, and bring blessing to all nations. In Amos the gate is the location of the law court. In the Bible (as in Ruth and the prophets) the city gate was a commercial center where business and social transactions took place. One lives inside a gated home the other lies at the gate Gates are openings in walls or fences for entrance and departure. One feasts daily the other looks for scraps to curb his hunger. One is covered with opulent purple and fine linen the other is covered in sores. The rich man and Lazarus lead two totally opposite forms of existence. But the parable speaks not only about them it extends to Luke’s readers, warning them about the blinding, dangerous capacities of wealth. This parable sits in the context of Jesus criticizing the Pharisees, whom Luke The "beloved physician" and companion of Paul More accuses of being “lovers of money” (16:14). More about a very rich man and a very poor man whose circumstances are reversed after they die. A prominent aspect of Jesus' teaching was telling parables to illustrate something about the kingdom, or reign, of God. Jesus Jesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity More tells a parable A parable is a brief story with a setting, an action, and a result.
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