Hello everyone,
Today, we will look at the last part of Luke 16, verses 19-31. It is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Here is my translation of the parable:
19 Now there was a man of great wealth, who dressed in purple clothing and fine linen, who lived in luxury and feasted every day. 20 There was also a poor man named Lazarus, who was covered with sores, who was placed at the rich man’s gate. 21 He longed to satisfy his hunger from what fell off of the rich man’s table. Dogs came and licked his sores. 22 Then one day, the poor man died and he was taken away to be at Abraham’s side. Likewise, the rich man died and was buried. 23 While in Hades, in torment, he lifted up his eyes. From far away, he saw Abraham, with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out to Abraham, saying, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool off my tongue, because I am suffering terribly in these flames.25 Then Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your life, you welcomed all the good things, while Lazarus had only bad things. But now, he is here being comforted, while you are in torment. 26 But also, a great chasm has been established between us and you. Because of that, anyone wanting to cross over from here to there would not be able to. Likewise, no one can cross to us from there.27 Then the rich man said, “Then I ask you, Father, send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 Since I have five brothers, he could warn them, so that they may avoid coming to this place of suffering.”29 Abraham responded, “They have Moses and the prophets. They should listen to them.”30 The rich man answered, “No, Father Abraham, but if someone comes back to them from the dead, they will repent.”31 Abraham responds, “If they are not listening to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if someone rises from the dead.”
There are three important characters in the story: A wealthy man, a poor man named Lazarus and Abraham. Robert Stein makes the point that this parable is connected to Jesus’ previous words about loving money, as it tells the story of a man who loves money and the lifestyle that it can provide. (Stein, 421)
The wealthy man had a very good life by our worldly standards. We wore expensive clothes. He dressed in purple, which was expensive. Purple dye was made from snails, and could be hard to come by. The word Greek βύσσον (bysson) used here, means fine linen, and is probably referring to his undergarments. This man had the best of everything, even underwear. Luke describes the man’s lifestyle with these four words. Εὐφραινόμενος καθ’ ἡμέρανλαμπρῶς (Euphrainomenos kath’ hēmeran lamprōs) According to Allan Thompson, these words involve living in luxury and feasting and doing it every day. (Thompson, 259.) So the main character of our story lived a life of extreme comfort and luxury.
On the other side, Lazarus was a poor man who was laid at the rich man’s gate. Lazarus is the only person that is named in any of Jesus’ parables. His name ironically means "he whom the Lord has helped.” The irony is that the name doesn’t seem to fit who we are talking about at all. Lazarus does not seem to be helped by God on any level. Darrell Bock, however, points out the significance of the name, stating that Lazarus is totally dependent on God for everything. (Bock, 1365.) He is poor. He is covered with sores. (the Greek word ἐβέβλητο (ebeblēto) may indicate that he was too ill to move on his own.) And while the rich man feasted, he lay within earshot of the feast, longing to be fed the table scraps that were fed to the dogs.
The two men lived in close proximity to each other. One lived in luxury, while the other lived in poverty and pain. The rich man did not nothing to help alleviate the suffering of the poor man. We can know that he was aware of Lazarus and his suffering, because later he calls Lazarus by name.
Then, both men die. Lazarus is carried by the angels to Abraham’s side, while the rich man finds himself in torment in Hades. The afterlife for Lazarus is a close fellowship with one of the all-time greats of the Old Testament - Abraham.
The afterlife for the rich man was one of torment and pain. Bock notes that now, in death, the man’s riches do not count for anything. (Bock, 1369.) This fits well with the points about money that Jesus had made earlier in the chapter.
Now, the roles have reversed. The one who enjoyed life's pleasures, without any consideration for the other, is now in torment. The one who lived in misery, is now enjoying the banquet at Abraham’s side.
The rich man, used to getting what he wants, begins making requests of Abraham. His first request is that Lazarus would come to him and dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. Is the rich man still trying to boss people around? Even Abraham? The man clearly recognizes Lazarus and calls him by name. He asks for relief from his suffering, something he did not provide for Lazarus. The rich man is longing for just a little water, similar to how Lazarus had longed for table scraps.
Abraham tells the man that the tables have turned. The rich man had everything, and Lazarus nothing, but now Lazarus is comforted, while he suffers. Think about how Jesus has talked about how we should view money, earlier in the chapter. We should be generous and faithful with it, serving God and not money. Undoubtedly, while in torment, the rich man wished he had lived by that standard previously.
Abraham makes it clear that Lazarus could not cross over to the realm that the man is in, even if he wanted to. There is a chasm that separates the two places that cannot be crossed. The text doesn’t say whether Lazarus was willing or unwilling to go or not.
Bock describes the scene like this, “In effect Abraham says that the rich man’s extravagant wealth and lack of compassion on earth has resulted in spiritual poverty and absence of mercy eternally. There is no mercy in the afterlife for those who fail to show compassion in this life.” (Bock, 1372.)
The rich man’s second request is that Abraham sends Lazarus back to warn his brothers, so that they will not end up in that place of torment as well. The rich man seemed to have no compassion for Lazarus in life. It seems that the man is not without compassion, however. He becomes very concerned for his family. Why? I would suspect that his five brothers live lives similar to his. He recognizes their need to repent.
His reasoning is that if someone were to return to them, that they know is dead, that they would listen and then repent, saving them from torment. Abraham rejects his logic, telling him that they already have Moses and the Prophets. They all had access to Moses and the Prophets to tell them how they should live and treat others. If they aren’t listening to that, then they aren’t going to listen to Lazarus, returned from the dead.
Abraham’s response to the rich man is very interesting in its context. Jesus is telling this story and saying that those who don’t listen to God’s Word, aren’t going to change, even if a miracle comes along like someone returning from the dead. Jesus does return from the dead and his detractors generally do not listen.
One more thought. This parable rejects the false formulas that we often hold. “Wealth = God is blessing you” and “Suffering = You have sinned.” These formulas do not hold up in this story. The one with the material blessing was not right with God and the one who suffered was. Lazarus, though poverty-stricken, was honored by God.
Darrell Bock, Luke Volume 2 - 9:51-24:53, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 1996.
Robert Stein, The New american Commentary:Luke, Nashville, TN, B&H Publishing, 1993.
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