I read this blog for you on you tube: https://youtu.be/WIBX-gxe4WQ
Luke 16:19-31 Read it first. Here’s a link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2016%3A19-31&version=NLT
Well this is not a particularly happy story. If we had any remaining inkling that Jesus might be trying to win friends and influence people, this should silence that thought forever. Jesus wasn’t trying to be liked, he was trying to rescue people. He loves us and he wants us to enter his kingdom. Judging by the tone and content of this story, he was still talking to the same audience which contained some Pharisees who we were previously told loved money. There is a lot to question and wonder about here, and I feel like I could wander down several bunny trails, but let’s make sure we don’t miss the point before we get distracted.
Money can present a dangerous distraction. When we love it, we can behave in ways that imperil our eternal soul. The rich man in Jesus’ story enjoyed his wealth. He dressed to impress and lived lavishly. And he had no compassion for poor, suffering Lazarus. We can visualize the man stepping over Lazarus without a glance as he travelled to and from his business meetings and luxurious parties.
It doesn’t take very long as we read the gospels to understand that God cares about those who are impoverished and hurting. Jesus was only just talking about using our financial resources to build relationships with people for the purpose of bringing them into the kingdom. He often talks about blessing those who can’t repay us. While part of his ministry was spent in dialogue with the religious leaders, trying to help them recognize their own misinterpretations of scripture, most of it was spent teaching, healing and feeding the seemingly inconsequential masses. The way a person treats someone who can offer them nothing, is a really good indicator of that person’s true character.
When God allows someone to be financially successful, he expects them to use their possessions well. This rich man and his brothers spent their wealth on themselves. Despite their Jewish heritage which would have taught them to look out for the poor, the widowed, and the foreigner in their midst, they utterly neglected those in need. It also appears from the story that their wealth had completely blinded them. When the rich man asks Abraham to warn his brothers, Abraham explains that they have been warned, just like he was, but that nothing will get their attention. Honestly, I think the rich man is still blind. He really does not understand that Lazarus is a person, precious to God and having at least equal value to him and his brothers. Lazarus has suffered his whole life and is finally well and enjoying a banquet. He is finally experiencing the fulfillment of his life-long desperate wishes, and the rich man wants Lazarus to bring him water. When that request is denied, he asks that Lazarus be sent away from his peace, rest and celebration to warn the man’s brothers. Even in hell this man does not get it. He still thinks Lazarus is beneath him, and only fit to serve him.
Jesus clearly perceives the blindness of the rich man reflected in his audience. It inspires him to make a prophecy of his own. Even if someone came back from the dead, these people won’t believe. There is no doubt that Jesus knows that his own death and resurrection are ahead of him. He also knows that among the religious leaders who will have him executed, are those who will see him after his resurrection and still refuse to believe that he is the saviour of the world that their scriptures predicted.
Part of the problem some religious leaders had with believing Jesus was the promised Messiah was that they thought he was coming to overthrow their oppressors and make Israel wealthy and powerful. A saviour who came to heal and restore and bless all people was not as attractive. And Jesus was showing no sign of deposing Rome and reversing their fortunes. If he was the saviour, they wanted a different one. Like the rich man, their hunger for power and wealth blinded them to the kingdom that Jesus offered.
If there is one central point that we need to take away from this, it’s the same one Jesus has been pounding for the last few passages. Be careful how you relate to your possessions. If you recognize that everything you own is a gift from God and a tool to be used for God’s glory, you’re on the right track. But if you love money and only use it for your own gain, you are in a very dangerous place.
Ok, having ensured that we didn’t miss the point, there are a few side-quests on which this story can take us. Again, I’m just a student of the Bible like you. I’m learning as I go. The only things that I’m going to dig in on are things that agree with the rest of what scripture says.
For instance, it seems to be the testimony of many passages of scripture that this life is our one shot at determining how and where we spend eternity. When Abraham says there is a chasm between them that no one can cross, that checks out. It seems pretty clear that when we die, we face judgement. Either we will stand before him on our own merit and be held up to God’s standard. Heads up, this will end badly for every single one of us. We are told that everyone falls short. Or we will wisely hide behind Jesus and let him give us his righteousness because we believed in him and in what he has done for us. Throughout the Bible we are given word pictures that describe those who have believed in Jesus and made him our Lord. We are described as hidden in him, clothed by him, covered in his blood. The only hope we have of surviving judgement is if we allow Jesus to stand there for us just like he did on the cross. And if we do that, we are told it is not just a distant hope we have, it is a guarantee. Either we stand in judgement and spend eternity in hell, or we let Jesus stand for us and spend eternity in the paradise of his presence. The choice we made in life to receive or reject Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf is a choice that governs our eternity. There are no do-overs.
A question that this story might also raise for us is, do people in heaven and hell see one another. All I can say in response to that is, this is the only place (of which I am aware) where something like that is mentioned. Jesus is telling a story to make a point. It doesn’t seem to me that we need to claim this is a historical account. Jesus often spoke in parables. This story is a little out of the ordinary in that he names one of the characters, but it still seems likely that this is a story illustrating a point and not intended to be a historical record. Regardless, the descriptions we read of heaven really seem to preclude the possibility of witnessing pain and suffering. It’s also worth noting that, although the rich man calls out to Abraham and asks him to get Lazarus to help him, there is no indication that Lazarus is even aware of the conversation. My dude is feasting. It doesn’t appear that he is doing anything else. I really don’t think that this story is teaching that there is any line of sight or communication between heaven and hell. I think we can lay that worry to rest.
A final question that this might raise is to do with Abraham. The idea that Lazarus goes to Abraham’s side, or even Abraham’s bosom as some old translations say is a little perplexing. And why is Abraham talking to the rich man? Even if Lazarus seems oblivious to the conversation, Abraham clearly isn’t. There is a lot of conjecture about the place being described here. Is it heaven? Or is it a place people waited until Jesus made the sacrifice on the cross? Is it a permanent spot or just temporary? Is the Abraham mentioned here literally Abraham whose life is described in Genesis, or is this a metaphor of some kind? Abraham was the father of nations. God is the father of Abraham and the father of nations. Is this just a weird metaphorical reference to God?
What’s going on here?
So, here’s what I know.
Nuthin.
Having read the Bible a lot, having frequently read the words Jesus spoke and the things that he zoned in on, I don’t think Jesus was trying to teach us about heaven and hell in this story. I think he was giving us a word picture that demonstrated the devastating eternal consequences of valuing money more highly than God and the people he put in our lives for our care. We might get the sort of glance at eternity that we have in a pitch black room when lightning shatters the darkness for a fraction of a second, but that’s about it. I think we are safest not to infer much beyond the point he was overtly expressing. Time to move on.
