Jesus did not confront the Pharisees with loud words nor did He engage them with 100 proof texts from the Old Testament proving that He was the Messiah. ![]() This was the exact opposite of what the listeners expected. The rich man goes to hell and the beggar goes to Abraham’s side. They had seen many miracles and they still refused to believe He was the Messiah, so Jesus gave them a prophecy in the form of a story.Īs the story unfolds, Lazarus and the rich man die and their eternal rewards shock the listeners. ![]() (Luke 16:14) He created this illustration because the Pharisees refused to believe anything that He said. Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus in the presence of His disciples and a group of scoffing Pharisees. Who is the rich man who had five brothers? Were both people identifiable to the listeners? What effect was this story supposed to have upon the listeners? What did the listeners know then that we need to know now so that we can properly frame and understand the story? Ultimately, what is the focal point of the story? With these questions in mind, please consider the following: Conflict! Conflict! What is the setting of this passage? Who is talking to whom and under what circumstances? Is there a contest or conflict going on? In this particular story, who is the beggar named Lazarus? The first thing I like to do after reading any passage from Scripture is to ask myself a few questions. 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.'” (Luke 16:19-31) ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’Ībraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets let them listen to them.’ He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 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.’īut 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. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. ![]() ![]() At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. So, let us review the story from Scripture and then I will try to explain it: “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. His ability to put spiritual concepts into words has no equal. He is called “The Word of God” in Scripture for good reason. Before I respond, let me say that the words of Jesus are deep and sometimes difficult to understand. You say there is no eternal burning hell, so please explain the story of the rich man and Lazarus. After reading some of the articles on your website, I have a question. I recently landed on your website while doing a Google search.
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