Lessons from A Rich Man and The Beggar: Lazarus

Scripture Reading: Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.”

Deuteronomy 15:7
“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother.”

INTRODUCTION:
Jesus telling us about two men (Luke 16:19–21), two destinations (Luke 16:22–23), and two desperate prayers that never get answered in hell (Luke 16:24–31). He began by saying: “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 16:19-21). Some people refer to what he said as “The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.” Yet Luke does not refer to this teaching as a parable. This is not a parable at all, but simply a straightforward record of something that really happened.

There was one main difference between Lazarus and the rich man: the rich man was nameless, but Lazarus was named. The difference is ever so important. It is the difference between being known and honored by God and not being known or honored by God. The rich man did not know God; therefore, he was unknown to God and God was not able to honor him. He was nameless to God. Lazarus knew God and was known by God. This name Lazarus is Latin and is derived from the Greek Lazaros (from Eleazaros), which, in turn, represents the Hebrew name Eleazar, meaning “God has helped.” “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” (John 10:14)

1. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THEASE MEN (Luke 16:19-21).
It should be made clear that the unnamed rich man was not condemned to Hades because of his wealth. He was rich. Well, so was Abraham and so was Joseph of Arimathea. Nowhere does the Bible blame them for being rich. But with reference to Abraham and Joseph we do not read what is said further in the description of the rich man. The basis of salvation is faith in the Lord, and men are condemned for refusing to believe in Him. But this particular rich man showed that he did not have true saving faith by his careless disregard of the beggar who was laid at his gate. If he had had the love of God and fear of God in him, he could not have lived in luxury, comfort, and ease when a fellow helpless man was outside his front door, begging for a few crumbs of bread. He would have entered violently into the kingdom by abandoning his love of money. He lived for self, catering to bodily pleasures and appetites. He had no genuine love for God, and no care for his fellow man.

It is likewise true that Lazarus was not saved because he was poor. He had trusted the Lord for the salvation of his soul. Lazarus presents a striking contrast. He was a wretched beggar, dropped off every day in front of the rich man’s house, full of sores, with hunger, and plagued by unclean dogs that came and licked his sores.

2. DEATH IS THE COMMON END TO WHICH ALL CLASSES OF MANKIND MUST COME (Luke 16:22).
All acknowledge death, but not many realize it. There is eating, drinking, planning but not much thinking about dying. Death is a changing point, for happiness or sorrow. Death ends the opportunity of making a choice. We learn here that the choices of this life determine our eternal destiny, and once death has taken place, that destiny is fixed.

3. SOULS OF BELIEVERS ARE CARED FOR AT THE HOUR OF DEATH (Luke 16:22)
Both the rich man and the poor man die (Luke 16:22), but they go to two different places. “The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side”—which is a way of referring to heaven. The angels carried Lazarus “to Abraham’s side” (Luke 16:22), sometimes referred to as “the bosom of Abraham.” Since Abraham is “the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11), it makes sense for believers to be with him when they die. Since the name of Lazarus was written in heaven, the angels came for him when he died. What a touching picture this is of the love that God has for his people at the time of death. The Scripture says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Ps. 116:15), and here in Luke we see proof that this is true.

The fact that Lazarus was by the angels carried to Abraham’s bosom certainly proves that he had been true to his name. While on earth he had placed his trust in God as his Helper, and now God had ordered the angels to take his soul to Paradise. From the NT, we know that when a believer dies, his body goes to the grave, but his soul goes to be with Christ in heaven (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23).

We are told, the rich man “was buried and being in torment in Hades.” Hades also refers to hell. When an unbeliever dies, his body likewise goes to the grave, but his soul goes to Hades a place of suffering and remorse. At the time of the Rapture, the bodies of believers will be raised from the grave and reunited with their spirits and souls (1 Thess. 4:13-18). They will then dwell with Christ eternally. At the Judgment of the Great White Throne, the bodies, spirits, and souls of unbelievers will be reunited (Rev. 20:12-13). They will then be cast into the lake of fire, a place of eternal punishment.

Some people say that God is so completely a God of love that he would never send anyone to hell. People in hell will never be able to claim that they have been treated unfairly. No, God will treat them with perfect justice, and if they are unhappy with where they end up, they will have only themselves to blame. Jesus says about the reality of heaven and hell. The person who dies will go to one of these two places. God appoints a person to die once, and after that comes judgment (Heb 9:27).

4. THE REALITY OF HELL (Luke 16:23-24).
In hell there is torments. Hell was not prepared for man. God never meant that man would ever go to hell. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, but man rebelled against God and followed the devil. Hell is essentially and basically banishment from the presence of God for deliberately rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

It must have come as a shock to the disciples when Jesus said that this rich Jew went to Hades a place of suffering. They had always been taught from the OT that riches were a sign of God’s blessing and favor. An Israelite who obeyed the Lord was promised material prosperity. How then could a wealthy Jew go to Hades? Riches are not a sign of blessing. It is true God blesses his children with riches. They are a test of a man’s faithfulness in stewardship. To whom much is given, of him will much be required.

5. Hell has been eternally separated from heaven (Luke 16:26).
Abraham said, “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us” (Luke 16:26). These two men had lived practically right next door to one another, but now they were separated forever. An eternal divide has been set in place, put there by almighty God. Hell has been eternally separated from heaven by divine decree. God has done this for a purpose. According to Jesus, he has done it “in order that” no one from hell can escape to heaven and no one from heaven can go to help anyone in hell.

People sometimes imagine that there must be some way for the saints in glory to go and rescue people who are trapped in hell. But Jesus says that God has made a chasm between heaven and hell for the very purpose of preventing this from happening. Hell has no exit. So by the time an unbeliever gets there it will be too late to be saved, too late to hear the gospel, too late to believe in Jesus Christ, too late to avoid the everlasting agony of eternity without God. Now is the time when people have the opportunity to be saved.

6. GREAT MIRACLES WILL NOT EFFECT SINFUL HEARTS WHEN THE MESSAGE OF GOD IS NOT BELIEVED (Luke 16:31). 

The rich man wanted someone to go to his five brothers and warn them against coming to that place of torment. How wrong he was! Someone from the dead did actually appear to the people. And his name was Lazarus of Bethany. The story is found in John 11. Was the result that everybody was converted? Not at all. The result was that Christ’s enemies planned to put to death the risen Lazarus (John 12:10), and were more determined than ever to destroy Jesus (John 11:47–50).

Abraham’s reply was that these five brothers, being Jews, had the OT, and these should be sufficient to warn them. The rich man contradicted Abraham, stating that if one should go to them from the dead, they would surely repent. However, Abraham had the last word. He said that failure to listen to the Word of God is final. If people will not heed the Bible, they would not believe if a person rose from the dead. This is proved in the case of the Lord Jesus Himself. He arose from the dead, and many still do not believe in Him. God’s method in bringing souls to Calvary is through the preached word. The Word of God is sufficient to lead us to salvation. If a sinner refuses to believe the gospel nothing else can reach him.

CONCLUSION:
Lazarus had a lifetime of suffering (Luke 16:25). Now it’s his turn to enjoy the comfort of being with God. All our suffering will be turned to comfort in the presence of God. Suffering will give way to glory. The first will be last, and the last will be first. No one who trusts Christ will face shame in eternity. Lazarus sits with Abraham—a picture of fellowship with God—and it will never be taken from him.

Students in the MBA program at Harvard University were asked to create a strategic plan for their lives under the title “What Do I Hope to Achieve in Life after Graduation?” The top three answers were wealth, fame, and status. No one said anything at all about service. (Joni Erickson Tada in “Sent to Serve,” Wheaton (Autumn 2005). But the Bible says, “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17; James 2:15-16). This is a test of our own godliness. Do we use what we have only for ourselves, or do we use it for people who are in greater need than we are? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and heal the sick. Help people, whatever their needs may be.

Don’t be like this rich man. The Lord said in verse Luke 16:9 that riches will fail. It’s certain. This man discovered that, didn’t he? He lived a great life with fancy clothes and lavish feasting, but his money couldn’t buy him heaven. He could not escape hell once there. He couldn’t even warn others. The gospel is only good news to us if we respond in time. We must repent and believe before we die so that we might have Christ as our Savior and an eternal dwelling with him. Are we storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven, or are we trusting the world’s riches that will fail? Will you use this life to take hold of eternal life? In the end there are really only two kinds of people, who will reach two very different destinations. Do not end up in the terrible place where even prayers for mercy will not be answered, but cross into glory now, while you still have the opportunity. Jesus said, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

©Alexander Thomas – No distribution beyond personal use without permission
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.