Likewise, he believed the poor and destitute, like Lazarus, were cursed by God. Like many these days who buy into the “prosperity gospel,” the rich man wrongly saw his material riches as evidence of God’s love and blessing. Those in hell will perfectly recollect missed opportunities and their rejection of the gospel. He was eternally separated from God, and Abraham made it clear to him that there was no hope of ever mitigating his pain, suffering, or sorrow.
That’s why his requests were merely to be comforted and to have a warning sent to his brothers. Notice the rich man didn’t ask for his brothers to pray for his release from some purgatorial middle ground, thereby expediting his journey to heaven. When unbelievers die, they are just as immediately in the conscious pain, suffering, and torment of hell.
When believers die, they are immediately in the conscious fellowship and joys of heaven. The transition to our eternal state takes place the moment we die (2 Corinthians 5:8 Luke 23:43 Philippians 1:23). This story also illustrates that once we cross the eternal horizon, that’s it. Like the rich man in the story, multitudes today are complacent in their conviction that all is well with their soul, and many will hear our Savior tell them otherwise when they die (Matthew 7:23). The Bible is clear that every person who has ever lived will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Yet Christ spoke about hell a great deal, as did Paul, Peter, John, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews. Some even teach “universalism” – the belief that everyone goes to heaven. Sadly, many preachers shy away from uncomfortable topics such as hell. Parable or not, however, there is much we can learn from this passage:įirst of all, Jesus teaches here that heaven and hell are both real, literal places. The purpose of the parable is to teach us the evil result of the unwise neglect of one’s opportunities: Lazarus was rewarded, not because he was poor, but for his virtuous acceptance of poverty the rich man was punished, not because he was rich, but for vicious neglect of the opportunities given him by his wealth.There is some question as to whether this story is a true, real-life account or a parable, since two of its characters are named (making it unique among parables). It is also legendary that the sores of Lazarus were leprous. (2) The Meaning.- Catholic exegetes now commonly accept the story as a parable. Lazarus is not allowed to leave the heavenly banquet and tend to the outcast. Lazarus partakes of the banquet in a place of honor (cf. (b) Their Condition Hereafter.-The earthly banquet is over the heavenly banquet is begun. The beggar had been cast helpless at the rich man’s gate, and lay there all covered with sores he yearned for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, but received none, and was left to the dogs. fine linen), and spent each day in gay carousing. LAZARUS OF THE PARABLE.-(I) The Story.-The dramatic story of the rich man and the beggar (only in Luke, xvi, 19-31) is set forth by Christ in two striking scenes: (a) Their Condition Here.-The rich man was clothed in purple and byssus (D. a character in one of Christ’s parables, and the brother of Martha and Mary of Bethania. Laxaros, a contraction of Eleazaros-see II Mach., vi, 18-meaning in Hebrew “ God hath helped”), the name of two persons in the N.
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