Jesus And The Great Reversal Series

THE GREAT REVERSAL: Success and prosperity in this life is not an indicator of our eternal situation.

- Luke 16:19-31.

- Matthew 19:23-26; Luke 13:30.

- Often times with this story the focus is set on the reality of hell and the punishment that is there. That is certainly in this story and I will discuss that later, but I don’t think that's the main point.

- The main point, I believe, is the Great Reversal.

- Lazarus has a horrible life on earth. The rich man has a life of ease and pleasure. Our presumptions would be that those states would continue in the life to come. We just generally presume that things are going to continue the way they are going right now. Call it the law of inertia.

- Consider Matthew 19:23-26. The disciples are shocked to learn that it is difficult for a rich man to get into heaven. Why are they shocked? Because, like most people in their day, they presumed that wealth was in some way a sign of God’s blessing and approval. The corollary truth is that poverty and struggle was a sign of God’s rebuke. So it naturally follows that a person’s earthly life was a good indicator of their eternal situation. But Jesus shocks the disciples by saying that is not true.

- Instead, we see a Great Reversal here in Luke 16. The rich man is in Hades; Lazarus is in Paradise. (These are temporary precursors to the permanent thing. They are awaiting the death and resurrection of Christ to make things permanent.) This is a Great Reversal to the way things were in their earthly lives.

- This is a crucial spiritual truth to understand because we obviously don’t want any surprises on Judgment Day. Presuming that our earthly blessings are a guarantee of eternal blessings can lead to just such an unpleasant surprise.

- Luke 13:30: “There are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

- This is an idea that shows up multiple places in the gospels. Most of us have heard these words and understand them. They mean that there is a coming reorganization and things are not going to be the way they are now.

- Probably the most obvious example of this right now is the Epstein scandal. As I write this, another large cache of documents has recently been released and it is wreaking havoc on the lives of many powerful people. People who thought they were above the law and beyond rebuke are finding their lives crashing at their feet. That is happening in their earthly life but we all know that there are countless examples of people who act questionably their whole lives and die presuming they got away with it (or had become so morally calloused that they had fully justified their actions to themselves). To enjoy the pleasures of a questionable life and then have it all come crashing down around you is what we’re talking about when we look at the Great Reversal.

- Many who are first will be last. That means that there are many who are at the front of the line in terms of earthly success and prosperity who will find their eternal situation is abysmal. (More on this later.)

- The Great Reversal is something we need to consider as a reality, lest we get into a situation where we lie to ourselves about what is ahead for us.

- Verse 25 is not a guarantee things will always reverse like that but it is an insight that things may not continue in the next life as in this one.

- This parable is not saying that everyone having earthly success will be in hell. This parable is not saying that everyone with earthly struggle will be in heaven. This is not an absolute law.

- You have some people who are well off financially who use their money, power, and influence in order to try to bring about good things. You have some people who are in poverty because they have made horrible life choices that put them there. This is not a principle that is fated. We each need to make the right choices in the life situation we find ourselves.

- This parable is simply a warning that things often change dramatically on the other side of the curtain.

SHORT-TERM THINKING: Most people don’t think eternally.

- Most people don't think about the life to come. They are consumed with the here and now.

- This is, sadly, true even of most people who claim to be Christians. We all get caught up in the here and now.

- And the point I am making here is not even to the degree of what I discussed under the point: that there is a Great Reversal in the life to come. No, here I just mean thinking about eternity at all in any way.