THE PARABLE OF LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN
(a First person sermon)
Warsaw Christian Church Richard Bowman, Pastor
My name is Lazarus. Some think I am not real, merely a character in one of Jesus’ parables. Others say I lived, that when Jesus told a parable, he did not use real names. Since he used my name in this “parable,” it could be that I was a real person, not just a character in one of His stories. I leave that for you to decide. Today, I speak as a real person and speak to you on a crucial topic. Do you know what happens after death? I want to give you some insight into that question, but first, a little about myself.
I lived in the days when Jesus, the blessed One, walked upon the earth. I must tell you that my life was miserable in one sense but glorious in another. My earthly life was characterized by sickness and poverty. Looking at this crowd, I can see that none of you know what it is like to be poor, and I mean dirt poor. I had an ailment that resulted in my body being covered with sores. My sickness had so weakened me that I could not walk. I couldn’t be seen in public places. My presence was too offensive for decent people. People don’t like being around those with open sores with a foul discharge. I couldn’t go to the synagogue. It seemed that mainly the well-to-do folks went there.
As a result of my illnesses, I could not work. I had no income and had to survive by begging. Do you know how humiliating it is to beg? Some people would hurry past me, fearful of getting close to a loathsome creature like me. I had no friends. I was alone in life, sick and poor, and very lonely. Do you know what it is like to be lonely, really lonely? Who would want to befriend me? Who would want to embrace me? Who would want to come near to a sickly, poor man? I had a few relatives, but even they stayed their distance from me.
Some of the religious folks considered me unclean. They were cautious to stay away from me. They believed that my sickness and poverty were a curse from God. They assumed I was a wicked man to be cursed with my condition. I could sometimes hear them whispering, “That poor Lazarus must be an awful sinner. Look how God has punished him.” For a while, I believed that. I thought, “God must hate me to allow me to be in this condition.” When you have no family or friends and feel rejected by God, that is about as bad as it gets.
I did have a few beggar friends who were not as crippled as I was. They would carry me into town each day and lay me down at the gate of a wealthy man. I hoped he would sweep up the crumbs after his family had eaten and give them to me. He was very good about that, and I survived on crumbs. Sometimes I thought, “He could give me a real meal if he wanted to,” but I was grateful for the crumbs. At least the dogs seemed to like me. They would come to me and lick my sores, which was more than any human did for me. This was my daily routine until, at last, death set me free.
I know that many people fear death, but I want to tell you that it was a glorious experience for me. One moment I was a sickly beggar, and the next moment, the angels of God were carrying me to Paradise, right into the presence of Abraham, the father of our faith. I believed in an afterlife but didn’t know how wonderful it would be. Can you believe it? Angels escorting Lazarus, the beggar, into the presence of Abraham! When you have been ignored and despised all your life, it is quite an ego boost to be escorted by angels. In an instant, I realized that my earthly sufferings were nothing compared to Paradise’s glories. I suffered for a few short years but will enjoy Paradise forever! So, I must tell you not to fear death. If you are a person of faith in the Messiah, Jesus, I know your experience of moving from death to life will be as glorious as was mine.
Something very unusual happened to me in Paradise. I don’t believe it was a typical experience. I think the Lord wanted to communicate an important truth, so I was allowed to see the afterlife experience of that rich man at whose gate I had begged. Unfortunately, he died shortly after I did. I suppose he had a grand funeral, with many hired mourners wailing in despair over his death. I am sure his tomb was impressive, unlike the pauper’s grave where my earthly remains were placed.
Well, something very unusual happened. I was suddenly able to see that rich man, but he was not in Paradise. He was in Hades and was suffering great torment. Flames were lapping at him, but he was not consumed. His weeping and wailing were so loud that I knew he suffered greatly. Suddenly he looked at Abraham and me, and he cried out: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
Can you believe it! He is still ordering people around. He remembers me and asked Abraham to send me to cool him down. What nerve! He still thinks of me as a beggar-servant, someone he can snap his fingers at, and I will do his bidding.
He seemed to have lacked the one necessary thing for all of his wealth. He was a man who lived for himself and pushed God into the background. He was without faith. You would think he would be asking if there was some way he could escape his fate, but all he can think of is to snap out orders to me! “Send Lazarus! Lazarus is a nobody. Send him to me.” I wondered how Father Abraham would respond. Would he send me on this errand to help this suffering man? While I was thinking these thoughts, Abraham spoke. He reminded the rich man that he had many good things during his life and seemed content with what he had. He had plenty of food, wine, a rich wardrobe, a fine home, and many servants, and he seemed satisfied with these worldly things. I guess he was so content that he took no time to seek out God. Abraham reminded him of these things and then pointed out that I had experienced nothing but pain, toil, and trouble during my life. In my misery, especially after I met Jesus, I did seek out a relationship with God. I had nothing else to hold on to except God. My, how the tables were turned! The rich man thought he had everything, but ultimately he had nothing. I thought I had nothing, but in the end, I had everything. I was being comforted by Father Abraham, and the one who shared nothing with me but a few crumbs from his table was in eternal torment.
Abraham then informed the rich man of a very incredible truth that comforted me but must have increased the anguish of the rich man. He told him his destiny was settled forever once you leave this life. Those in Hades cannot travel up to Paradise, and those in Paradise cannot take a trip to Hades. A great gulf is fixed between the two, and none can cross that gulf. I was comforted by those words. The joy and comfort I was experiencing in Paradise would never end. But, sadly, the anguish suffered by the rich man would also never come to an end.
Then, that poor lost soul made a second request. He asked Abraham if I could be resurrected from the dead and return to earth to warn the rich man’s five brothers that they might escape that awful place of torment. I guess he didn’t get it. He is still trying to order me around. He wants me to return to earth and tell his brothers that hell is real, and they must try to escape it.
Do you see anything strange in this request? His only concern is for his brothers, who were undoubtedly living the same life he lived. He wants me to go and warn them. Never mind going to warn those who, like myself, are poor beggars. Let them go to hell. Please pay close attention to how Abraham answered him. Father Abraham answered, “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.” Do you grasp the importance of those words? God has revealed Himself and the way to Paradise in the writings of Moses and the prophets. They don’t need a miraculous resurrection. They need to believe what God has said in Scripture. Had his five brothers taken the Old Testament seriously, it would have led them straight to Jesus, the Messiah. Moses and the prophets bear witness to Jesus. Abraham told the rich man that if he wanted to inherit heaven and avoid hell, he must believe what God says in Scripture.
Do you want to join me in heaven? Don’t be looking around for some miracle to persuade you that God is real. Read the Scriptures. Believe what you read, and you will join me in glory one day. This was Abraham’s response to the rich man. His brothers possessed God’s word, leading them to glory if they read and believed.
The wealthy fellow still doesn’t get it. He knows his brothers pay no attention to Scripture. They are just like he was, so full of themselves and their wealth; they took no interest in reading that old book. But, reasons the rich man, if I were sent to them, this would be an absolute miracle. If they saw old Lazarus raised from the dead, they would repent and turn to God.
Did you notice Abraham’s response? “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” Do you think these five brothers would have repented if I had been raised from the dead and went to preach to them? They would have suspected a trick, dismissed me as an illusion, or maybe suspected I was the devil himself trying to confuse them. Why would they think that an old beggar surely cursed by God would have anything important to say to these wealthy, successful brothers, even if I had been raised from the dead?
I suppose it has already occurred to you that the Father did indeed raise one from the dead. Jesus, the blessed Messiah, later went to the cross and was raised triumphantly from the grave. Did the world flock to Him after He was raised from death? No, they denied that it happened, and the ancient world persecuted those who believed in Him. Only a few believed in Him, and they took God’s revelation in Scripture seriously.
My name is Lazarus, and I am a poor beggar who ended up in heaven. Do you think I spend much time in heaven groaning and complaining about my miserable life on Earth? I am so glad I listened to Moses and the prophets and ended up in heaven that I never thought about my earthly sufferings. What do they matter once you are in Paradise?
Do you also wonder if the rich man consoles himself in hell by remembering that he had it all during his brief earthly life? Does he find comfort in knowing he was rich for a few short years? The just judgment of God poured out on those in hell is so terrible that they find no comfort anywhere.
You have so much more than this rich man had. He had Moses and the prophets.
You have Moses, the prophets, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Paul and Peter, James
and Jude. They reveal so plainly the pathway to life. They point the way to Jesus very clearly. So believe what they write, trust Jesus, and we shall be together in Paradise one day.
