"a Crypt-Tic Tale:" The Rich Man And Lazarus

Parables to Live By

“A Crypt-tic Tale: The Rich Man and Lazarus”

Luke 16:19-31

Watch on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-HKUffZoBI

Over the last several months, we’ve been looking at a series of stories told by Jesus to an eclectic group of individuals; from tax-collectors to Pharisees, from sinners to scribes, and to His disciples who were there to receive His words of life, and just as He is speaking to us today.

We’ve been looking at a series of parables from out of Luke’s gospel and they’ve been leading us to one of the most profound parables of them all, and that is the story the rich man and Lazarus, or what I’m calling, “A Crypt-tic Tale.” Now, some believe this was not a parable, but an actual occurrence because out of all the parables Jesus taught, not once did He ever call someone by name, but here Jesus identified the poor man by the name, Lazarus.

Now, when you watch TV, it seems like all we see are these various reality shows, from singing, dancing, and surviving, to shows about cooking and fashion. Yet these shows are not original in their desire to reveal reality. The Bible not only is reality, but it reveals actual stories about real people and a real God who rules and reigns and to whom we must all give an account in the end.

When I think about this story, and the rich man’s desire to send Lazarus back from the dead, from the grave, to tell his brothers of their need to change their ways, the story of a young college graduate comes to mind. His name was Tom. Ready to enter the working world and make his fortune, he joined his uncle Morty’s investment firm.

On his first day, uncle Morty took him to lunch and was ready to tell him a secret investment that would make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But before he could say a word, he took a bite of his shrimp cocktail and choked to death.

After his burial, Tom was up in his room lamenting the loss and blurted out, “Uncle Morty, come back and give me that tip so I can have the life I always dreamed of.”

Suddenly, at the end of Tom’s bed, the ghost of uncle Morty appeared and said, “I’ve come to tell you what you need to hear.” Excitedly, Tom responded, “Tell me Uncle, what is that secret?” And uncle Morty replied, “Don’t eat the shrimp.”

For those who would like to hear some supernatural wisdom beyond the grave, Jesus tells this remarkable story of a man who believed that things would have been different if only he could have received such a message.

Yet Jesus clarified that even such communication wouldn’t make a difference, because they still wouldn’t believe, even if someone came back from the dead. So, the moral of today’s message would be this.

Listen to God Now, or You’ll Regret it for all Eternity

Remember the other week when I said that one of the quickest ways to empty a church is to talk about money? Well, today, we’re going to talk about the second way, and that is to talk about Hell. And what I find interesting is that Hell runs a close second in what Jesus taught, second only to money and material possessions. (So, things aren’t boding too well for our upcoming messages.)

J.C. Ryle, however said, “It’s not possible to say too much about Christ. But it is quite possible to say too little about hell.” (J.C. Ryle)

Teachings on Hell have fallen on lean times in the American church. Years ago, the vast number of Christians believed in Hell as an actual place, and preachers spoke often about the horrors of Hell to warn their hearers of their impending destination if they didn’t repent and believe.

But today, rarely is Hell spoken about. Most churches have stopped preaching about Hell or even using the word, because it makes seekers squeamish. And not only do they believe Hell is too old-fashioned, but that it is bad for the church’s bottom line, that is attendance and income.

Yet, Jesus spoke often and soberly about Hell with this constant warning - Avoid Hell at All Costs.

We see this in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount where He said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29 NKJV)

Jesus was using a hyperbole in his illustration about hell. A hyperbole is an exaggeration not to be taken literally, but to make a point that cannot be misconstrued.

Within His teaching about Hell, Jesus describes it as a place of outer darkness where there is great torment, which He describes as a place of weeping, wailing, and a gnashing of teeth in pain and anguish.