The Rich Man And Lazarus Series

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Introduction

Luke’s gospel is known for having a lot to say about riches and poverty. We might assume that Jesus mostly talked to poor people, but we know he spoke to the Pharisees, many of whom would have been wealthy. (16:14) He also was known to hang around with tax collectors - also wealthy people. In the first part of Luke 16 he tells the story of the shrewd manager - a story about money. In Luke 19 we have the story of Zacchaeus who was short in stature, but large in wealth.

In today’s text we have a story about a wealthy man and an impoverished man whose stories intersect at the gate of the wealthy man. This is a haunting story and one that features people with opposite experiences in life and death.

Luke 16:19-31

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores

21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.

26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,

28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

As I see it, there are three main messages in this parable.

1. A MESSAGE ABOUT WEALTH

The Rich Man was living the best life! Dressed in the best his time had to offer. When he ate, he enjoyed a feast every day. He had swagger and money. He knew all the right people. He had places to be. Important influencer. Isn’t This the kind of person we admire most? We are all very blessed with earthly possessions and wealth. Do we fall into the mistakes of the rich man?

What were the Rich Man’s mistakes? (Lightfoot)

He was indifferent. How long was the beggar at his gate? He was calloused to human distress, even with a man he passed every day who needed his help. Barclay: It’s a terrible warning to remember that the sin of [the Rich Man] was, not that he did wrong things, but that he did nothing.”

He was selfish. “Lying behind his cold unconcern was a self-centered life occupied with pleasures. His physical enjoyments were his chief pride. Absorbed in them, he became mercilessly oblivious to the needs of others.” (Lightfoot) Even in torment, his first thoughts are for himself - and believing he could send Lazarus on an errand for him. He still thinks Lazarus is beneath him!

He minimized the place of God’s Word in his life. God told him that his brothers could listen to Moses and the prophets and believe. This was something he did not do himself. Wealth is not wrong, but the wrong attitude toward wealth can rob us of eternal life.

1 John 3:17 "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?"

James 2:15-16 "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?"

Often when we have the wrong attitude toward wealth, we have the wrong attitude toward the poor….

2. A MESSAGE ABOUT THE POOR