The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘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.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
On the Rich man and Lazarus.
· It isn’t a pure parable (since a character is named) but is not necessarily a real event.
· It is a pointed message to the Pharisees, Jesus just having told the parable of the unjust steward and the Pharisees, being called lovers of money, derided Jesus, and were given a dressing down.
This story of Hades then follows.
· The rich man called Abraham “father” as would only a Jew.
· The rich man was told his brothers had moses and the prophets, as only the Jews did.
· The rich man was told that if they weren’t persuaded by moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead. Jesus later brought another Lazarus from the dead, and Himself, and they still weren’t persuaded.
· Lazarus means “God has helped”, part of the lesson to the pharisees is in this name, because the Jews thought infirmity was a sign of God despising a person due to a sin.
The two main protagonists:
· A certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen… - Represents all Pharisees
· A certain beggar named Lazarus - Represents all oppressed by the Jewish leaders, due to infirmities
· It speaks to God’s higher loving opinion of people, presumed by the Jews to have committed some terrible sin to have caused their affliction, and so were despised by the Jews.
· It doesn’t say that the Rich man, did anything wrong, it doesn’t say the Rich man never fed Lazarus, was unjust, unrighteous, or that he didn’t believe the right thing. We assume this, and it may be true, but it’s not the point of Jesus’ story.
· It just says that the Rich man had a good life, something the Jews thought meant they were righteous (perversely, it’s probably why they sought wealth; to outwardly demonstrate their goodness).
· It doesn’t say Lazarus, did anything good, or believed the right things.
· It just says Lazarus had a bad life, which to the Jews would imply he must have been guilty of some hidden sin.
· But it does speak to the heart of the two characters, because despite the differing descriptions of the conditions of their lives (and not their respective “hearts for God”), they each have different experience when they die.
· It doesn’t say how to have avoided Hades, or how now to avoid the lake of fire. It doesn’t say what the rich man would have had testified to his brothers.
· It doesn’t say “be charitable to be in God’s good books.”
· This story tells us you can’t tell a person’s heart, alignment/orientation to God, or God’s opinion of them, based on their life circumstances.
· This story tells the Pharisees “Stop hating on sick people”.
· This story tells the Pharisees “Your hearts are wrong”
· This story says, “You think you’re right with God because you are rich and healthy, and you think others aren’t because they are poor and unwell – well you’re wrong”.
· Essentially, it’s “don’t judge a book by its “cover”, not a call to be charitable.
Does the story tell us about our afterlife?
· No! Not really, anymore.
· Conceivably it spoke to a temporary status for all humans, or just Jews, from the beginning of time until a few years from the time of telling (until Jesus’ death and resurrection). But after that date, despite being a place outside of time, the Hades place/power, spoken of was/is destroyed by Jesus.
· It suggests that before Jesus’ death and resurrection, Satan or his elohim Hades, had power over humans even after death!
· It suggests that even in this torment by/in Hades, God made provision for certain people, but others, Hades had the “right” to torture.
· That “right” will have been given to the accuser by Satan being able to demonstrate to God that he had influenced the person into obeying him, not Godd.
· But even this right has now been overcome!
· Jesus has won us all back. Death and Hades have been overcome.
Hades (Greek) - Sheol (Hebrew).
· A place for the dead.
· A spirit realm for the dead (dead being human, souls and/or spirits).
· A temporary place, it (and its’ master) will (or did) give up the dead in them and are then thrown in the lake of fire.
· A spiritual god (elohim) or power “behind” the place.
· Closely linked to “death”, (it itself a power/being as a well as a physical reality).
· It has symbolic gates and keys to those gates (which Jesus holds)
· Those symbolic gates shall not “prevail” (keep human spirits in it).
· It “belongs/belonged” to this elohim, not Jesus, until Jesus triumphed over it (and death).
· Hades had two segments, one with torment occurring and one with the protection of Angels (called Abraham’s bosom) where Abraham’s spirit resided also.
· Lazarus was seated in a place of honour resting his head on the chest between the shoulders of the host, as was customary in the day. They didn’t sit at tables with chairs, but laid next to each other.
· The torment of “residents” was the doing of Hades, not God.
· Despite having the right to human spirits, God made provision to temporarily protect certain humans, until such time as He saved all humans.
· The “protected” side is often thought synonymous with the “paradise” Jesus spoke of, to the thief next to him on the cross. If so, then their being in paradise that day, was to be short lived, because Jesus emptied the paradise side (if not the torment side as well) before being resurrected.
· Fun fact, read that promise to the thief closely and you’ll notice it’s not exclusive. It could just as well been what would happen to the other thief, and all humans.
· And finally, if Jesus only emptied the Abraham’s bosom/paradise side before His resurrection, and the torment side is/was still inhabited (I don’t think this is the case, Death and Hades were defeated by Christ’s resurrection), then at the very least Hades will have to give up her (remaining) dead by Rev 20.13