THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Luke 16:19-31

One-third of Christ’s teaching found in the Gospels is in the form of parables. Although some believe they are fairy tales or folk tales not actual events. All the parables of Christ’s were given from the standpoint of reality found in either common experiences of mankind or nature. Parables have a common element, they are based on reality. A parable is taken from the realm of worldly reality and communicates a spiritual reality. The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is no exception.

Setting of the Parable

This parable is found in a series of parables given in the company of both his disciples and the Pharisees and scribes. In Luke 15, the Lord IS attacked for eating with publicans and sinners. Jesus, therefore, gives three parables that deal with the wrong attitude expressed toward people. In chapter 16, the Lord turns His attention to disciples and gives a parable showing the wrong attitude and use of material possessions (16:1-13). The Pharisees react by “scoffing at Him” (16:14). The Greek word ekmukterizo, means to turn up your nose, sneer at, or ridicule. The reason for scoffing is that they were “lovers of money” (16:14). After confronting their attitude (16:15-18), Jesus gives the parable.

The Emphasis of the Parable

The emphasis of the parable is the rich man. Everything in the parable focuses on him. Lazarus is used as a point of contrast. The contrasts are numerous, as well as being sharp and clear: life/afterlife: rich/poor; Heaven/Hell, to name a few. The contrasts are used to show the results of wrong attitudes toward people and material possessions. It condemns such shameful handling of such precious gifts and shows the just compensation that results.

The Parable

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is divided into a simple threefold division: their life, death, and afterlife.

The Lives of the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-21)

The life of the rich man is one of sumptuousness and selfishness. He is dressed like royalty: “clothed in purple and fine linen.” Hendricksen says “His living day by day in dazzling splendor marks him as a showoff, a strutting peacock.”[1] The word “fared sumptuously” indicates he lived festively. He was a party animal. Such luxury and attitude produced indifference. Indifference will dam up a heart of sympathy and make one blind one to the gate of opportunity.

In contrast the life of the beggar, Lazarus, was one of suffering, need, and shame (16:20-21). He laid in his misery, hoping for mercy from the unmerciful. No mercy came except from the dogs. What an indictment of man’s inhumanity to man! He received no grace but that of God’s (Lazarus means God helps).

The Death of the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:22)

The only common ground between the two men is death. It is the common heritage of all. The appointment of death is sure (Hebrews 9:27). The suffering of the beggar and the feasting of the rich man ended on common ground—the grave.

In death there rings a noticeable difference between the two. Lazarus was “called by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.” The phrase denotes comfort, peace, and blessedness that is absent from what we read of the rich man. The rich man “died and was buried.” Hendricksen notes: “Note the meaningful contrast: nothing is said about the beggar’s burial; on the other hand, nothing is said here about the rich man’s soul as to what happened to it at the moment of death.”[2]

The Afterlife of Lazarus and the Rich Man (16:23-31).

The emphasis of this section is on the rich man rather than Lazarus. Verse 23 continues the through of the last half of verse 22 concerning the rich man. He died, and now we are informed of his destination—“in Hell.” This must have come as a surprise for the rich man. According to Pharisaic doctrine, he should have been transported into God’s presence and eternal life. That did not happen. Instead of blessedness, he was tormented in Hell. The word is Hades and refers to the region of the underworld, a region where spirits who are lost await the final judgment.

Contrary to popular opinion, Abraham’s bosom is not a part of Hades. Marten Woudstra makes this clear:

Hades and Abraham’s bosom are distinct places, not two compartments of the same place. If Abraham’s bosom were intended to have reference to one of the divisions of Hades, then the other division would have been mentioned with equal precision. Hades is mentioned in connection with Dives [the rich man] only; the other place is “afar off.” Hades is associated with being in torment; the latter appears to be the consequence of being in Hades. If Hades were a neutral concept there, then the contrast with the rich man’s former sumptuous state would not have been expressed.[3]

Christ does not communicate the doctrine known as soul sleep in this passage. There is clearly conscious existence after death. They talk (16:24), recognized others (16:23), feel (16:24), and show concern (16:28). Each man is conscious of who they are, where they are, and what they feel. They are not in an unconscious state of sleep.

Jesus communicates the certainty and reality of blessedness of the saved and the future of the unsaved. There is a Hell for those who “obey not the gospel of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). It confirms there is no second chance after death. Nowhere does the rich man who has died ever try to repent or express any hope of changing his location. At death one’s eternal destiny is settled. Luke 26:26 declares, “there is a great gulf fixed; so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”  It is impossible to bridge the gulf. The gulf is sterizo, indicating a permanently and firmly fixed gulf, established or secured. The choices made in life cannot be reversed in the afterlife. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow. Faith is a choice that must be made today. There is no second chance after the grave.

Jesus closes with the blindness of unbelief. The rich man begs for someone from the dead to go to his brothers. He believes they will be converted (16:30). But unbelief will not see it that way. Lazarus (not the one here, but the one in John 11) came back from the dead and there was no great conversion. Christ would later rise from the dead. But those who did not believe Moses and the Prophets were not convinced, nor converted (cf. Matthew 28:11-15).

This parable is directed to the Pharisees (16:14). It attacks three popular doctrines that they held, and is still evident today.

1. The Prosperity Gospel. The Pharisees held that wealth was a sign of righteousness and blessing of God. It was a sign of God’s approval. This gospel is being revived today. However, the parable brings out that this is a false gospel. Christ revealed that the possession of riches does not guarantee salvation, nor is it the evidence of God’s approval. Money is neither a sign of salvation nor sanctification. Wealth along with men who put their trust in wealth will perish.
2. The Doctrine of Poverty. Corresponding to the above doctrine, the Pharisees believed that a person who was poor indicated his sinfulness. According to their view, the poor were hated by God, thus condemned. Being poor indicate God’s disapproval. Again this is a false doctrine. The lack of material things does not indicate God’s judgment. Lazarus came into God’s blessing not because he was poor financially, but poor in spirit. We are not to interpret that the lack of riches precludes salvation. Pentecost points out: “The beggar was “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3) as well as poor in material blessings; because he was poor in spirit, he had his part in the presence of God.”[4]
3. Salvation by Association. The Pharisees believed that because they were sons of Abraham, salvation was theirs. They “believed that Father Abraham sat at the gates of Hades and would not let one of his sons pass through.”[5] Neither being a physical descendant, nor being a member of an organized body, brings one salvation. Salvation does not come because one is born into a Christian family, or is a member of a local church. Salvation comes by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). We are not to trust in riches, or the lack of them; but we are to trust in Christ and His work. We are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

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[1]  William Hendricksen: NTC: THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, [Baker, Grand Rapids, 1978], 782.

[2]  Ibid, 784.

[3]  Marten H. Woudstra, “Abraham’s Bosom,” BAKER’S DICTIONARY OF THEOLOGY, [Baker, Grand Rapids, 1960], 19.

[4]  J. Dwight Pentecost, THE PARABLES OF JESUS, [Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1982], 112.

[5]  Ibid, 113. 

DEATH OF THE APOSTLES

Tradition on how the Apostles died. All but one died through suffering.They knew experienced first hand the fellowship of suffering (Phil 3:10).

1.      Matthew  -- Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.

2.      Mark -- Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.

3.      Luke  -- Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost. 

4.     John --  Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death.  John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos.  He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. 

5.     Peter -- He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.  According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died. 

6.     James  --  The leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.  *This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation. 

7.     James the Great -- Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry.  As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem.  The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution.  Overcome by  conviction,  he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian. 

8.     Bartholomew -- Also known as Nathaniel was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey.  Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.  

9.     Andrew -- Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Petrus, Greece.  After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony.  His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: “I have long desired and expected this happy hour.  The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.'  He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired. 

10. Thomas -- Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent.   

11.  Jude -- Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.  

12. Matthias -- The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded. 

13. Paul -- Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.  Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire.  

Philippians 1:19-26

GLORIFYING CHRIST 1:19-26 

While expecting to be released from prison (1:19), Paul has a larger expectation—to glorify Christ in whatever happens. His release is not a certainty. He expresses that in these verses. While he expects to gain his freedom, he has a greater expectation—“an earnest expectation and hope” (1:20).  The word expectation (apokaradokian) comes from the sports world (used only here and Romans 8:19). The word is made up of three words: “away, the head, to watch.”[1] It speaks of a spectator who stretches over a crowd to see the outcome of the event. His attention is directed toward one thing—the outcome. It means to anxiously watch with eager longing to confirm what is an uncertain outcome until it becomes a reality.[2] Gromacki says “Expectation is the outward manifestation of hope, whereas hope is the inward conviction of heart.”[3] Both are awaiting the outcome.

We tend to look at this expectation and hope as future outcome at the judgment seat of Christ. Certainly there is a future expectation and hope. However, the context shows this expectation is not some future event, but a daily expectation and hope with a daily outcome. It is a here and now expectation. This daily expectation is centered in Christ. The daily outcome is to glorify Christ. This daily expectation does three things: (1) It broadens the dimension of our circumstances. (2) It delivers us from preoccupation with others. (3) It calms our fears regarding ourselves and our future.[4]  Paul’s daily expectation and hope brings the following outcome:

He would not be ashamed—“that I will not be put to shame in anything” (1:20). Kent suggests this is a broad statement referring “to his appearance before the authorities for the final disposition of his case.”[5] This would surely be an expectation and hope in his current circumstances. Yet it points beyond that to not being put to shame in any circumstance. The word shame has the idea of being disgraced. This shame had nothing to do with public opinion but relates to his relationship and standing before God. The phrase “in anything” refers to all situations, good or bad. We are not to be ashamed of the gospel (Rom 1:16), nor of our identity with believers (2 Tim. 1:8) in any circumstance. The servant of Christ should be ashamed if his Lord is not gloried through him in every circumstance and situation.

With boldness magnify Christ—“[that] with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (1:20). The word exalted is the Greek word is megalyno which means to amplify or enlarge, thus to magnify or exalt. Wuest’s freely translates this “Christ shall be conspicuously and gloriously manifested.”[6] Gromacki gives the following features of magnifying Christ:[7]

• It is a manner of boldness. This is a common element that Paul needed and wanted (Eph. 6:19-20; Heb. 10:19). Boldness (parresia) entails two elements which are closely connected: courage and freedom. An internal freedom from fear to act or speak with conviction and the courage to do so. It is manifested by witnessing to the love and grace of our Savior.
• It is to be done consistently—“even now, as always.”
• Its sphere is in the body—“in my body.” Compare this with Paul’s instruction in 1 Cor. 6:20: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” Here body denotes the entire person. It speaks of our consecration.
• The means of accomplishment—“whether by life or by death.”

It is a manner of Life and Death—(1:21-24). O’Brien points out that these verses have a series of parallels between the alternatives of life and death. He sets forth the structure as follows: [8]

                        21a – “For to me to live: Christ          (Life)

                        21b – “to die: gain                              (Death)

                        22  – ‘if I am to live on in the flesh”   (Life)

                        23  –  “to depart and be with Christ”             (Death)

                        24  –  “to remain in the flesh”             (Life)

These parallels bring out another element: internal conflict. This conflict is concisely noted by Paul--“for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21). The word “for” gives the explanation. He gives what the two elements of the conflict means: Life means Christ. Death means gain.  Paul sees this conflict of terms of a win-win situation. The words “to me” are emphatic. It is extremely personal for him. It carries the idea of “as far as I am concerned.” There are no losers by those who have this conflict. It is no doubt that both aspects of the conflict are viewed as a method of glorifying Christ.

There are two alternatives in bringing glory to God.

• First, is to continue to live is Christ. In this epistle that means deriving strength from Christ (Phil. 4:13); to have the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5-11); to rejoice in Christ (Phil. 3:1; 4:4) while living on this earth. He describes what will result. To live means a continuing successful ministry—“[will mean] fruitful labor for me” (1:22).  This speaks of God’s blessing on his ministry. He will remain active in preaching and teaching the gospel. As a result God will bless in salvation and edification of more people. When one serves Christ and lives for Him, his “labor will not be in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
• Second, is death, which he says will be gain. Death is not a loss for the believer, but a gain. The word gain (kerdos) means to profit, or have an advantage, thus gain. It means being in the presence of Christ (2 Cor. 5:8). Hendriksen points out that, “Death will be a distinct gain because it will be the gateway to clearer knowledge, more wholehearted service, more exuberant joy, more rapturous adoration, all of these brought to a focus in Christ.”[9] It is also gain because it brings release from this sinful body and limitations.

Paul is torn between the two—“I am hard-pressed from both [directions]” (1:23). The Greek word for hard-pressed is synechomai, when used of feelings indicates at the least constraint, and at worst torment. Silva says “we surely miss the real import of this passage if we fail to see in it an echo of Paul’s psychological ordeal.”[10] This was a real struggle for Paul. It was a struggle between desire and necessity. “Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, for [that] is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake” (Phil. 1:23-24). Personal desire gives way to necessity as it should. Fulfilling desire over necessity is selfish. Pentecost observes: “I find no selfishness in Paul’s heart that puts his own good above those to whom he is privileged to minister.”[11]

Paul’s conviction is that he would stay—“Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again” (1:25-26). Confidence carries the idea of being persuaded in ones mind. He is confident that he has not finished his course, and he will continue on the course. The purpose of his continuing is (1) their progress in the faith, (2) their joy in the faith.

To be continued

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[1]  Wuest,PHILIPPIANS, 43.

[2]  O’Brien, PHILIPPIANS, 113.

[3]  Gromacki, UNITED IN JOY, 63.

[4]  Charles R. Swindoll, LAUGH AGAIN: EXPERIENCE OUTRAGEOUS JOY, 58.

[5]  Homer A. Kent, Jr, EBC: PHILIPPIANS, 114.

[6]  Wuest’s, 44.

[7]  Gromacki, 65-66.

[8]  O’Brien, 117. Also Hawthorne, WBC: PHILIPPIANS, 44.

[9]  Hendriksen, NTC: PHILIPPIANS, 76.

[10]  Silva, PHILIPPIANS, 81.

[11]  J. Dwight Pentecost, THE JOY OF LIVING, 43-44.