September 25, 2020 – Bible About Money

The Rich Man and Lazarus — Hell and Heaven — Lessons from Luke 16 (Unique!)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16 NIV

¹⁹“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹and 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. ²³In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴So 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. ²⁶And 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, ²⁸for 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.’”

References & Reflections

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_man_and_Lazarus
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+16&version=NIV
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell
[4] https://www.gotquestions.org/rich-man-and-Lazarus.html
[5] https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/does-luke-9-mean-some-cannot-serve-in-the-kingdom/
[6] https://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-go-to-hell.html
[7] https://www.gotquestions.blog/where-was-Jesus.html
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcQbwplHDAE
[9] https://www.facebook.com/gotquestions.org/posts/did-jesus-go-to-hell-between-his-death-and-resurrection-see-what-the-bible-says-/10156453182848090/
[10] https://www.christianpost.com/news/greg-laurie-answers-did-people-who-died-before-jesus-resurrection-go-to-heaven-or-hell.html
[11] https://www.christianpost.com/news/greg-laurie-warns-if-you-end-up-in-hell-you-climbed-over-jesus-to-get-there.html

The Rich Man in Lazarus —Parable, Past Redemption, Prophecy or Promise of Future? — Heaven and Hell — Lessons from Luke 16 (Unique!)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16 NIV

²⁷“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸for 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.’”

Drioux: a parable against the Sadducees

An alternative explanation of the parable is a satirical parable against the Sadducees. One writer to identify the Sadducees as the target was Johann Nepomuk Sepp.^[18] The arguments in favour of identification of the Rich Man as the Sadducees are (1) the wearing of purple and fine linen, priestly dress,^[19] (2) the reference to “five brothers in my father’s house” as an allusion to Caiaphas‘ father-in-law Annas, and his five sons who also served as high priests according to Josephus,^[20] (3) Abraham’s statement in the parable that they would not believe even if he raised Lazarus, and then the fulfillment that when Jesus did raise Lazarus of Bethany the Sadducees not only did not believe, but attempted to have Lazarus killed again: “So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well” (John 12:10). This last interpretation had wide circulation in France during the 1860s–1890s as a result of having been included in the notes of the pictorial Bible of Abbé Drioux.

Perry: a parable of a new covenant

Simon Perry has argued that the Lazarus of the parable (an abbreviated transcript of “Eleazer”) refers to Eliezer of Damascus, Abraham’s servant. In Genesis 15—a foundational covenant text familiar to any first century Jew—God says to Abraham “this man will not be your heir” (Gen 15:4). Perry argues that this is why Lazarus is outside the gates of Abraham’s perceived descendant. By inviting Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom, Jesus is redefining the nature of the covenant. It also explains why the rich man assumes Lazarus is Abraham’s servant.

References & Reflections

Parable or Prophecy? The Rich Man and Lazarus — Lessons from Luke 16 (Unique!)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16 NIV

²⁷“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸for 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.’”

Drioux: a parable against the Sadducees

An alternative explanation of the parable is a satirical parable against the Sadducees. One writer to identify the Sadducees as the target was Johann Nepomuk Sepp.^[18] The arguments in favour of identification of the Rich Man as the Sadducees are (1) the wearing of purple and fine linen, priestly dress,^[19] (2) the reference to “five brothers in my father’s house” as an allusion to Caiaphas‘ father-in-law Annas, and his five sons who also served as high priests according to Josephus,^[20] (3) Abraham’s statement in the parable that they would not believe even if he raised Lazarus, and then the fulfillment that when Jesus did raise Lazarus of Bethany the Sadducees not only did not believe, but attempted to have Lazarus killed again: “So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well” (John 12:10). This last interpretation had wide circulation in France during the 1860s–1890s as a result of having been included in the notes of the pictorial Bible of Abbé Drioux.

References & Reflections

Being A Giver In A World of Takers (Part 4) — God Loves A Cheerful Giver — Francis Chan Christ’s Crazy Love Ministry

Malachi 3:8-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁸“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. ⁹You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. ¹⁰Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

Haggai 1:3-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

³Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: ⁴“Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? ⁵This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! ⁶You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

1 Thessalonians 2:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! ⁶As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

⁷As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children^[b] among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. ⁸We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

⁹Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.