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Parable or Prophecy? The Rich Man and Lazarus — 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. 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.’”

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

[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

Author: BibleOnMoney©2020 Kevin Hung

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life

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