Smoking or Non-smoking

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

Let me be clear from the start: The story of Lazarus and the rich man was not a parable, a metaphor with hidden meanings. When Jesus begins His story, “There was a certain man…” it is a real account of two individuals' lives and interactions on Earth, as well as their subsequent experiences in the spiritual realm. This report would have been given from Jesus Christ’s eternal perspective.

While the rich man in the narrative remains unnamed, his immense wealth is evident. His attire of "purple and fine linen" and his daily gourmet feasts—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—underscore a life where cost was never a concern. By today’s standards, Bill Gates and Elon Musk would ask for an audience and approach this man for a loan!

Across a mere few meters from the rich man's luxury lay Lazarus, who epitomized destitution. Despite their physical proximity, an insurmountable gap of class and culture divided them. Interestingly, Lazarus is the Latinized form of Eleazar, meaning "God is my help."

In those days, food was primarily eaten with the hands. Wealthy people would clean their hands by wiping them with hunks of bread, which would then crumble to the ground. These fallen crumbs from the rich man's table were the only sustenance Lazarus could gather. To add to his plight, even stray dogs would lick his festering wounds.

There came a day, as it comes to all of us, that both men died. The angels came and carried the beggar's spirit to be comforted with his faithful ancestors. The wealthy man received all of the pomp that accompanied his elevated status on Earth. But his body remained on Earth (in it, actually) while his spirit went on to begin its eternal torment in fire. It must be said that the poor man was not saved by his poverty any more than the rich man was condemned by his wealth. But Lazarus had a relationship of faith with God that the wealthy man never possessed.

Since this story was conveyed before Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, Hades served as a waiting room for all the dead. It comprised two distinct, yet relatively close, areas: one of comfort and the other of torment. But since that first Easter Sunday, every believer who has died or will die immediately arrives in the presence of the Lord in heaven. Thank You, Jesus.

The rich man could see Lazarus relaxing in the care of their common ancestor, Abraham. The tables were turned. The rich man now became the beggar. But even in death, the wealthy man considered himself superior to Lazarus, asking Abraham to send him on an errand of a thirst-quenching nature. The torment he felt was the knowledge that he would never receive any relief from it. There was a great divide between these two spirits. The rich man was in a place where no remediation could ever occur. The chasm between the two was unbridgeable.

It's clear that, at this point, the rich man still had memories of his living family. Once again, he asked Abraham to send Lazarus on a mission to warn his five brothers. This was the first time it appeared that he thought of anyone but himself. Abraham answered: “They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.”

Charles Spurgeon said it another way. “When God's whole creation having been ransacked by the hand of science, has only testified to the truth of revelation - when the whole history of buried cities and departed nations has but preached out the truth that the Bible was true - when every strip of land in the far off East has been an exposition and the confirmation of the prophecies of scripture; if men are yet unconvinced, do you suppose that one dead man rising from the tomb would convince them?”

Humanity has had access to God's Word since the very beginning. Salvation is achieved through hearing and following His Word. Romans 10:17 states, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." This means that the faith which leads to salvation originates from listening to and understanding God's message.

We've all been given the script for our role in this Divine Comedy. We can choose to learn our lines or not. For the after-party, there are two seatings: smoking or non-smoking.