”Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”“
Luke 16:19-31 NLT
These are some of the most misused verses in the Bible. The story reads like a parable, but Jesus doesn’t start with His common “the Kingdom of God is like…” This story is not teaching that people in heaven can talk to those in Hell (“Heaven” and “Hell” aren’t even named), nor is it teaching that those in Hell can make requests to Heaven. This parable is also not teaching that being poor in life guarantees an eternity of comfort, though Jesus earlier in this chapter has just taught that how we spend money reflects our trust in God.
This story has one main point: what will it take for people to hear the message of Christ and actively respond? Jesus did return from the dead—but even someone rising from the dead is not enough to convince people to stop being selfish, pay attention to the suffering of others, or trust God with their money. The story is about trusting in Christ so much that it changes the way we think, act, and treat others.
What convinced you to start following Jesus? What will convince you to take the next steps, the harder steps, to obey and follow the Savior? What are you doing to help those in need in our world?
