“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his linger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my fathers’ house; for I have live brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”—Luke 16:19-3119There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26And beside all this, between us and you 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. 27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:19‑31).
This parable has been discussed more than any of the others. What can be its interpretation? Nothing is said about the rich man being a wicked man, and nothing about Lazarus being a righteous man. The one is a rich man, who was well-dressed, and lived well, as we say; and the other was a beggar, apparently helpless, for he a was laid “at the gate of the rich man, and was full of sores. He desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table, but, unless the word, desiring,” might seem to imply that his wish was not granted, nothing is said as to how far the rich man supplied his need.
Now, though the above shows plainly that the rich man did not love the poor beggar “as himself,” which the law required, yet, in the conversation between the rich man and Abraham, nothing is charged on him as to breaking the law, but simply that he who had received in his lifetime good things was now tormented; and he who had received his evil things was now comforted. From which some have tried to make out a sort of doctrine of future ‘compensation’ for these who are poor and wretched in this life, whereas there is no such doctrine in scripture.
There are many passages of scripture that plainly put forth the grounds on which the future happiness and misery of mankind rest. “He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be condemned.” “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:28, 2928Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28‑29).) Besides, we read in Rev. 20, that the wicked dead will be judged out of those things “written in the books, according to their works.” It is then that their sins will be brought to light, and it will be before the great white throne. This has no place in the parable, and Abraham is not the judge.
It is clear, therefore, that this parable is not intended to teach the grounds on which our future destiny immediately rests. Doubtless, the parable teaches us that riches are no longer to be viewed as a sure blessing of God, nor poverty the reverse; for it shows that a rich man went to a place of torment, and a poor man went where he was comforted.
But it may be asked, Was any parable needed to teach this? Yes; for if we look to the Old Testament, we find much made of earthly blessing. “Wealth and riches shall be in his house.” (Psalm 112:33Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. (Psalm 112:3).) And the psalmist had never seen the seed of the righteous begging bread. When our Lord declared that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom, even the disciples were greatly astonished, and asked, “Who, then, can be saved?”
It was a new thing, then, for the rich to look upon their riches rather as a hindrance than as a help or a necessary blessing. That young man who had kept the law from his youth, of whom it is said, “Jesus beholding him loved him,” when told to sell all that he had, and give to the poor, and come, follow Christ, went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This, too, accords with how often the rich are warned. “Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:2424But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24).) “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.....Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days,” Ac. (Jas. 5) “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Tim. 6:1717Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (1 Timothy 6:17).)
Surely, then, there was the important lesson to be taught, that riches were to be no longer an indication that the owners were especially under the blessing of God, which was a right thought in a former dispensation. The poor had now the gospel preached to them, and the rich were sent empty away; yea, and the rich man might (as in the parable of the foolish rich man) be suddenly called away from his riches; and, as here, he might find himself in torment in a future state. Can you conceive of a more pitiable case, than a rich, moral man, proud of his riches, and trusting in his good morality, suddenly called away to a place of torment? Thus there is an important lesson to be learned here.
The parable also plainly teaches a future state. The rich man died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes. Though he had died, and had been buried, he was still alive. This is not simply life after death for the saved, but existence after death for those who are to be in torment.
A great gulf, too, was fixed, so that none could pass from where Abraham was to the rich man. Neither any relief!—not even the tip of a finger dipped in water to cool the parched tongue! Alas, how dreadful!
Surely such a picture is not drawn by the very finger of God to harrow up the feelings of the reader: it is to reveal a fact, that there is a place of future torment for the wicked, as well as a place of blessing for the redeemed, and there is no possibility of any ever passing from the one place to the other, as the Universalists would fain teach. Oh, that men might take warning from such a revelation, and accept that grace so freely offered, and thus surely escape from the wrath to come.
There is still another lesson. When the rich man hears that his own condition is sealed, he is then anxious that his five brethren should be warned, lest they also came to the same place of torment. Would not Abraham send Lazarus to his father’s house with a solemn warning? Surely they would hear one who had risen from the dead!
Abraham said it was useless: “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” And surely Abraham was right. Only consider, if such a one appeared on earth, who would credit that he had really come from the dead? All would declare him to be an impostor.
Another important principle also comes out here—whether it is Moses, or the prophets, men were called to hear; in either case it was God’s message. Moses and the prophets were merely the messengers, and if men would not receive God’s message through Moses, it was rejecting God; and such would also reject, not only Lazarus—had he risen from the dead—but even our Lord Himself. Thus He tells the Jews, who did profess to believe Moses: “ Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46, 4746For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46‑47).)
And we may go a step further, and say that the same applies to all the messengers God sends. “Verily, verily,” said our Lord, “I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” (John 13:2020Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (John 13:20).) How great, then, the responsibility of those who hear any of God’s servants, if they reject the message God has sent! May we not say, “neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Thus we see how full of instruction is this parable; how great the change from a life of ease and luxury to one of “ torment;” while the poor in this life may enter into eternal joys. Men say that it is all a figure. Well, and if it is, of what is it a figure? It is that there will be life after death to both the righteous and the wicked. There their doom will be fixed, and fixed for eternity. Instead of criticizing and questioning, oh, that men would take warning, and believe the record of God’s grace, so freely proclaimed in this day, and they would then surely find themselves along with those who have believed Moses and the prophets, our Lord Himself, and those whom He has sent. But, alas! if they turn away from such grace, even though it may be proclaimed by some feeble instrument, let them know surely, that if they persist in such rejection, their case is altogether hopeless; for neither would they believe, though one rose from the dead.