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The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31 is just that, a parable.
What is a parable? According to Lexico Dictionary, it is “A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.” First thing that should be realized is that it is a story which does not tell of true events. So, because The Rich Man and Lazarus is a parable, which by definition is not a source of true events, we cannot assert that a rich man in Hades, or hell if you will, truly communicated with Abraham in Heaven.
But Jesus tells this parable to make a point...two, actually. The first is that whoever doesn’t help a needy person will go to hell, and the second is that if a person does not accept what was said by Moses and the prophets, they won’t accept a person warning them not to do the things that would send them to hell.
(As an aside, to throw in some secularness, doesn’t that remind you of a Charles Dickens’ ‘A
Christmas Carol,’ in which the ghost of Scrooge’s late partner comes to him in chains and warns him not to be as selfish as he was? But of course, this is a mere story too, and the Bible infers that the only ghost that exists is the holy ghost of Lord Jesus. And God in Leviticus 20:6 says, “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.”)
The subject of the first point in the parable is also told by Jesus in Matthew 25: 41-46 in which he says the Son of man “will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink...’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty...?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment...” So, in the parable, the rich man, who did not feed Lazarus but instead left Lazarus to eat the crumbs the rich man left behind, meets the same fate that Jesus describes in Matthew 25: 41-46.
And as to the second point in the parable, how many have you heard of, that, by their actions and despite their proclaiming that they are God-fearing, have not taken to heart the lessons of Moses and the prophets, and even of Jesus? How many leaders have you heard of, who in their capacity in government, ignore the poor and needy, and persecute those who truly believe in God? Where do you think they will end up? You would be wise not to give your ear to them to learn to do what is right under God.
What is a parable? According to Lexico Dictionary, it is “A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.” First thing that should be realized is that it is a story which does not tell of true events. So, because The Rich Man and Lazarus is a parable, which by definition is not a source of true events, we cannot assert that a rich man in Hades, or hell if you will, truly communicated with Abraham in Heaven.
But Jesus tells this parable to make a point...two, actually. The first is that whoever doesn’t help a needy person will go to hell, and the second is that if a person does not accept what was said by Moses and the prophets, they won’t accept a person warning them not to do the things that would send them to hell.
(As an aside, to throw in some secularness, doesn’t that remind you of a Charles Dickens’ ‘A
Christmas Carol,’ in which the ghost of Scrooge’s late partner comes to him in chains and warns him not to be as selfish as he was? But of course, this is a mere story too, and the Bible infers that the only ghost that exists is the holy ghost of Lord Jesus. And God in Leviticus 20:6 says, “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.”)
The subject of the first point in the parable is also told by Jesus in Matthew 25: 41-46 in which he says the Son of man “will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink...’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty...?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment...” So, in the parable, the rich man, who did not feed Lazarus but instead left Lazarus to eat the crumbs the rich man left behind, meets the same fate that Jesus describes in Matthew 25: 41-46.
And as to the second point in the parable, how many have you heard of, that, by their actions and despite their proclaiming that they are God-fearing, have not taken to heart the lessons of Moses and the prophets, and even of Jesus? How many leaders have you heard of, who in their capacity in government, ignore the poor and needy, and persecute those who truly believe in God? Where do you think they will end up? You would be wise not to give your ear to them to learn to do what is right under God.