...The story of the rich man and Lazarus....
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"Rich Man and Lazarus" of Luke 16, comes [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
in a series of Parables[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
after a small discourse to great multitudes really beginning in Luke 14:25[/FONT]
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And there went [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
great multitudes[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
with him: and [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
he turned, and said unto them[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, Luke 14:25
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...and also in Luke 15:1-2, to tax collectors, sinners who surrounded Him and to Pharisees and Scribes who were complaining...[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
Then [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
. Luke 15:1
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
the Pharisees and scribes[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. Luke 15:2
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...and as Jesus heard the Pharisees and Scribes complaining and so HE speaks unto them in parables beginning in Luke 15:3[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
he spake this parable unto them[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, saying, Luke 15:3
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...and continues with the Parable of the "man with the 100 Sheep who had one lost" from Luke 15:4-7, and then begins another Parable in Luke 15:8-10 about the "Woman who Lost a Coin" Luke 15:11[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
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[though Jesus is still speaking in Parables, in both instances in the scriptures it does not specifically say that the words to come after verses 8 or 11 were Parable, but yet that is because the scripture had already made clear that this was what Jesus was doing from verse 3][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
And he said, A certain man had two sons: Luke 15:11
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...which then begins the Parable from Luke 15:11-32 about the "Man who had Two Sons" [Prodigal Sons Parable].[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
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Jesus then turns to His disciples and continues in Luke 16:1, with yet another parable, the parable of the "God and Mammon"[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
he said also unto his disciples[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. Luke 16:1
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...and the word "also" joins the previous parables with this parable along with what further continues ["they heard all these things"]...now after that Mammon Parable, the Pharisees, being lovers of Money, broke into the series of Parables and derided Jesus in Luke 16:14[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
the Pharisees also[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, who were covetous, [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
heard all these things[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
: and they derided him. Luke 16:14
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...but Jesus immediately counters their derision with what the Law says on the matter about Money and Divorce in Luke 16:15-18 and then drives home the point of their hypocrisy and double standard as well as their neglect of duty to being the Light to the Gentiles with the Parable of Luke 16:19-31 in the Parable of the "Rich Man And Lazarus"...[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
he said unto them[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15
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Now that it is established that the "Rich Man and Lazarus" is indeed a Parable, let us look a little further at some scriptures to be even more and absolutely sure:
When Jesus spoke of these things to the Pharisees He said that He would speak to them in parable:[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
I will [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
open my mouth in a parable[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
: I will [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
utter dark sayings of old[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
: Psalm 78:2
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
: Mark 4:11
And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
. Luke 8:10
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
the Pharisees also[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, who were covetous, [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
heard all these things[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
: and they derided him. Luke 16:14
And [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
he said unto them[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15
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...This Parable does not start with the words the Kingdom of Heaven is like... as it is about the failure of the Nation of Israel to be the Light of the world.
The parable is not giving us a specific picture of an etheral place a person goes immediately after death [for first of all the Judgment must come first, God said that the Wheat and Tares grow together unto the end, then is the Harvest, and then are the Wheat gathered into the Barn and then only are the Tares thrown into the fire, which consumes them into smoke and ashes to be no more, which fire burns upon the whole surface of the earth, their body [made of dust] and whole being [breath plus dust] being cast into the fire all together, at the same time, to be destroyed, perished, not be any more]:
...The Parable Lesson:[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
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The certain rich man [Pharisaical Israel], a child of Abraham, who has the TRUTH that are not sharing their food [the Word of God; Bread, see Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4] with the poor...[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3
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...of which even the "dogs" [samaritans, gentiles] must lick the wounds of...[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Matthew 15:27
And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. Mark 7:28
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...they may find that in the Judgment the poor are saved and the rich are lost.
The responsibility is to share the Gospel,[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8
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Let us now look at the Parable itself... where Jesus swaps the roles and and beliefs of Gentile and Jew...to teach an important lesson about salvation, in that it does not come through bloodline, etc.[/FONT]