![]() We are not overdoing it by presuming that this man was well known as someone to be envied in the country. He ate the best foods, drank the best wine, and his house was the best mansion in town. This rich man lived sumptuously every day. Kings such as the Egyptian king Tutankhamen wore this costly cloth. ![]() The word used in Greek for fine linen is bussos, i.e., a rare strong thread secreted by mussels. Aristotle assigned a value to it of ten to twenty times its weight in gold. The fashion designers of the day extracted the color from the mucus of a rare sea snail. This rich man was clothed in purple, i.e., the Prada, Armani, or top fashion designers of his day. The color purple in the days of Christ was not an accessible commodity to obtain. The rich man was incredibly blessed, just as they were in their flowing robes. Question 1) How are the two men described in their lives on earth? How do you think the lives of the two men were celebrated upon their deaths?Īs Jesus unraveled the story, each of the Pharisees and religious elite likely put themselves into the picture as the rich man. Even the dogs came and licked his sores (Luke 16:19-21). 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Let's break the Scripture passage into three parts: The Condition of the Two Men on Earth, the Condition of the Two Men in Eternity, and the Lessons We Should Learn about Eternity.ġ9 There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. It is about the destinies of two very different men and where they went upon death. Lazarus does not speak in the passage, and the reason is that it is not about the experiences of Lazarus in eternity, but Jesus focuses on the rich man. I leave it up to you to make up your mind if it is a true history of two men or a made-up story by Jesus, the lessons taught in it are the same, and we should lay them to heart for eternity is a long time. We also notice that the Lord starts by saying, “There was.” But actually, Jesus never tells us that it is a parable what’s more, none of the thirty-nine parables in the four Gospels has people's actual names mentioned whereas, in this Scripture passage, the name of Lazarus, which means God is my help, and Abraham are mentioned, and in some manuscripts (The Vulgate), the name Dives (The Latin word for rich) is given to the rich man. Some commentators believe that the rich man and Lazarus is a parable, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning indeed, we have called it a parable in the title. I love that the Lord does not want that any should perish His desire is for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), so out of His love and grace, He gave the Pharisees and us another parable, warning us all that in eternity many things that man holds dear in this world will be changed entirely.įirst, we must consider if this is a parable or a real-life story. 15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God (Luke 16:14-15). Their response to Christ’s message was to scoff (NIV) or deride Him (KJV).ġ4 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. ![]() The Pharisees who were listening knew that the Lord was speaking about their love of money. ![]() He finished the Parable of the Shrewd Manager by stating, “You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13). The Lord was teaching His disciples about the proper use of earthly resources, i.e., that we are to use finances for eternal good instead of hoarding riches for this world. How would it affect us if we could view what was happening, this instant, in hell? It would be a very sobering experience that would shake us to the core of our being.Īfter teaching about a young man who squandered his father's money (Luke 15:11-32), Jesus went on to tell a parable about a shrewd manager who wasted his master's resources over a large estate (Luke 16:1-13). Have you ever wondered what in hell is happening? That is the question we wish to answer today. Have you ever heard a statement that reverberated in your mind and stayed with you for some reason? I once heard plates crashing in a restaurant, and someone cried out, “What in hell is happening?” The statement struck me as I thought about the literal significance of the words.
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