The Parables of Jesus
Lesson 12
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Background
o
Today’s Parable can be found in the Gospel of
Luke. This parable was told before
Jesus made his way to Jerusalem and this parable was taught after the Parables of
the ‘Prodigal Son’ and the ‘Shrewd Manager’.
Jesus was directing this parable to the Pharisees.
o
The Lazarus in this parable should not be
confused with the Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead.
o
This is the only place in the bible where we
hear of someone’s actual thoughts, emotions, and words while being in hell.
o
As a reminder with all the judgment parables, we
need to focus on the spiritual condition of a person, not the earthly
condition. There will be both rich and
poor people who will be in heaven as well as rich and poor people in hell.
·
Parable
of Judgment.
o
The Rich Man
and Lazarus. (Luke 16: 19 - 31)
§
The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of
a person’s righteousness and they also considered the poor were cursed by
God. Jesus startled the Pharisees with
this story of a diseased beggar being rewarded and the rich man punished. The rich man did not go to Hell (Hades)
because of his wealth but because he was selfish and he neglected to feed
Lazarus, take him in, or care for him.
The rich man was blessed with much but he did not share with the needy
when he saw them. The amount of money
we have is not important as to how we use our money.
§
The rich man thought that his 5 brothers would
surely believe a messenger who had been raised from the dead. Jesus said that if the 5 brothers did not
believe Moses or the prophets who spoke about caring for the poor that not even
a resurrection of the dead would convince them. Notice the irony of this statement as Jesus
was on his way to Jerusalem to die.
Jesus was fully aware that even when he would be raised from the dead,
most religious leaders of Israel would not accept him as the Messiah.
§
Purple was a costly dye during biblical times
and it was often worn by kings, nobles, and even idol images. It was found in a rare shellfish which would
yield one drop per shellfish. Fine linen
was also made of flax and was a dazzling white color nnd worth twice its weight
in gold. The rich man was surrounded by
loyal brethren and servants while Lazarus is a companion of the dogs.
§
Hades (Greek) or Sheol (Hebrew) was the name
given to the adobe of the dead between death in the Old Testament and the
Resurrection of Jesus in the New Testament.
The expression ‘Abraham’s Bossom’ is taken from the custom of reclining
on couches at a feast as we learned
earlier. As a guest leaned upon his
left arm his neighbor might easily lean upon his bossom. Such a position of respect to the Master of
the House was one of special honor and indicated great intimacy
§
Physical Death is a certainty.
·
After physical death individuals continue to
exist in a state of personal consciousness. After Jesus’s return we will be reunited with
a new body. (Revelation 6: 9 -10)
·
After physical death an individual’s destiny is
sealed (Verse 25 and 26 from the parable) (Revelation 20: 11 – 15)
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Abraham’s Bossom was a place for the saved that
was reserved until the time of their resurrection unto life. This place was also referred to as Paradise
(Luke 23: 39 -43). Originally it was
thought to be a partitioned section of Hades, but was moved to heaven after
Christ’s resurrection. The Apostle Paul
speaks of being ‘caught up into Paradise’.
(II Corinthians 12: 1 - 4)
§
There will be no crossing between Hell and
Heaven according to this parable.
§
Related readings
·
Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Deuteronomy 6:4-5,
Leviticus 19:18, Ezekiel 16:49, Luke 6:21-25, John 5:45-47, Acts 15:21
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Questions
to Ponder/Life Lessons.
o
What is our attitude toward our money and
possessions? Do we hoard them selfishly
or do we use them to help others? We are
stewards of everything that God has created and he has entrusted them to us.
o
What do you imagine heaven and hell will be
like? What do your friends and family
think? Do you believe hell is real? 2 excellent books to read are ‘Heaven is for
Real’ and ’23 Minutes in Hell’
o
What things do we consider to have eternal
value? How can we focus on them instead
of earthly riches?
o
What we often assume about Heaven What the Bible says
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Non-Earth Earth
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Unfamilar, Another World Familiar, Earthly
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Disembodied Resurrected
(Embodied)
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Foreign Home
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Leave things behind Retaining the Good, finding the best ahead
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No time and space Time and space
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Static Dynamic
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Neither Old or New Both New and Old
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Nothing to do Serve
and worship God
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No learning or discovery An eternity of learning and discovery
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Boring Fascination
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Loss of desire Continuous
fulfillment of desire
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Absence of the terrible Presence of the wonderful
o
Notice how the rich man tried to reach out in
prayer to late in his life, after his death, where he was destined to eternal
life in hell. If God has chosen us and
reached out to us by offering his gift of grace through salvation, have we or
our loved ones accepted that offer of grace?
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