So Don Carson has arrived having got a taxi from Manchester! He’s gonna speak about Lazarus and the rich man. How should we understand this parable? A simple reversal of status’ – rich to poor, poor to rich? How does this parable fit into Luke, into the flow of the gospels?
Context: no one can serve two masters. If you can’t be faithful with earthly riches you won’t be entrusted with heavenly riches. What people highly value is detestable in God’s sight – we become what we worship. Comes in a series of 3 parables of people who waste the good things they’ve been given.
Purple, fine linen, first class underwear – a rich man. Then Lazarus (he has a name – ‘the one who God helps’), a certain irony when we see his situation. He’s a beggar, too Ill to move, licked by dogs, and he wants the food of the dogs. The dogs seem to care more than the rich man!
Lazarus is in glory, resting his head on the bosom of Abraham – like John resting his head on Jesus’ breast. The rich man is dead and in hell – he recognizes Lazarus, he knew his name.
Comparison turns to dialogue – there’s 3 cycles. Cycle 1 v.24 – the rich man goes straight to Abraham asking Lazarus to serve him, he plays the race card, ‘Father’. Even in hell the rich man can’t give up his self-importance.
Cycle 2 v.26-28 – there’s a great chasm – Lazarus can’t leave heaven, although he still has the compassion that would help the rich man – ok so Lazarus can’t help him, but maybe they could help his family!
Cycle 3 v.29-31 – the rich man tries to correct Abraham’s theology – the law and the prophets aren’t good enough, they need a sign. But even when the other Lazarus was raised frok death people still refused to believe, and of course Jesus rose but many reject him too.
1. The things in which we take so much pride; wealth, ethnicity, education may blind us to our need of grace. We must reject anything that links the blessing of God to something we desire.
2. The greatest two commandments stand or fall together. The Lord demands a certain way of living, because he is the Lord!
3. We must listen to the witness if scripture or we are dead. So often we can get sidetracked into debates, when there is a dying world out there – this is about heaven and hell. Concern for physical well being must go together with an eternal concern.
4. When we understand hell we will weap for the lost. It is Jesus who speaks so strongly of hell – so I beg you, flee the wrath to come.
