The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man: Why Was the Rich Man in Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is very well known, it is about a beggar who is covered with sores, and a rich man who has all his wants and needs met.  But what happens when they both die is the key to the reason for this parable, told by the Lord Jesus Christ.



This passage teaches that life does not end at death.  Jesus plainly teaches in this section of scripture, in perfect alignment with the rest of the bible, that there are places where the human soul goes after death and continues to exist.  All true churches believe that because they all believe what Jesus says and they follow Jesus Christ.  A Christian is a follower of Jesus and believes Jesus.   These days a belief in hell is fading fast, and compromised churches are leading the way in unbelief.  As well as this, students in bible colleges are no longer interested in the subject.   It's the churches' neglect of the subject of everlasting punishment which has happened in the same period of time when the world is becoming more rebellious, more permissive, more violent and more godless.   The church is a pale reflection of the world and the world's views.  But the bible has not changed, the bible and the words of Jesus Christ are unchanged.  The eternal destinies of those who die have not changed, nothing has changed.  God has not changed his mind and it's completely irrelevant that society does not like or believe the doctrine or that they don't want the doctrine.  Hell still exists.   The opinion of men is not the measure of truth nor reality.  God's word is the measure of truth.  He is the ultimate reality.   Even if you don't believe in hell, you will still end up there if you are not a Christian.  Hell is a real and remote place, a place of fire and darkness, a place of everlasting punishment.  Think about it.

What does Jesus say about the passage in Luke 16?  he is speaking to people who were religious but not converted, not saved.  V14 "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him." 

There were once two men:  V19-21 "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."   We see in these verses a description of the two men.  The rich man is described as being clothed in purple and fine linen, same thing in Rev 18:12, it means that this emphasizes luxury, the best.  The labels of the day, the rich man was clothed in. V19 tells us of his diet.  He had plenty to eat every day.  But then the beggar is also described.  His name is Lazarus, the rich man is not named.  Lazarus is the complete opposite of the rich man:  lying at the gate, outside the home.  He is full of sores, the Lord says the dogs came and licked his sores, so the sores were not bandaged, no one was looking after him.  What was the beggar's desire?  He simply wanted the crumbs, the leftovers, the scraps that fell from the rich man's table.  What a pitiful picture.  The Lord is describing two men who are vastly different.



There were two deaths: V22 "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried."   The beggar died, everybody dies, its not a surprise.  Note It doesn't say that the beggar was buried.  The rich man died and was buried.  Everybody dies.  We may be different in life but death levels everybody.  Then Jesus tells us:

There were two everlasting destinies.  V22 The beggar's destiny is that he was carried to Abraham's bosom, Paradise, a place of comfort, the place where saved souls went before the atoning death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Lazarus was carried by the angels.   Who is Abraham?  Abraham is the father of the faithful.  He believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  Have you ever been at the deathbed of a Christian?  If your eyes could see the spirit world, as a Christian dies, you would see the angels gently lifting and carrying the spirit of that lovely Christian away.   Jesus says that Lazarus was carried by the angels to where God is.  What a relief that must have been for Lazarus, lifted  by kind hands.  No more pain, no more hunger, no more suffering away to a place of comfort. In V25 We read the words,"he is comforted, and thou art tormented."
 
The rich man's destiny after death is very different  V23-24 "And in hell he (the rich man) lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." These are the words of Jesus Christ.  The rich man went to a place called hell.  Sheol, Hades, and Jesus the Son of God, the Saviour says that it is a place of torment.  You have to believe Jesus. Torment is not torture, torture is something that someone else inflicts on you.  Torment is something that you  by your words or actions, inflict upon yourself.  Jesus says it is also a place of fire.  It is a place, according to what the Lord says, where the person's whole mental state is altered by the anguish.  V24  The rich man wanted Lazarus to serve him, to bring him water so that the rich man could take water from the finger of Lazarus who, in life, was covered with sores and who, in life, was ignored by the rich man.  His mental state was altered.  What they would never want in life they would beg for in death for some relief.  The Lord also says that the rich man had memory V25 "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivdst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."  The rich man knew that the beggar's name was Lazarus, he remembered that from life.  Abraham said "remember that thou in thy lifetime" according to Jesus.  The Lord teaches that there is a great gulf fixed V26 "And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."  It is permanent and there is no passage from hell to heaven or vice versa.   In hell, the Lord says, he still loved his family.  That is the saddest part of this passage V27-28  "Then he said, I pray thee therefore; father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."  He had five brothers, and he wanted Lazarus to go and give his testimony because the rich man didn't want them to go into  hell.  If any of you have a loved one or a friend in hell, the last person they will want there with them is you.  If they could speak they would want someone to come and be a testimony to you so you don't go there with them.   What a true and terrible description of what hell is.

Why was the rich man in hell?  V29-30 "Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent."   The rich man was not in hell because he was rich, Abraham was rich but he is in Paradise.  It wasn't because he wasn't religious.  The rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers because he wanted Lazarus to give witness of the gospel to his brothers but he is told that his brothers have Moses and the prophets.  They have the scriptures, and people who preach the scriptures.  Notice the rich man says, "nay, but if one went to them from the dead they will repent'".  What does the rich man know that his brothers need to do?  He knows his brothers need to repent.  Turn from your sin to God, and he wanted someone to go to his five brothers and preach to them so they would repent.  The rich man knows that he didn't repent, and so he wants his brothers to repent.  The only way to avoid hell and get to heaven is repentance from sin.  Jesus said, "Repent and believe the gospel".  Jesus said "except you repent you shall all likewise perish.  Repent therefore so your sins may be blotted out".  The rich man wants his brothers to do what he didn't do lest they also come to the place of torment.

That is the gospel, repent and receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.  Abraham said V31  "And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."  Jesus is telling  us that if people do not repent because of what the scriptures teach, then even if someone rose from the dead they still wouldn't repent.  Jesus is teaching that if you hear the gospel and that doesn't save you, you won't repent even if  you see a miracle.  Repentance and faith saves.  If they saw a miracle they would just explain it away.   Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha, Jesus raised him from the grave but the people didn't repent, they wanted to kill Jesus then and Lazarus as well. (John 11:47-50, John 12:9-11) The son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-16) was raised from the dead but no one repented.  Does everyone repent today?  No, they just explain it away.  If you won't hear what the bible says a miracle has no hope of saving you.  People are saved through being convicted of their sin and convinced that the word of God is true, they are not saved through miracles or the supernatural.  They are saved by believing the gospel and trusting in the Lord.

This passage teaches that there is a real hell.   Hell should make the believer wake up.  This sermon is not meant to scare anybody, but these things are true.  Jesus said hell is real and the rest of the scripture backs it up.  We cannot take anyone to heaven but believing the gospel is the only way.  Not through baptism or communion, or attending a church.  There is no other way to be saved, the only way is repentance and that is what the Lord Jesus teaches in this passage.  Two men, the rich man careless about his soul, the poor man not careless about his soul.  Two death, two destinies.    What about you?  Its the same for you.  We will all die and when we all die we will go to one of two everlasting destinies.  Repenting of our sins will take us to heaven.
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The above notes were made by myself from the sermon by Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed) at Sermon Audio

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1213151733141