The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
In the book of (Luke 16:19-31), we can see a story of a rich man and Lazarus. If we just read the story then we will find nothing that much out of it but if we go deep into the story and look at all the hidden teachings then we will find the gems of truth that Jesus had spoken to us.
Every Christian should read the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to understand the kingdom of God clearly. This parable tells us that just being a righteous man and attending the church regularly does not lead us into heaven.
We need to do something else in order to reach heaven where we will live permanently. We have to know the reason why Jesus told this parable. When Jesus told the parable of unjust steward to them at that time the Pharisees heard all these teachings of him and they derided Jesus.
They were well-respected people in their societies so they mocked and showed contempt for Jesus. Jesus knew their hearts so He warned them again by saying the parable of a rich man and Lazarus.
This parable teaches us that covetous and selfish people of this world will not taste the beauty of heaven. Their unhelpful mindset towards the needy will lead them to eternal death. From this parable, we can see that a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
He lived a happy life and he also enjoyed his life. The rich man represents a Jews who had the knowledge and laws of the Lord. That rich man called Abraham his father, as the Lord created nation Israel from Abraham’s seed.
On the other hand, we can say that he was one of the descendants of Abraham. In the beginning, the Lord revealed Himself before Israel and He was only their God. So, the Jews had the truth.
Jesus talks about a beggar who is completely different from that rich man. We know that he was laid at the gate of that rich man. His whole body was full of sores and he desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Only dogs used to care for him by licking his sores. So, we can see that he lived a measurable life in front of that rich man’s house.
It came to pass when the beggar died and he was carried into Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man died, he was buried. He was taken in hell and when he lifted up his eyes, he found that Lazarus was sitting in Abraham’s bosom while was being in torments.
We can find that Lazarus was placed in Abraham’s bosom and on the other hand that rich man was thrown into hell. Here, the word bosom means chest which signifies loving care or closeness.
When we hold a baby we keep him near our chest it does not mean that we keep him inside our chest but it means we keep him near our heart. Thus, Lazarus was nearer to Abraham, so, we can say he was under the protection and guidance him. But the rich man was very far from Abraham.
One thing we need to keep in mind that the rich man and Lazarus did not reach hell and heaven instantly. The Bible tells us that righteous and unrighteous both will be resurrected at the second coming of Jesus.
What Can We Learn From The Story of Rich Man And Lazarus
We do not know whether this story is a real incident or not but it gives us some lessons for the upliftment of our Christian lives. As Jesus told this so, we need to pay heed. If we read this story and ponder upon it, then automatically fear will arise in our hearts concerning our final destination. From this parable, we can be careful and prepared for our eternal destiny.
Jesus Warns Us About The Heaven And Hell
The Bible teaches that this universe is not our permanent residence. After our death, we all have to stand before the judgement. We cannot escape the judgement and the Lord will judge us according to his righteousness. So you must be careful in every single action. Once we leave this earth we will face the judgement.
If we look at the life of that rich man we can find that he enjoyed his life here on this earth luxuriously and he did not pay attention to the poor beggar who was sitting before his gate. In our daily life, we often neglect the poor and some people who are in need of some help.
After reading this scripture from the Bible we should be wise in dealing with those poor people whom we often confirmed in our day to day life. The Lord wants us to help others as he helped us while we were in need of our requirements.
This parable warns us not to follow the world or the teachings of the world but to be confined in the scriptures because by this story we can know that heaven and hell are real.
We Cannot Choose Our Eternal Home
We should be aware that we have the freedom to violate the will of God on this earth but after our death, we will have no authority to choose our final destination.
When we observe the life of the rich man we can see, he decided to live happily on this earth by his own will. He never looked back to the poor and his wealth made him selfish.
From this parable, we can understand that wealth can separate us from the wonderful teachings of Lord Jesus Christ. The word of God tells us that we should not love the world or the things in the world, rather it encourages us to go through trials and so that we can feel the presence of the lord in our difficult situations.
The lord will show his strength when we are weak and we are in need of him. But most of the time we try to avoid hardships and trials in our life.
Because of our pride, we try to lead our life according to our plans. But the Lord wants us to submit before him so that his plans will be fulfilled in our lives.
The moment we surrender ourselves before the Lord we will receive God’s guidance and protection in your life and ultimately we will get to know our final destination and we will be able to change our mind from our sinful lives.
We Should Gather Treasure In Heaven
As a true follower of Jesus Christ, we need to store our treasure in heaven. But often many Christians don’t understand this term. We can ask how can we store our treasure in heaven while we are physically living on this earth?
It does not mean that we have to save our worldly materials in heaven but it says our righteous works which are equivalent to treasure in the sight of the Lord.
We should not run after the worldly treasures but instead of that we can help the needy persons and we can give our best to extend the kingdom of God.
If you put ourselves for the extension of God’s Kingdom then we will receive our rewards in heaven. Though we cannot satisfy people by giving them their daily needs, we can help them to seek blessings from the Lord.
Walk With Jesus Till Death
This parable helps us to know that life without Jesus Christ will give us nothing. If we come before Jesus then we will have deep knowledge about heaven and hell. The Lord himself wants to know about his Kingdom so that we may not perish in hell.
That rich man was so happy in his life while he was on this earth and he did not receive the lord and his teachings in his life. But after his death, he realized that without God, life is nothing and the consequence is everlasting.
So, if it is high time for each of us to put Jesus first in our lives to avoid the wrath of God. Jesus said he is the light of the world. It means we are in darkness and to get the light we need to receive him in our lives.
Jesus also says that whoever hears him and lives according to his teachings will be considered a wise man. But the one who does not listen to him shall be called a fool.