Lazarus & The Rich Man

[FineLinen]

Part 1

HERE

[FineLinen]

Part 2

HERE

[FineLinen]

Part 3

HERE

[FineLinen]

Part 4 of 4

HERE

[FineLinen]

Abraham's Bosom

HERE

[lastpost]

PART 1
THE PARABLE OF LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN Luke: 16:19-31

A simple statement:
In a city today a man (a) stabs and robs an innocent woman in an alley which causes her great pain.
Another man (b) sees the woman, ties a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, calls an ambulance and attends the bedside of the woman.

A rhetorical question to a child:
The activity of which man do you think God preferred, man (a) or man (b)?

I believe that the parable of Lazarus the beggar and the selfish rich man belongs to every man, woman and child in a way that each can understand in simple terms. Christ is the Saviour, the Redeemer - He said that He came "to save the world" (John 12:47).


There are many ways to view Scripture, yet it would seem to be very plain that the parable of the Rich Man and the Beggar as told by Jesus to His listeners, was meant to be taken in its rudimentary sense by them according to their understanding of a post mortem existence.

This is because the hearers of Christ who were Jews, in the main, already had in their minds the type of scenario drawn out by Jesus. This is beyond any question of doubt to the mind which is not biased towards fulfilling a theology which does not allow for Christ's parable to actually mean what it says regarding the immediate after-death experience of souls – i.e. conscious existence.

Some truly magnificent attempts by the latter theologians at providing convoluted and intricately interwoven explanations regarding Christ's parable have been presented. Similar extravagant teachings must also be used to explain away certain other passages regarding the existence of souls in other conditions such as the clear proclamation of 1 Peter 3:18-20 & 4:6 that the Spirit of Jesus preached to conscious beings immediately after His death on the Cross, references to Christ descending and ascending, and the fact that Jesus and others saw the bright spirits of Moses and Elias who had died many centuries before.

The well-known historian Josephus, a Jewish son of a father of priestly descent, born in Jerusalem AD37/38, who was extremely proficient in his studies of Jewish law, having conducted academic studies with the Essenes, Sadducees and Pharisees, could not have been in a better position to know the state of belief of the Jews of the time of Jesus of Nazareth regarding what happens when the physical body stops breathing.

Josephus writes of the Pharisees: "While claiming that everything is affected by destiny, they do not deprive human will of power in these things. For it occurred to God to make a combination and to admit to his counsel the will of men---with its virtue and its vice. Their belief is that there is an undying power in souls and that, under the ground, there is an accounting to reward and punish those who were righteous or unrighteous in (this) life" (Antiquities of the Jews - Book XVIII, Chap. 1 para. 3).

Of the Sadducees Josephus writes in Jewish War (2.164-166): "They deny the soul's permanence as well as rewards and punishments in the underworld".

The Pharisees emerged as a significant force in Jewish affairs because of their influence with the common people. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary states of the time of Jesus: "The Sadducees were the party of those with political power" but "The views of the Pharisees prevailed among the common people". Furthemore, Josephus tells us that: "The Sadducees persuade only the well-to-do and have no popular following. But the Pharisees have the masses as allies" (Antiquities 12.297-298). Again, with specific reference to the Pharisees' doctrine of the belief in conscious existence immediately after physical death in Hades, Josephus writes: "On account of which doctrines they are able greatly to persuade the body of the people" (18.1.3).

Clearly, the Jews to whom Jesus was speaking were steeped in the teachings of the Pharisees regarding conscious existence after physical death in a place called Hades.

This parable told by Jesus the Christ was simply meant to be interpreted according the general understanding of the common Jewish masses regarding immediate consciousness after the demise of the body. Yes, it is a parable and not a factual story, but nevertheless it is clear in its intent concerning an inviolable and immutable law of consequences regarding selfishness. It is a true blessing to humankind and should not have its meaning diluted by the misdirection of Christian religionists because it does not fit in with their theologies.

The Jewish conception of Hades was similar to that of the Greek belief, with the main exception that they had a belief in a "Final Resurrection". Many Jews believed that there were punishments and rewards for souls in Hades depending upon whether they had been virtuous and just, or wicked and unjust.

Furthermore, Christ's parable had already had an incarnation in writings from the Jews' Babylonian captivity – it is simply being purblind to state that Jesus was not referring to a state of the Afterlife which was in the minds of contemporary hearers.

Luke 16:19-31

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 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;
23 And in hades he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 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.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 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.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

All things to do with Christ are simple. The parable of Lazarus the beggar and the selfish rich man presents a simple teaching by the Good Shepherd of mankind about selfishness and the ignoring of the plight of one's fellows, and the consequences it brings to the individual; it also explains in simple terms about hardships and unfairness and the compensatory consequences that these adversaries bring to the individual.

Jesus Christ knew that thousands of years later, His parable would be read or heard by the people of that time - including people of today. The Great Teacher knew that His spiritual teachings would have to be applicable and relevant to all people, not just the contemporary people to whom He spoke then.

Therefore, He spoke a message that covered the principle in a way that anyone and everyone - man, woman or child - could easily understand and react to positively with help from God or perhaps even an angel guardian (Matthew 18:10) - even unbeknown to themselves. He did not speak this parable so that only dedicated scholars specialising in that period and context could relate to.

The person who believes in so called "everlasting punishment" says that the different states into which people go at death are completely separate and never the twain shall meet, neither shall there be any change for the inhabitants of those conditions, i.e. everlasting torment. This is clearly not what He who was Divine Love in Human Form meant.

Christ's parable shows Lazarus and the rich man dying: "...the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried" (Luke 16:22). With absolutely no sleeping or being unconscious for any length of time, they are both very much alive and conscious in Hades.

This is a parable told by Jesus Christ which expounds a general principle of God's economy and salvation, and as such the beggar and the rich man are roles used in the revealing of that principle rather than being two specific people.

Generally speaking, Hades in the minds of many of the Greek Jews at the time represented both Paradise and Hell, i.e. Hades represented the Afterlife in the minds of many.

Concerning Hades, Josephus, a first-century Romano-Jewish historian who was born in Jerusalem (AD37/38) writes: "The Sadducees rob the rewards of the righteous and the just in Hades" because the Sadducees did not believe in an Afterlife; Josephus wrote this because there was an idea abroad that there were rewards for the righteous in the Hades. "Abraham's bosom" was a term used for that part of Hades representing a type of paradise. The rich man, however, finds himself in a very different part of Hades which is a different locality of Hades-life to that of Abraham's bosom and it is extremely hellish in nature.

Hades, according to the Rabbinical writings, is the place to where both the "just and righteous" and the "unjust and wicked" go after physical death. The rich man gives a clear indication as to the nature of the environment of that particular aspect of Hades into which he passed, and indeed, which he had built up for himself, as he went to his "own place" (topos => space marked off, condition), in a similar manner that Acts reports Judas as having done (Acts 1:25). The change from physical death to the next state of being is reported by Jesus - when relating the death of both the rich man and Lazarus - as being immediate, no waiting, no mentioning of waking up; this was an instant transition (where a conversation starts): "...we shall all be changed in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye").

"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" (Luke 16:22). There is a telling aspect to Christ's portrayal of the end-of-life transition between the two characters, the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus is encouraging the mind to think about a higher state, a more elevated environment, and is drawing us away from the main idea that all afterlife takes place "under the earth" which was a common belief. Jesus says that the rich man was "buried" and finds himself in Hades, but the beggar "was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom", inferring an upwards movement in perfect harmony with the word "anastasis" (a rising, rising up) which translates to "resurrection" in the Bible. This would correspond to his "first death" which was "close at hand" (as mentioned in the highly symbolic vision of Revelations which some treat literally but it is symbolic and non-literal here) and due to his spiritual condition there would not be a "second death". However, there clearly is a "second death" for the selfish rich man, and in that worse state he now finds himself.

The selfish rich man immediately finds himself in the hellish part of Hades, as described by our Lord: "And in hades he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (Luke 16:23)". Once again, we are asked to raise our own thoughts in the direction of the locality that the beggar now finds himself, i.e. in a higher and more purified environment than that of the rich man (in contrast to contemporary ideas).

The rich man now recognised the reality of his fate and no doubt he realised now his foolishness in ignoring the warnings by God through His holy prophets to repent of evil ways in order to receive the Deliverer's salvation. But it is too late, he had led a whole lifetime of selfishness and lack of interest in his fellow's plight, and what darkness had been built up in the soul over a whole lifetime of abuse had to be purged "so as by fire" (1 Cor.3:15) - God's laws had to run their course before he was cleansed in order that he was spiritually fit to enter into a higher environment of the type already declared: "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" (Luke 16:24), but Abraham replied: "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented" (Luke 16:25).

The rich man finds himself in a hellish place through utter selfishness, and Lazarus finds himself truly compensated for the hardship endured during his life. This is Divine Law at work - indeed, Divine Justice - what has been sown is reaped (Galatians 6:7, Job 4:8), the law of retribution and the law of compensation working on in spite of man's ignorance of such laws. The conditions into which each character had passed was based solely on how they had lived their lives. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you [yourselves] thrust out" (Luke 13:28).

However, the sufferings of Lazarus the beggar drew him nearer to the likeness of Christ, he suffered mentally and physically, and while the "dogs licked his open wounds" (Luke 16:21) he was persecuted by poverty and a wilful lack of charity from people including the rich man and his family, for which they received their due comeuppance. It is plain.

Abraham continues: "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" (Luke 16:26). The "gulf" mentioned is not a gulf of a physical nature, it is a gulf of moral and spiritual attainment, or lack of it.

Continued in PART 2

[lastpost]

Continued: PART 2
THE PARABLE OF LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN Luke: 16:19-31

Certainly, in terms of locality, the conditions in which Lazarus and the rich man find themselves are different, and yet both localities are simultaneously coexistent with the earth and those living upon it: "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" (Luke 16:27,28).

The rich man assumes that someone who has physically died can visit his relatives who are clearly depicted as living on the Earth at the same time that the rich man was in his hellish place and Lazarus was in a far more congenial environment; Christ does not relate Abraham as saying that the rich man's relatives are long dead and "asleep" in a grave, but He declares the opposite: Christ confirms the assumption of the rich man that his relatives are living on the Earth at that very moment, thus Christ confirms co-existence in the most simple way - "the simplicity that is in Christ".

Abraham does not deny that one can return from death to give warnings as to the life to come and its consequences but simply states that: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them" (Luke 16:29). This is an indication that in Moses and the prophets there is a spiritual instruction that shows them how to avoid the fate of the rich man. The prophets of the Old Testament had been urging the people for centuries, on behalf of God, to repent of their evil and wicked ways in order to avoid a fate worse than death and receive God's deliverance.

Now repentance is once more brought to the attention in Christ's parable: "And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent (metanoeo => heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins)" (Luke 16:30).

But Abraham points out it would be a pointless exercise attempting to prove to his relatives the existence of life after death and the inevitable reaping of consequences to those who did not heed Moses or the warnings of the prophets: "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).

This last statement refers not only to the pointlessness of the rich man's request to father Abraham for someone to return from "death" to warn his relatives, but it also refers to Jesus' own reappearance after physical death as being pointless to such as these relatives in their present state on Earth as they would not believe it or take heed - and being a parable, it can encompass both possibilities.

There is a process occurring. The hells, Paradise and earth all exist at the same time and each goes to his "own place" at physical death to undertake the next stage of spiritual life made out of God's laws. And it would seem that the next stage of life for the rich man's relatives was going to be a similar state of torment; they were creating a "great gulf" between themselves and Divine happiness too.

Christ's parable is about ethical living during earthly life and He is giving a severe warning of how it will be for those who ignore their duties to the less fortunate, allowing them to suffer needlessly while simply serving themselves instead; it is a severe warning because He wants people to realise it is a reality. Christ was showing that although there was communication between those in very different conditions, there could be no relief for those who had brought upon themselves by violating God's laws - through negligence and their own self-seeking motives - the consequences that must be faced.

In other words, we are being told that the selfishness of the rich man was such that on his arrival in his new condition, there was no escape from his predicament because of the health of his spiritual-body, and the consequences he must face. He had done it to himself through utter selfishness and must suffer the results.

Thus, there was not going to be relief from his torment by any cooling "water" (from Lazarus) because not only was there no accommodation for such a thing in his present environment but the scales of Divine Justice could not be altered and he therefore had to reap what he had sown and there was no relief possible, not even a temporary respite from that which "scorched".

But let us not forget the wonderful love of Christ. However permanent the position this torment may appear to be to one who has, by wilful opposition to God's Law of Love, put himself there (and very permanent it seems to such a one), there is always a time when, after a hellish purification and correction (or "age-long pruning"), such a one will have eventually had enough selfishness "pruned" away, to be able to learn something of the selfless nature of the Gospel of Love from Christ and His angels, and surely be able to lighten the conditions around. The "great gulf" which was fixed through selfishness and wickedness, can, piece by piece, be transformed into a bridge by developing selflessness, compassion and love, and all those Divine qualities exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ.

God is all-wise and all-loving, and has accounted for everything in His Plan for the redemption of His children. There may be those of God's children who fix a great gulf between their self-centred, unsympathetic and uncompassionate natures, and the spiritual health and attainment to be gained by learning from God and those "ministering spirits" who work for Him (Heb.1:14) who would relieve them of their "debt", as it were, but the Law of Consequences cannot be altered (Luke 6:37, Gal.6:7, 1 Cor.3:13-15, 2 Cor.5:10, Rom.2:6, Matt.16:27, Rev.22:12, Rev.20:12) which is in operation and which is made manifest at the end of an individual's earthly life ("the time is near", "behold I come quickly"), and which has been in force from the very beginning for the redemption of God's children; those who have imprisoned themselves in such a way must remain in their self-created jail until all "debts" are paid, yet because of God's love and wisdom, they shall be free of their darkness - God has ordained it.

Indeed, we can see the state of such a one in another teaching told by Jesus: "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due unto him" (Matt. 18:34). It is simple to associate this teaching with the parable of the selfish rich man under discussion because the state of the wicked servant and the selfish rich man is the same state, albeit in parabolic form. The fundamentalist students who truly believe in an "everlasting punishment" will have missed this association due to an erroneous assumption that he or she, and those who think like him or her, will be the only ones who are not going to Hell for eternity. However, it is important to notice the word "until" in Christ's parable about the wicked servant. He, like the selfish rich man, must reap what he had sown "until" he should "pay all that was due".

This is brought powerfully home to us by the example of the loving Good Shepherd Who seeks the lost sheep "until He finds it" (Luke 15:4), when He left His dead body on the Cross and went in His spirit to teach people who were once wicked (who had since undergone a long 'pruning' period and were now ready to learn) about His Gospel of Love; Christ was: "put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit: in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing" (1 Pet. 3:18-20).

The hellish place related by our Lord in which the rich man found himself, will last for a terminable time - a time with an end. The Age whose closing shall see the fulfilment of God's "Purpose of the Aeons" (Eph.3:11), i.e. "the Restitution of all things", will be the Age when all souls have been purified of the evil they contain.

This Age is a finite period, it may be a vast one, as Christ's purpose is worked through "all the generations of the Aeon of aeons" (Eph.3:21); Christ spoke of "Aeonial pruning" (Matt. 25:46), indicating an ongoing process of painful soul-purification for those who are dead spiritually, contrasted with living the Christ-Life and progressing spiritually with Christ, remembering that Christ the Redeemer was "with God" (John 1:1) from the very beginning.

This great Aeon will close only when the Purpose of God in Christ shall have been accomplished; when the epochs of pruning and death shall have passed away, and the "lost" and "dead" beings shall have been found and made alive to God.

We have a promise from our Lord bringing unimaginable comfort available to man on Earth: "If a man keep My word, he shall not see death all through the Aeon" (John 8:51). How blessed are we compared to the selfish rich man who did not have knowledge of our Lord in Person.

The great Aeon of Christ Jesus' Purpose shall finally achieve its fulfilment and to Christ's satisfaction: "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied" (Isa.53:11), when in "the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ" (Eph.1:10) and "...when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father" (1 Cor. 15:24) - then those terrible pruning areas in the "Hades" of old will no longer exist as all of the children of God will now be living free from evil and spiritual death - in Perfection. He has ordained it.

Peace.