In the opening scene of this parable, we have a very rich man heading out for the day. It appears this is part of his normal schedule, as he was living in luxury every day. This was nothing out of the ordinary for our first character in the story.

The Rich Man first needed to step over this beggar who had been dumped on the sidewalk in front of his house; more than likely it was a palatial estate. The second character in this story has a name and not much else—Lazarus. This man was both sick and destitute—a beggar. Apparently, it’s no problem for the rich man to just step over him and go on about his day. Perhaps it’s normal for the beggar to be dumped there on a regular basis. We can’t know for sure. Either way, it’s no problem for the rich guy to continue with his normal routine. For a little clarity, the rich, un-named man feels no compulsion to offer any help. Why not? The beggar was “obviously” cursed for some sin. Besides all that, he’s probably filthy and smells bad. The Rich Man is most likely thinking, “Lazarus is getting what he deserves for his ‘unknown sin’ and I, am living a life blessed by God because of my almost-perfect sinless life. I’m a very good man and this beggar…well he’s not.”

We know next to nothing about the beggar’s life other than it’s not going the way he ever imagined, and he needs help. Help which he won’t be getting today. If he was looking for a little love and or compassion, he came to the wrong house. We’re starting to get a glimpse into the heart of our wealthy first-century rich guy.

Oops…it wasn’t supposed to go this way. Unfortunately, the Creator, God, looks inside each of us and knows our hearts. In the case of The Rich Man there was nothing there. Well almost nothing. The man had a lot of PRIDE about his “almost perfect sinless life” but that wasn’t credited to him as righteousness. The fate of both men was sealed! We hear the world Hell from Jesus as He teaches this parable. Being almost perfect and sinless isn’t good enough. Shock therapy is now beginning.

The tables have been reversed. The Rich Man is looking for a little love and compassion from guess who…Lazarus?? Jesus is now using terms like hell, torment, agony, and fire to describe the place the rich man is in. This is a hard-edged teaching on purpose, as John MacArthur writes in his book Parables. There will not be any cold water coming. We see a shocking reversal in both men’s lives, and their eternities. A stark warning to the listeners both then and for us today. This is not allegory Jesus is using here. He’s describing a real place. This is still a fictional story with a spiritual meaning. Jesus is trying to drive the point home! Hell is real, and you don’t want to go there. No one can live a completely sinless life and almost isn’t good enough!

This is now the third year of Jesus’ ministry on earth. The gloves are starting to come off. A few months prior to this teaching Mark records an earlier warning about Hell. In Mark 9:43-48 we read:

[43] If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into Hell, where the fire never goes out. [45] And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter (eternal) life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into Hell. [47] And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into Hell, [48] where “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

—More on this in a future post

We will be surprised one day to see who is and who isn’t in Heaven. As mentioned above, the Lord knows everything there is to know about our time on Planet Earth. All our thoughts, actions, motives, and more will be laid bare before Him. The question that must be answered is, What did you do with Jesus? (God’s perfect sinless atoning sacrifice for sin).

This parable makes it clear that the destination for both men has been fixed and won’t change. No crossing over; No second chances. The time to deal with Eternity is now, in this life!

Finally, The Rich Man shows concern for someone other than himself. He pleads with Abraham to have Lazarus go warn his siblings. Abraham tells him “The scriptures are enough” and more than likely his siblings have already heard and read them. The Rich Man knew the life his brothers were living. Religion may have been a part of the family. Oftentimes religious worship is a social event; you might even call it networking. The first century Jews liked to do business with their fellow Jewish friends. The synagogue would have been an easy place to connect. Even today, many churchgoers attend services to see friends, hear a good teaching, and/or go out to lunch afterward. In some churches today, a person can even hear a good sermon on recycling.

Here we have more emphasis on what it’s like to be in Hell. Let me pause for just a moment and say, I hate the thought of Hell. This teaching is very difficult. I’ve known a few people over the years that were very hard to deal with, some much more than that. But I wouldn’t wish Hell on anyone. Like J.I. Packer writes in the forward of John Blanchard’s book “Whatever Happened to Hell?” we as Christian communicators need to talk about it but certainly not with gloating or contempt; but instead to warn, sound the alarm about this horrible place. Christ died a miserable, slow and very painful death to make atonement for our sins. It’s still up to every person to personally accept His free offer of Salvation. I can’t do it for you, and you can’t do it for me. Some will say they disagree with this teaching on Hell or debate about the eternity of Hell. If Hell is only temporary as some believe, then why Christ’s miserable death? Why such an emphatic message from Jesus? Why did all the Apostles suffer a martyr’s death? Why do missionaries continue to go all over the globe and risk their lives to share this message? If Hell’s not real or only temporary, then why bother?

Once again, Abraham says the scriptures are enough (enough information for anyone seeking the truth). In Jesus’ day He performed many miracles. These were done to validate who He was. Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh, and he backed up His claims by doing the impossible—from healing the sick to raising the dead and then also rising from the dead himself. We read about lots of miracles in His day—not so much anymore. Are there some real miracles today? Certainly, but what we have today is something even more powerful than what they had in the first century. We have the entire Old and New Testament Scriptures. That’s more than enough for those seeking the truth.

This is The Rich Man’s final plea, Abraham’s final answer repeated. Once again, he’s driving the point home about the divinely inspired scriptures. And also, the need to repent, turn from an old way of living and seek God. The Rich Man asks for just one more miracle, please. See Abraham’s final answer in the next verse.

More than anyone else in the bible, twelve times, Jesus uses the word “Hell” (all in the New Testament). Many who read this will still go away shaking their heads saying, “it’s all foolishness.” Part of me wishes that were true (all foolishness), but what if it is true like millions, perhaps billions have believed over the centuries? There is so much at stake here. May we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying!

I hope you spend some time thinking on these things.

In Summary, Jesus is teaching that there is a Heaven to be gained and a Hell to be avoided. He’s saying that wealth is often a stumbling block. The same is true concerning “religious activity.” What is needed is a heart change, an acknowledgment that we need a Savior and a willingness to repent. Even if the sin is only pride about our good deeds, it’s still sin. He’s saying we will be surprised by who is in Heaven and who is in Hell. He’s making a strong case for a real, literal Hell. This parable is about a rich man who dies and goes to Hell. The other details are only there to fill in the story.

In Conclusion, we are left with three options concerning who Jesus is. He’s either a liar, a lunatic or the Lord, God in the flesh.