19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then 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 in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
In verses 1-31, we have the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This event is probably a parable because it is in the context of other parables. Normally, parables do not include the names of actual people (e.g., Abraham, Lazarus).
16:19
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
Purple and fine linen clothes indicate that the rich man lived in opulence. He appeared as a king since purple was the color of royalty. This man was the ideal person in the eyes of the Pharisees.
16:20
But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores [ulcers], who was laid at his gate,
The word “certain” in “a certain rich man” and “a certain beggar” may indicate that this is a parable, although this would be the only parable in the New Testament with the name of an individual (Lazarus). The poor man was only part of the landscape to the rich man.
Luke set forth a stark contrast between the rich man who lived sumptuously every day and Lazarus, who was sick and begged every day at the gate of his residence. The Greek indicates that someone placed him there and that he remained there (Pluperfect). He lived in abject poverty. He was not the Lazarus of John 11:1-44.
16:21
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
The poor man was in a state of constant hunger; he hoped to eat of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Scavenger dogs licked the poor man’s ulcers.
16:22
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
Abraham’s bosom was a place of blessedness. This place contrasts with where the rich man ended. Eventually, both men died and ended in very different eternal destinations: the rich man in Hades and the poor man in Abraham’s bosom (heaven).
16:23
And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Once in heaven, there was a complete reversal of fortune. The rich man resided in Hades, and the poor man in God’s presence, the place of paradise for Old Testament believers. Hades is the realm of the dead; it is a temporary hell (translated “hell” 11 times). It is the abode of the unsaved. The rich man was “in torments,” indicating continuing, irreversible existence, not annihilation. Hades is a temporary hell until Gehenna, the place of final judgment. Hades will give up its dead at the resurrection (Rev 20:13). Hades is never used of those who are saved. The rich man suffered from God’s judgment. The poor man experienced God’s blessing in the afterlife.
16:24
“Then 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.’
The rich man was in a place of torment in flames, a place of God’s wrath upon him; he experienced torment or torture with no hope of reversing his situation. He called out to “Father Abraham,” the father of the Jewish people and the first Jew, asking him to send Lazarus to bring him water. He appealed to his heritage as a Jew by crying out to Abraham to save him.
16:25
But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
Abraham stated the reversal of fortunes between the rich man and Lazarus. God did not condemn the rich man because of his wealth but because of his lack of compassion.
16:26
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
The chasm between those in Hades and those in heaven is so great that it is impassable. Their doom was fixed and eternal. The fate of the two men stood in opposition to their situation while on earth. The man who exercised no compassion during his lifetime now received none.
PRINCIPLE:
Hell is a permanent, unbridgeable chasm from heaven.
APPLICATION:
Hell is a place where the worm never dies (Mark 9:48). The rich man represents those who reject Christ in hell. These are people who “have no rest day and night” (Re 14:11). Their experience is eternal (Mt 18;8; 25:41; 2 Th 1:9; Jude 7). The single reason for people going to hell is their rejection of what Christ did on the cross for them—He paid for their sins. There is no possibility of salvation after death.
Our culture needs to understand that the Bible is enough. We imagine we need something more than God’s Word, but He says that is all we need.
