Notice the irony in Jesus’ statement on his way to Jerusalem to die, he was fully aware that even when he had risen from the dead, most of the religious leaders would not accept him. But Jesus said that if they did not believe Moses and the prophets, who spoke constantly of caring for the poor, not even a resurrection would convince them. The rich man thought that his five brothers would surely believe a messenger who had been raised from the dead. This Lazarus is merely a character in a story and should not be confused with the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead in John 11. Jesus startled them with this story, in which a diseased beggar is rewarded and a rich man is punished. The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of a person’s righteousness. The amount of money we have is not as important as the way we use it. The rich man was hard-hearted in spite of his great blessings. The rich man did not go to hell because of his wealth but because he was selfish, refusing to feed Lazarus, take him in, or care for him. Jesus startled them with this story in which a diseased beggar is rewarded and a rich man is punished. He did not consider justice and mercy his duty.īelievers need to be reminded that whatever wealth we have and enjoy is really God’s and it should be used to help those with greater needs. It was his responsibility to “love his neighbor”, yet he never took the time to offer Lazarus food, clothing, shelter, or money. The great sin he committed was that he ignored the plight of Lazarus. He did not taunt Lazarus, nor was he physically mean to him. Every day he walked by a poor man by the name of Lazarus who lay outside of his gate. “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Luke 16:19-31Ī rich man lived with more food, money, and possessions than he needed. ” ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets let them listen to them.’ Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.