Luke

By Joyce Webb 2020

Chapter 16 Verses 19-31

Verse 19-31

Jesus told this story. This story is a little different than other stories Jesus told.

In this story, Jesus uses the name of the man. Before, in other stories, Jesus never used names of people.

It makes us think that this story is true and really happened.

It was not a story just to teach a lesson. It was a story that was true and it also told people how things really are.

The story is about a man named Lazarus. He was poor. He had many sores on his body. He did not work.

From the story —we think that he could not work for some reason. So, he sat at a rich man’s gate and begged for food.

The rich man sent servants out to give Lazarus little bits of food.

Dogs came around Lazarus and licked his sores.

After a time, Lazarus died. Jesus said that Lazarus went to “Abraham’s bosom”.

Bosom is a person’s chest–front of his body.

“Abraham’s bosom” meant that the person who died went to where Abraham was.

Abraham was dead. He loved God. Abraham was one of the great holy “fathers” in history of the Jewish people.

Abraham was in a place called “paradise”. Not heaven yet, but it was a good place.

Jesus had not yet died on the cross for men’s sins.

Before Jesus died on the cross, when people who loved God died, they went to “paradise”. It was a good place, a “holding” place” until Jesus died on the cross.

After Jesus died on the cross for people’s sins, and Jesus went to heaven to show God he had finished the work of dying on the cross—-after that—when people died—their spirits went to heaven where Jesus sits with God.

Back to the story: Lazarus loved God and now that he died, he is in “paradise”.

After a time—the rich man dies. He does not love God or obey God. He goes to hell. The Bible says that he is tormented (he is in pain) in the flames.

He cried out to Abraham and wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to bring a drop of water to put on his tongue.

Abraham said to the rich man—-when you were alive—-you had many good things—-Lazarus had nothing.

Now, Lazarus had good things to comfort him—-and you have nothing but hurt.

Then Abraham said—there is a wide “gulf”—-space that divides—us. I can not pass over it to you and you can not come here.

Then the rich man asked for Abraham to send Lazarus back to the earth so Lazarus could talk to the rich man’s brothers and warn them and tell them about how bad hell was.

Abraham said, Your brothers have the writings of the Old Testament, of Moses and other prophets/preachers. Let them read the writings and believe.

The rich man said, if you sent someone back from the dead—then my brothers would believe.

Abraham said, If your brothers would not believe the Old Testament writings of the prophets—-they would not believe Lazarus either—even if he came back from the dead.

(Remember, the rich man had the Old Testament to read, also, but he did not give attention to it. He ignored it and did not believe.

Now he is in hell hurting.)

By this story Jesus is teaching that there is a “paradise” “heaven” and a hell with flames that hurt.

Believing in God/Jesus has to happen before you die.

After you die—it is too late.

Choosing to believe in Jesus and forgiveness of sins has to happen before you die.

In the book of Hebrews it says: It is appointed (God has decided, planned) for man to once die—after that the judgment.

Hebrews 9:27

If our sins are not forgiven—we will have to pay the death punishment for them our self. We will have to “die” forever in hell.

If you do not want to go to hell and pay your death punishment—then you need to have your sins forgiven before you die.