Monday, September 1, 2008
"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. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 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.’ 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. 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’" (Luke 16:22-26).
IDEA: The parable of the rich man and Lazarus suggests, but does not necessarily reveal, what life after death is about.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize something of the bliss of heaven and something of the torment of hell.
Do you find this story fascinating? Why are we drawn to it? Looking at this story, what can we learn?
I. Things we can’t learn from it:
In spite of the detail, we really can’t put together much about the other world.
Can the blessed in heaven and those in hell really see each other?
If they are separated by a great divide, how then are they able to communicate with each other?
We read about fire, but what does fire mean for spirits?
Where does the water come from that the rich man asks for?
Many of those details in the story are physical descriptions of what is really incomprehensible in incomprehensible language.
Conversely, the picture of Lazarus seems to be at a banquet. In the book of the Revelation, the city of heaven is said to be 144,000 square stadia—about 1400 miles wide/long/high = a perfect cube. The most holy place in the temple was a perfect cube. This isn’t an Esso map of heaven but gets at something in the spiritual realm through the physical realm.
II. What can we learn about the afterlife from this story?
There is life after death. Otherwise that story makes no sense if it really ends after the first act.
For those who have lived selfishly apart from God, there is torment:
The torment of knowing that others whom you may have despised are in paradise and you’re not.
The torment of being separated from God, loneliness, coming out of the context of making friends in heaven.
For those who have the faith of Lazarus, there is delight and bliss, comfort and enjoyment.
There is a finality of judgment or bliss at death. No second chance.
People are where they are in how they have responded to the Word of God.