“Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them” (Luke 16:29).
Questions about “the Other Side”
Who has never thought about what lies on the other side of the grave? Or even, perhaps, asked himself, “Are we sure that there is another side?” Many times the thought has passed through my mind when someone has died, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he could come back for a moment and tell us about the other side! That would be extremely helpful! An old man sitting on a park bench one summer day was asked a question by one of us regarding the other side of the grave. His immediate reply was, “no one has ever come back to tell us about it.”
All such questions and thoughts even on the part of Christians arise out of some measure of unbelief. Suppose that someone would claim that he had come back from the other side; would people believe his ‘story’? Responses would vary. One might say, “How do we know that he’s speaking the truth?” Or, “How do we know that he was on the other side?” Another might suggest that it was all a fantasy. This is not the way to learn about the “other side.”
We must never forget that the other side is spiritual and invisible to us who are still on this, the earthy side. How can we who are earthy understand or even perceive things that are spiritual and heavenly? We can’t. Jesus Christ is the only one who can answer our questions about the other side. He arose on the other side, the spiritual side, of the grave. He also came back in earthly form to tell us about the other side and the blessings that lie beyond for His people. All of this is related to us in the Bible, the all–sufficient Word of God. We must constantly listen to it. It alone tells us all that we need to know. That, no doubt, is the main lesson of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
Jesus’ Parable
The first scene of the stor y reveals two men, opposites. Interestingly, the name of the poor man is given, but not the name of the rich man. The rich man lived in luxury, wore purple and fine linen every day. The poor man, Lazarus, was covered with festering, painful, untended sores, hungry, eager to be fed with whatever fell from the rich man’s table (or, we would say, whatever was thrown into the garbage can). Medical help, he couldn’t afford. Imagine him in his hunger, the dogs licking the sores which covered his body. We are also given a glimpse of the spiritual life of the rich man. Later he speaks of the need for repentance, something which he evidently did not have. Evidently he was a member of the church, for he calls Abraham his “father” and Abraham, in turn, calls him his son, suggesting that he was in some way in the covenant. He may have been a Pharisee, with a formal religion, living by work–righteousness. But he apparently knew nothing of salvation by grace, of repentance, godliness, and the love that fulfills the law, even though he may have been in good standing or even a leader or elder in the church.
The second scene is in the hereafter. Both men died. We don’t read anything about Lazarus’ buriel, but are told that the rich man was buried, which may imply that he was buried with honor and dignity, with mourners and friends in attendance—but no angels. Thereupon one of the men finds himself in heaven, the other in hell. Naturally, every detail mentioned in the story cannot be spiritualized. This we should never try to do in studying parables. We surely can’t conclude from this story for example, that there will in the case of all people be some kind of communication between heaven and hell. But for the sake of the lesson which the Lord wants to teach us with this parable, he describes a conversation between these two men. We must try to understand and apply that lesson.
What is the lesson of this story? Its point is that this rich man did not listen to the powerful Word of God. Follow his reasoning. He asks that Lazarus be sent back to earth, being raised from the dead, to warn his five brothers. He must tell them that he has seen their brother in the place of torment and warn them lest they experience the same fate. Imagine what a moving testimony and message Lazarus could bring! He could tell the people that he had actually been in heaven and had also seen Dives (as the rich man is sometimes called) in the indescribable torments of God’s wrath. What a sensational message that would bel That would sur ely move his five brothers to repent! This is the way he reasons.
His proposal implies that the testimony of Lazarus would be far more effective than the Word of God. In the parable that Word is called the Word of Moses and the prophets. Not the Word, but something special, phenomenal, tangible, is needed to really touch these people and bring about their conversion.
This idea is as common as human nature. People always crave something different, something special and visible. In the Roman Catholic Church for centuries this desire and demand has been met with the tangible images in the church and its worship. In the mass the literal body and blood of Christ are allegedly given.
What is Abraham’s answer to the rich man’s proposal? Let the five brothers on earth hear Moses and the prophets. And if they will not listen to them, they will not listen to someone who has actually returned from the other side of the grave, the heavenly side, to speak to people on earth.
Visualize someone such as Lazarus returning to earth in our day, and appearing on the TV networks—the appearance of someone whom people knew had died and been buried! Who wouldn’t tune in? Wouldn’t watchers consider it the most fantastic experience of their lives? Wouldn’t a message so given be effective in bringing thousands to conversion? “Not so,” Abraham would answer. “If they don’t listen to the Word they would not listen to someone who actually returned from the dead.” This suggests how uniquely powerful the Word of God is. Listen to it!
Believing God’s Word Precedes Seeing
This is the time of the year in which we especially remember the great 16th Century Reformation. In it the Lord restored to the church especially three truths, (1) the sufficiency of Christ’s blood for our righteousness, (2) justification by faith alone, and (3) the authority of God’s Word. The last is, undoubtedly, the most important. The Word is the Word of Almighty God. Someone raised from the dead might, with the preaching of “hell and damnation” try to scare people into heaven, but he would actually save no one. When the dead hear the voice of the Son of God in His Word, they will live (John 5:25).
Let the rich man‘s brothers hear this Word. Let us listen to it. True sons and daughters of the Reformation respond to the good news of this Word.
To hear and listen to the Word means to receive it in faith, to trust in Christ and live by His Word. Then the love of Christ overwhelms us. It brings us to our knees in sorrow for sin and makes us love the Lord.
The rich man had, no doubt, heard the Word in some form, but he did not really listen to itfor he did not repent and show that change by helping poor Lazarus.
Who of us does not hear the Word? Perhaps we go to church twice per Sunday and read the Bible daily. Is it possible that despite all of this exposure to the Word we do not really hear it? It surely is. That this parable teaches us. How can we know whether our faith in God’s Word is genuine? The parable suggests a proof. Real faith produces repentance and helping the poor.
Real hearing of God’s Word means daily living with it, meditating on it, feeding our souls with it, obeying it. Not the spectacular display of a man who would return from the “other side,” but genuine, daily, listening to the Word is the way of the Lord. This is the spirit of the Reformation.
Lord, give us and our children faith in t he Word. Let this be our daily prayer. May it never be said of us or our children that the Lord has taken His Word from us because we neglected to do anything with it.