The Parable of the Rich Man & the Beggar
Luke 16:19-31 Amplified Bible
Luke 16:19-20
“Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, covered with sores.”
A rich man lived in great extravagance while a beggar, Lazarus, lived in abject poverty. Thinking he wasn’t in need of anything to make his life complete, the rich man enjoyed his life, while ignoring the beggar at the town gate.
Jesus had been delivering a series of parables which related quite specifically to the religious leaders of that day. This particular parable struck at the core of the Pharisees for they considered wealth to be a sign of a person’s righteousness. The Pharisees professed to believe in a future life and future judgment but didn’t live a life that conformed to that belief. They were no better than the rich man’s brothers who had “Moses and the Prophets”.
Jesus presents a rather stark contrast between the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man wore robes of purple, a color that was indicative of wealth. He also wore the finest linens. All it says about Lazarus is that he was a poor beggar “who was covered with sores”. He was so denigrated that the dogs licked his open sores.
Jesus normally didn’t give names to the characters in his stories. In this case he is implying that the beggar was more important to God than the rich man who apparently paid the Lord no mind. This Lazarus is not the same Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead, but just an arbitrary name Jesus chose to give this beggar.
In the end, after death, the rich man and the beggar’s roles are reversed. Lazarus is escorted by angels “to be with Abraham”, where he will recline at heaven’s banqueting table. The rich man was simply “buried”. There is nothing that can change your outcome once you have made your final determining decision by your lifestyle. The rich man went to hell because he was hard-hearted in spite of his great blessings. How much money you have is not nearly as important as the way you use it. No doubt his brothers were the same because Jesus said that even if God had raised Lazarus from the dead to warn them they would not have changed their ways. The main crux of the message is do you hoard your blessings for yourself, or do you use them to help others? Pray to be blessed so that you might be a blessing to those around you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In his name & for his glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resources: Life Application Study Bible, p.2242; Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament, Copyright 2004.
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