Luke 16:19-31 "Heaven and Hell"
Most people say they believe in some kind of afterlife. According to a Gallup Poll, over 8 million people claim to have had some kind of out-of-body experience in a near-death situation—they are convinced their experience proves the existence of an afterlife. Dr Emily Williams Kelly is a scientist who has devoted her academic life to studying near-death experiences and has concluded there is evidence that the human consciousness continues to exist after the body and brain die—her research is not from a faith-based perspective.
When my dad was going through cancer surgery a few years ago, he had me call his friends and give them updates. One of those friends was a man named Ron who lived across the street from the house where I grew up. When I called him, he told me an interesting story.
He said he was also in the hospital and not doing so good. He was cheerful and coherent but he said, “I need you to know it’s all true. Every bit of it. It’s all true.” He went on to tell me he had flatlined a few days earlier. He was clinically dead. He said at first he looked down from the ceiling and saw the medical team around his body and then all of a sudden he was in a completely different place. He said there was a really pretty river with all kinds of trees on the banks. Said he saw the glow of a city in the distance. Men were carrying him that somehow he knew were angels. Then he woke up in the hospital room again—they had used the paddles to shock him back to life.
Later a minister came to see him. He told him what he had seen in his near-death experience, about the river and the trees and all that. The minister opened his Bible to Revelation chapter 22 and read what we heard earlier, where it describes the water of life flowing from the throne of God and the trees of life on either side of the river. He said, “It’s all true, Frankie. Every bit of it. It’s all true.” He died a few days later. You’ve probably heard other people talk about similar experiences.
Today Jesus is going to tell a story about heaven and hell. It’s a wild story.
He’s talking to the same people He’s been talking to since chapter 15. The same group He told the parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, Prodigal son, the clever manager—it was a combination of a bunch of sinners that Jesus had brought back to God and a group of religious leaders that loved their money and were making fun of Jesus, trying to justify themselves and their own sin and greed. This story is a fitting conclusion to His teaching on a proper attitude toward possessions.
VERSE 19:
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:19-21
That could be a description of a scene from any city throughout history, including our own. Rich and poor living next to each other, the rich doing their best to ignore the poor.
There’s a rich man, who obviously represents the religious leaders (Purple and fine linen are both references to priestly vestments) doesn’t give us his name, he wears fancy expensive clothes, very comfortable, looks like he’s in a Prince tribute band. Every day he eats like it’s a holiday feast thrown in his honor. Sumptuously—how’s that for a word? The best, most delicious food for every meal. He’s a fancy one. A foodie. Lives in a gated community to keep the riff-raff out.
At his gate, a poor man is laid every day—who represents all the outcasts Jesus was drawing to Himself. The man was probably crippled. Covered in sores. Just miserable. He should remind us of the Prodigal Son, he’s hungry, longs to eat the scraps from the rich man’s table. So, the servants would throw all the extra, left-over food from the rich man’s banquets into the street for the wild dogs to dispose of. This is why the poor man likes this spot—he can eat the scraps with the dogs. Ancient cities used to be plagued with packs of dogs, these are not pets. But the dogs are his only friends and I get the idea that his only comfort in life are the soft tongues of those dogs licking his open sores like they would lick their own wounds.
The rich man is a picture of what we all want, isn’t it? Heaven on earth. Wealth, comfort, friends, all the good things in life. The poor man is the opposite—pathetic. Some people say there’s no need to imagine that there’s a hell in the afterlife, for most people this life is hell enough.
If this was the end of the story, we might think the rich man was living the dream. Highly blessed and favored by God. We might wonder what horrible sins the poor man is being punished for. But this is definitely not the end of the story.
We should be reminded of the Beatitudes where Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger now, for you will be satisfied…but woe to the rich who have already received their reward.”
VERSE 22:
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. Luke 16:22-23
That’s quite the reversal of fortune. There are so many things to talk about here.
The poor man died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s side—literally Abraham’s Bosom. Abraham’s name means “Father of nations”—he was considered to be the father of all Jewish people. So the angels carried the poor man to where all of God’s faithful people go when they die. Where he was welcomed by other believers already in heaven. “Abraham’s Bosom” is the idea of a child being laid in his father’s arms—it’s a Jewish name for heaven. Paradise.
The rich man isn’t given a name but the poor man is. That’s a curious thing, isn’t it? Maybe the names of the righteous dead are known and remembered because they’re written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Maybe the names of the wicked dead are forgotten because they are not. Maybe the rich man’s identity was so completely wrapped up in his wealth that’s just who he is in the end—a rich man. Nothing more. The poor man is named Lazarus. It was a name that everyone knew what it meant. “Lazarus” means “one who God helps—One who puts all his trust and faith in God” It was as obvious to them as names like “Faith,” “Mercy,” or “Joy” would be to us.
So think about how the first part of the story sounded to them: A miserable poor man named “One Who God Helps” was laying helpless at the rich man’s gate. A little irony.
But now they’re both dead. The rich man is in hell and the poor man is in heaven. The rich man looks up and is somehow able to see the same beggar he ignored all those years hanging out with Abraham in heaven. The most condemning detail of this story is the rich man not only recognizes him, he knows his name. He knew the name of the man who lived at his gate with the dogs—he was very aware of Lazarus and his life of suffering. But he never lifted a finger to help.
The poor man is carried by angels to heaven—we have other Scriptures that talk about this same idea. It doesn’t say how the rich man got to hell (by the way, “Hades” is just the Greek word for hell, the place of the wicked dead) maybe he was dragged there by demons, which are fallen angels. Or maybe it’s just built into the spiritual reality of creation, like gravity, if angels don’t carry you to heaven, your soul will descend to hell as sure as water runs downhill.
So, is this a real story? Is it a parable? What can we learn about heaven and hell from what Jesus says here? I think it’s probably a parable, even though it doesn’t say so. If it is, it’s the only parable where Jesus uses actual names. But being a parable doesn’t mean it’s not based on reality—it doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from the details.
Because all of Jesus’ stories, parables or not, are based on reality. Real things found in the world. Sheep, coins, sons, seeds—all real things. But most of the time, the characters in those stories do strange things that wouldn’t usually happen—things that almost always become the plot device of the stories.
So in this story, we have two men, a rich man and a poor man. Those are certainly real things. One of them is named Lazarus—a common name at the time. We have Abraham—an actual historical person who was called back in Genesis to be the father of the Jewish nation. We have heaven—a joyous, comforting place for the righteous dead, and we have hell—a miserable, torturous place for the wicked dead. Which means these are real places—Everything in Jesus’ stories is based on reality.
But we probably need to understand that when God tells us details about things in the life to come, whether heaven or hell, He has to use words that we would understand based on concepts from this world. Because if He were to just speak in terms of that world in all its other-worldliness, we wouldn’t understand anything.
Sometimes people wonder if we’re awake or asleep after we die. Abraham is wide awake and able to have a conversation. Lazarus is being comforted. The rich man is alert and asking questions. So, while our bodies are resting in cemeteries it seems our souls are quite active.
But what happens in the story might be exaggerated to make a point. Can the wicked dead in hell actually see the people in heaven? I don’t know. Maybe. Can they really talk to them? Who knows, but for the sake of this story, Jesus says it happened. So maybe it can.
See how easy it is to not get dogmatic about things? It’s okay to leave a little room for mystery.
VERSE 24:
And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ Luke 16:24
Definitely sounds miserable. Every time Jesus talks about hell it’s always a place of terror. He calls him “Father Abraham” so we know he’s a Jew. The religious leaders listening to Jesus tell this story would not have liked this at all. How could a son of Abraham end up in hell? Also, notice the arrogance and pride of the rich man, even in hell. “Hey, Abraham, I don’t know what’s going on here but could you send that beggar who somehow ended up in heaven instead of me, pretty sure his name is Lazarus, could you send him over here to hell? I could sure use a drink!” He still sees Lazarus as someone who should serve him. He still thinks of himself first. Hell hasn’t changed him.
Abraham answers, and he’s very kind but doesn’t have good news.
VERSE 25:
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ Luke 16:25-26
Calls him “child.” Almost like, “Sorry, my child, I would if I could but I can’t.” There’s no getting from heaven to hell or hell to heaven. “Try to remember your fancy purple clothes and sumptuous feasts—all those good things you hoarded in life. Try to remember the good old days.”
But the rich man isn’t giving up that easily. He still thinks Lazarus should help him out.
VERSE 27:
And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ Luke 16:27-29
Wants to send Lazarus to preach an old-fashioned “turn or burn” fire and brimstone revival sermon—scare his brothers into repentance. “That chick might be hot but hell’s hotter!” “You might think sin is a big joke but the only one laughing in hell is the devil!” “If you think Texas heat is bad in August, wait til you spend a summer in the lake of fire!” With every head bowed, and every eye closed, no one looking around—raise your hand if you don’t want to spend eternity in hell with your brother and his Prince costume!”
Abraham says, “They’ve already been warned. Moses, the prophets—let them listen to them.” But the rich man knew his brothers we no more likely to listen to the Word of God than he was.
So, Richy Rich pushes back…
VERSE 30:
And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Luke 16:30-31
He’s pretty sure Father Abraham doesn’t get it. If they could see a miraculous sign, that’ll get their attention! They’d repent and believe for sure.
But Abraham’s not convinced, “If they won’t listen to God’s word, they’re not going to listen to a person who comes back from the dead.”
I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that in a few weeks, Jesus was going to raise a man named Lazarus from the dead. Not the beggar who hung out with dogs, but someone He loved, one of His closest friends. And even though a lot of people saw him come back from the dead, it didn’t lead to repentance and belief—it just made the religious leaders more convinced than ever that they needed to kill Jesus and put an end to what He was doing.
It’s also not a coincidence that a week later Jesus would rise from the dead Himself. The religious leaders will know it happened but it won’t make them repent or believe, they’ll just make up lies about people stealing the body and try to silence the news of the resurrection.
In a 1979 Time Magazine article, Rabbi Pinchas Lapide argues that the historical evidence for Jesus actually resurrecting from the dead is overwhelming. He gives a lot of reasons, I covered most of them in my message on Easter, but his conclusion is fascinating. He says, “I accept the resurrection of Jesus not as an invention of the community of disciples, but as an historical event." He absolutely believes Jesus rose from the dead as a historical fact but he still doesn’t believe He was the Messiah.
Abraham was right. Even if someone comes back from the dead, it won’t convince anyone of anything.
So what will? Like Abraham said, they need to listen to “Moses and the Prophets.” They need to listen to the Word of God.
No one is saved because they’re afraid of death and hell. It’s not fear that saves anyone. No one is saved because they see some giant miracle, either. That’s not how faith is created.
And no one is saved because of how good they are, either. This is definitely a story about how a rich man was greedy with his wealth and didn’t use what God had given him to bless the people he was supposed to help. No doubt about that. But the reason he went to hell was unbelief. That’s the only thing that condemns anyone—unbelief. He had all that money, all that treasure, and instead of worshiping God with it, he worshiped himself. Everything was an offering to himself. His clothes, his food—all offered to his pride. He lived as though he was his own god. In the end, the only identity he had was that he was a rich man who showered himself with riches.
It’s not a story about how people go to hell if they’re rich. Abraham was rich. Wealth isn’t the problem. But Abraham knew what to do with his money. For example, He was the first person in the Bible to tithe—he gave ten percent to Melchizedek, the Priest-King of Salem. That was before the law had been given, long before Moses. Anyone who says tithing isn’t something God wants from us anymore because it was part of the Old Testament Law—they haven’t read their Bible very carefully. Tithing is a lot older than the Law—it’s built right into creation. In the Book of Hebrews, Jesus is referred to as a priest in the order of Melchizedek—so it’s kind of hard to make the case that Jesus doesn’t want us to tithe when pretty much the only thing we know about Melchizedek is that Abraham tithed to him. It’s how we show God that we’re not worshiping ourselves. The reason God gives us good things is so we can be generous with them.
If God lays someone in your path, you might want to put that turkey leg down, roll up the sleeves of your purple robe, and figure out what you can do to help. Not because it will save you from hell, but because it will show that you’re not worshiping yourself—--that you know what your blessings were given to you for. That your faith is in God. We either use our wealth to bless other people or it’s going to be a curse to us.
We have to constantly ask ourselves, what are we worshiping with how we use our time and our money?
This is also not a story about how automatically righteous the poor are. Like, poor people are closer to the heavenly gates. Lazarus hung out with dogs and all dogs go to heaven so…No.
Some people have this romantic infatuation with the poor. Well, I’ve known a lot of poor people in my life. I come from a long line of white trash. I’ve lived in a few trailer parks. I can personally testify that poor people are just as likely to be greedy as rich people. Prisons are full of greedy poor people. Being poor is not an automatic ticket to heaven. And Just because a person suffers terrible things in this life doesn’t mean they’ll automatically go to heaven, either.
It’s an identity issue. Where we put our faith. The rich man is identified by his riches. Lazarus, the “one God helps,” trusted in God. Even though he was a living “Book of Job,” just like Job he didn’t curse God. He didn’t lose hope. He kept his faith—all the way to the bitter end. He didn’t give into despair. No career. No health. No friends. Nothing seems to be going his way. He’s a lot like Job. Remember what Job said from the pit of his misery, Job 19:25 says,
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”
That’s the hope of everyone redeemed by God. It’s either that or the bad place. The Scriptures overall and Jesus in particular are clear on the existence of only two places in the life to come. Heaven, the abode of God, the angels, and the saints—and hell, the place that has been especially prepared for the devil and his angels, and any people who are foolish enough to follow them. Lazarus and the Rich Man is a story about the eternal consequences of what we believe in this life.
Those who trust in Christ will be comforted.
Those who worship themselves and ignore God’s Word (His Law, His Gospel) will be separated from God and His people and exist in a place of torment. Unbelief in God’s Word leads to heartless selfishness in this life and is just an open contradiction in the next. The strong warning of this story is: Do not refuse to hear and believe the Word of God. Around here, we say “read your freakin’ Bible” all the time—even more important than that though: believe the part you’ve already heard, believe it, and do what it says. You’ve already heard enough to save you and keep you busy until kingdom come.
To be hearers of the Word is to be drawn into radical repentance and a violent break with your selfish past, you enter the kingdom of heaven where you are shown mercy and you’re to show others mercy.
No matter what terrible things happen in this life, Jesus gives you the hope that God’s angels will stand around your deathbed and carry your soul to heaven. You have the promise of God’s Word. The promise of Jesus. Believe Him and you will be saved. Nothing in this world will be able to separate you from the love of God and His mercy that endures forever. God has done something for you that you could never have done for yourself—He made a way for you to be greeted in heaven, not only by Father Abraham but also by your brother Jesus who gave His life and came back from the dead so you can have confident hope that good things are waiting for you in the life to come. But that’s not the end either. You’ll wait in heaven until the last day when Christ returns in glory—heaven’s not your final destination. You’re not going to be a disembodied spirit forever. When Christ returns, you will be reunited with your body in the great resurrection, and you will live forever on a new earth under a new heaven where there will be no more suffering. In your flesh, you will stand upon the earth and you will see God. AMEN