The Rich Man and Lazarus in Torment and Abraham’s Bosom (Luke 16:19-31)

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus taught the account of the rich man and Lazarus, who went to Hades. The rich man went to a place of torment. Lazarus went to a place of comfort, also called Abraham’s bosom (or Abraham’s side in the ESV). We can learn much from these two and what happened with them. https://youtu.be/iYyuj7ooakg Luke 16:19-31 contains the rich man and Lazarus. They went to Hades, which has a place of torment and comfort (Abraham’s bosom). Table of contentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesLesson One: The Rich Man and Lazarus were actual people versus a parable.Lesson Two: Wealth and poverty are not signs of God’s favor or disfavor.Lesson Three: The Rich Man and Lazarus encourage us to focus on the next life. Family Worship Guide Directions: Read the following verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Luke 8:4, 12:16, 13:6, 14:7 cf. 16:19, Matthew 12:40, John 20:17, Acts 2:27, John 3:13: why is the rich man and Lazarus more than likely an actual account versus a parable? Where was Jesus between His death and resurrection? Where does it seem like the prophet Samuel went when he died? Day 2: Luke 6:20, 24, 16:19-23, Matthew 5:3, Proverbs 22:2: what reveals the rich man’s selfishness? How do we know wealth and poverty are not signs of God’s favor or disfavor? Explain Luke 6:20 and 24. Day 3: James 5:5, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: how do the rich man and Lazarus both encourage us to focus on the next life? Why are all our trials called light momentary afflictions? What allows us to view our trials as light momentary afflictions? Sermon Notes The title of this morning’s sermon is, “Learning from the Rich Man and Lazarus.” On Sunday mornings we’re working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at Luke 16:19. A few things before we get into the verses… First, last week’s sermon on Hades laid the foundation for these verses, so let me review a few points: Hades and Sheol are the same. Hades is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Sheol. Hades is the temporary abode of the dead and it contains two compartments:Believers find themselves in the place of comfort also called Abraham’s bosom or in the ESV Abraham’s side Unbelievers find themselves in the place of torment Believers were removed from Abraham’s bosom, the place of comfort, at Christ’ ascension Unbelievers will be removed from the place of torment to appear before the great White throne judgment before the new heavens and the new earth are established If any of this sounds confusing, please go back and listen to last week’s sermon. Second, you might remember a few weeks ago I told you that money is one of the themes of this chapter. This sets up the account of the rich man and Lazarus. Notice the theme: In verse 11 Jesus said, “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” Unrighteous wealth is not immoral or sinful, but it is called unrighteous because it is earthly. In verse 13 Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” In verse 14 Jesus says the Pharisees, were lovers of money. Then in verse 15 Jesus said they justify themselves before men. Verses 14 and 15 can look unrelated: Jesus condemns the Pharisees for loving money and then condemns them for justifying themselves. But the criticisms are related because the Pharisees used money to justify themselves. They taught that money was a sign of divine favor and poverty was a sign of divine disfavor. So, the wealthier they looked, the better they looked. This caused them to flaunt their money and act extravagantly. They would say… “We have so much money, because we have been so good, and God has rewarded us. Why would God give us so much if He wasn’t pleased with us?” They also used this view to criticize poor people… “God must not be pleased with poor people or they wouldn’t be poor. Clearly, poor people are unrighteous and on their way to hell.” This was the thinking of the day, so what did Jesus teach? The account of the rich man and Lazarus: A rich man on his way to hell A poor man on his way to heaven Third, you might have noticed that I called this an account versus a parable…and this brings us to lesson one… Lesson One: The Rich Man and Lazarus were actual people versus a parable. There are five reasons to believe this was an actual account and not a parable… First, the account is never called a parable…even though most of Jesus’s other parables in Luke are called parables: Luke 8:4 HE SAID IN A PARABLE, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed… Luke 12:16 HE TOLD THEM A PARABLE…“The land of a rich man produced plentifully Luke 13:6 HE TOLD THIS PARABLE: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. Luke 14:7 HE TOLD A PARABLE to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor But in this account there’s no mention of it being a parable. Second, Jesus doesn’t begin with the phrase the kingdom of God is like as He did with most parables. Third, the characters in Jesus’s parables are never named, but in this account there are Lazarus and Abraham. It implies they were real people. Fourth, the account doesn’t fit the definition of a parable. The word parable is related to our word parallel because Jesus placed an earthly story alongside a heavenly reality. Parables contain metaphors that illustrate spiritual truths. For example, if you think about the parable of the sower: The sower represents Jesus The seed represents the Word of God The soil represents people’s hearts But in this account, there are no metaphors. The rich man, Lazarus, Hades, and Abraham don’t represent anything other than what they are. We don’t have to look for any deeper meaning behind the individuals or elements. Finally, some people disagree with my two-compartment view of Hades. John MacArthur, one of my spiritual heroes, is one of those people. Interestingly, he argues that this is an actual account, but then says it shouldn’t be taken literally. Knowing many of you have his Bible, and because he captures the main arguments against the two-compartment theory, let me share and comment on what he wrote… “The imagery Jesus used paralleled the erroneous rabbinical idea that Sheol had two parts, one for the souls of the righteous and the other for the souls of the wickedseparated by an impassable gulf.” If I understand him correctly, he is saying that Jesus taught this not because it’s true, but because it is the false teaching of the rabbis. That makes no sense to me. Why would Jesus repeat a false teaching without any indication that the teaching is false? Wouldn’t He instead teach the truth to contradict the false teaching? He goes on… “But there is no reason to suppose, as some do, that ‘Abraham’s bosom’ spoke of a temporary prison for the souls of Old Testament saints, who were brought to heaven only after He had actually atoned for their sins.” If you were here last week, you know this is exactly what I believe. “Scripture consistently teaches that the spirits of the righteous dead go immediately into the presence of God (Luke 23:43, 2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23).” I would like to briefly address the three verses he provided to support his point. The first verse is… Luke 23:43 [Jesus] said to [the thief on the cross], “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” We talked about this verse last week. I am surprised John mentioned it, because he knows Jesus did not go to heaven immediately after He died. Jesus said… Matthew 12:40 As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH.  He was in the earth for the next three days and nights. John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I HAVE NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER.’” Or, I have not yet been to heaven! Jesus didn’t ascend to heaven until His ascension 43 days later. Jesus also said… Acts 2:27 For YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, or let your Holy One see corruption. Jesus Himself said He was in Hades versus heaven. The other two verses he quotes are similar: 2 Corinthians 5:8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. Philippians 1:23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. These verses don’t argue against the two-compartment theory. They simply make the point that when believers die, they go straight to heaven, which harmonizes with the two-compartment theory. Last week, this is what I taught happens after the cross. The veil has been torn and the way into God’s presence has been open for us. John didn’t provide any verses about Old Testament saints going straight to heaven. The other reason I don’t believe people could go to heaven before Jesus went to heaven, is Jesus said they didn’t… John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man John MacArthur concludes… “The presence of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration belies the notion that they were confined in a compartment of Sheol until Christ finished his work (Luke 9:30).” Here’s the verse… Luke 9:30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, Again, if I am understanding John, he is saying that Elijah and Moses must not have been in Hades, because they appeared at the Transfiguration. Two thoughts: First, I read all three accounts of the Transfiguration and there is nothing saying they came down from heaven to appear with Christ. It simply says they were there. Second,