“But
Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’ “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:25-31
Luke 16 [19.] “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. 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 in anguish in this flame.’
Luke 16 [25.] “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’
Luke 16 [27.] “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’
Luke 16 [29.] “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’
Luke 16 [30.] “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Luke 16 [31.] “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
Luke 17 [1.] He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Meaning:
In the first half of the parable a rich man lived in luxury while the beggar Lazarus lay at his gate. After death Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side, and the rich man, in torment in Hades, begged Abraham to send Lazarus with a drop of water (Luke 16:19-24). These verses give Abraham’s answers in a short dialogue. They explain the reversal, show that the decision made in this life is final, and end with a warning to the money-loving Pharisees who were listening (Luke 16:14).
- “Son, remember”
Abraham spoke kindly; he called the rich man “son,” acknowledging his descent. But being a child of Abraham by birth was not enough. The rich man had “received your good things” in his lifetime, and had not shared them. Lazarus had received “bad things,” and now he was comforted. Jesus had said the same in his teaching on the plain: “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled” (Luke 6:21), and “woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation” (Luke 6:24).
- “a great gulf fixed”
The chasm between the two places cannot be crossed in either direction. The parable is not mainly a description of the afterlife, but it does teach clearly that a person’s state after death is fixed. “It is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The time to respond to God is now.
- “send him to my father’s house; for I have five brothers”
For the first time the rich man thought of others, but only of his own family, and he still treated Lazarus as a messenger to be sent. His request also implied that he had not been warned well enough. He believed that a visit from the dead would make his brothers “repent.”
- “They have Moses and the prophets.”
Abraham replied that God’s word was enough. The law of Moses commanded care for the poor, and the prophets repeated it again and again. Jesus himself said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me” (John 5:46). After his resurrection he explained, “Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets,” the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27).
- “neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead”
The final words are prophetic. When Jesus raised another man named Lazarus, the leaders did not believe but “took counsel that they might put him to death” (John 11:53). When Jesus himself rose, many still refused to believe. Unbelief is a matter of the will more than of evidence.
The Significance of Luke 16:25-31
- Today is the day to respond
There is no second chance after death. “Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
- Scripture is enough
God has spoken clearly in his word. Those who will not listen to it would not be convinced by miracles either.
Cross-References:
John 5:47: “But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” Moses as a witness to Christ.
Hebrews 9:27: “it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,” The finality of death.
Luke 24:44: Jesus shows that the law, the prophets and the psalms were fulfilled in him.
Luke 6:21: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” The coming reversal.
Conclusion: Abraham told the rich man that the reversal of their fortunes was just, that a great gulf now fixed their places, and that his brothers needed no messenger from the dead because they had Moses and the prophets. If they would not listen to God’s word, not even a resurrection would persuade them. The parable calls everyone to heed Scripture and respond to God now, while there is time.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible