[PP 1] Let me tell you a story:
Two men died and went to Heaven. St. Peter greeted them and said "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but your mansions aren't ready yet. Until they are, I can send you back to Earth as whatever you want to be." "Great!" said the first man, "I want to be an eagle soaring above some beautiful nature!" "No problem," replied St. Peter, and POOF! he was gone. "And what do you want to be?" St. Peter asked the next man. "I'd like to be one cool stud!" was the reply. "Easy," replied St. Peter, and he was gone. After a few months, their mansions were finished, and St. Peter sent an angel to fetch them back. "You'll find them easily," he says, "One of them is soaring above the Grand Canyon, ...and the other one is on a snow tire somewhere in Siberia!"
Here’s another story “Oh Lordy!”
A minister died, and resplendent in his clerical collar and colourful robes, waited in line at the Pearly Gates. Just ahead of him was a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter addressed this guy, "Who are you so that I can know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?" The man replied, "I'm Joe Green, taxi-driver, of Noo Yawk city." Saint Peter consults his list, smiles and says to the taxi-driver, "Take this silken robe and golden staff, and enter into the Kingdom." So the taxi-driver entered Heaven with his robe and staff. The minister was next in line. Without being asked, he proclaims, "I am Michael O'Connor, head pastor of Saint Mary's for the last forty-three years." Saint Peter consults his list and says, "Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven." "Just a minute," says the preacher, "that man was a taxi-driver, and you issued him a silken robe and golden staff, but I get wood and cotton. How can this be?" "Up here, we go by results," said Saint Peter. "While you preached, people slept -- when he drove, people prayed!"
A parable is a story that is meant to convey a message. All the elements of the story will not match reality, and are not necessarily meant to be taken literally. The story doesn't have to be about real people or even real situations (cf. a camel passing through the eye of a needle). The hearers must be able to imagine the situation. And to achieve its teaching goal, a parable must be striking, so that as the story is retold the spiritual truth is reinforced again and again.
Everyone in our culture knows that there are no “Pearly Gates” guarding the entry to heaven, and that Peter is not commissioned to allow or disallow entry. But this does not concern us materially. This is popular mythology, with the details originating from the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, and that of St. Peter supposedly holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven from Matthew 16:19. However, in the book of Revelation the city has twelve gates and each are guarded by 12 angels, not by Peter.
You don't interrupt the teller because his portrayal is not truthful. You accept the semi-mythical props of the story and listen for the punch line. Even Seventh-day Adventists tell stories like this for good effect.
Somehow this humorous setting about the pearly gates took shape, and has since become a part of our popular culture, even though everyone knows it is a fallacy. I suspect it arose within Protestantism as they lampooned Catholics. It is just humorous and serves to tell us some home truth. Humour is a great way to convey truth.
So what do these stories teach. The first tells us we should be careful what we wish for. It’s a bit like the popular song, “Be Careful What you Pray For” (“You just might get it” – is the refrain). We should pray for what is in line with God’s will, and it is certainly not God’s will that we should want to be a “Stud” in the sense this man was wishing for!
Even those who believe we go to heaven when we die know for certain that we will not come back to earth to be on hold until something is ready in heaven.
The second story has some similarities to a story Jesus told. The clergyman, by the description given, is sure he will have no problems passing the gate. After all, he has been a pillar of Christian society all his life and has never put a foot wrong in human terms, and surely must be high on God’s list. He has actually been in God’s employ. Who could be in a better position for passing the last test? But an illiterate taxi driver bumps him at the finish line, and the clergyman is most indignant. The moral of the story is that you should not rely on position in society to engender God’s favour. As simple as that.
In a parable you don’t necessarily try to make all the details represent something, or all the subjects, someone. You should look for the one central message, not try to take several messages from it.
Many scholars understand that this is what is happening in Jesus use of the popular Jewish idea of the “Bosom of Abraham.” It was the normal understanding by Jews in Jesus day that when you died you went to Hades, which is more or less equivalent to the grave. It is the “holding place” of the dead, who are awaiting resurrection. The Hebrew word equivalent is Shoal.
But it was a popularly held idea that Jews would be with Abraham in a special part of Hades, and they saw themselves reclining at a feast with Abraham.
Luke 16:19-31 Let’s look at the passage.
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” (New Revised Standard Version)
In those days, as people reclined on the floor at a low table, they propped themselves up on one side, on a cushion, so that the head of one person was almost against the chest of the next. Look at John 13:22-25, where at the last supper John was in the favoured place in the bosom of Jesus.
So Jews believed the favoured place in the great feast was the bosom of Abraham, and they came to see, whether they accepted it literally or figuratively, that this would be the case in Hades. This is also where the Catholic teaching of purgatory developed from. Catholics believe it is like a “holding pattern” before entry into heaven, where you undergo some purification, some minor torment before you are finally clean enough to get past the last hurdle. The Adventist version, in some circles, has the righteous living a life of perfection on their own merits, just before Jesus comes again. None of these variants can be supported from scripture.
But let’s look at the origin of the ‘Bosom of Abraham’ first. We find it in OT texts like,
Isa. 25:6-8
"On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine -- the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will ... swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth."
It’s a picture of life on the New Earth after God intervenes to finish sin. Jews wove Abraham into this picture. Of course with their father Abraham, God made a covenant (Gen 15), and it was sealed, like all covenants God made, with a meal. So, also, the New Covenant was sealed with a meal, and we call it the communion service.
Luke 22:15-16
Notice that Jesus says he will feast again with us at the consummation of the kingdom.
Luke 13:29
So this is the general idea where some Jews took the idea that they would be reclining with Abraham at the final kingdom feast.
Jesus Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man
[PP3] But let’s look at the parable and discover Jesus message here. Luke 16:14-15
Notice that the immediate context for this parable is Jesus engaging the Pharisees, who are said to be lovers of money, and that what is highly valued among men is detestable to God. Then comes this story of a very rich man. He was dressed in clothes like a king, with a finely woven white linen tunic and a rich purple woollen cloak over this. He was dressed opulently. Only the very, very rich, or kings, wore such clothes. This man didn’t need to work and He lived sumptuously every day. And being a man of means, his dwelling includes a gate that bars entry to undesirables. Well, you know, in those days there were a lot of riff-raff hanging around. People who had misused their opportunities in life, and had slipped down the ladder into a pattern of life that was unbecoming of their family background. What these people needed was to ‘pull themselves up by their boot straps.’ People like this just need a bomb under them to get them going. At least such was the opinion of many wealthy individuals in those days.
[PP4] This “poor beggar” outside his gate was a prime example. Look at this miserable mongrel. He just lies there day after day begging from passers-by. How did he let himself get into a situation like that? And those oozing sores just make you squeamish. You really need to keep your distance from this sort, because it’s easy to catch something nasty from a fellow like that. But at least he is outside the entrance gate, so you don’t really have to think about him often. He’s down with the gutter dogs, and under the same curse. With skin sores like that he really should be outside the city gates, after all, it’s stipulated in the law of Moses what should happen to the “unclean.”
The interesting thing is that Jesus gave this man a name; the only person in any of his parables he gave a name to. Isn’t that interesting? His name is Lazarus, which is a nickname for Eleazar, meaning “He whom God helps.” Perhaps it is just because this meaning suits the story; or perhaps he was named after Abraham’s chief servant, Eliezer, whom Abraham seemed to treat as a trusted friend and family member. We don’t really know for sure.
On the other hand, the rich and respectable man, the pillar of society, is not blessed with a name. Remember what Jesus said, “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” And in Jesus mind this rich man is the detestable one rather than the beggar outside his gate.
Each day at this rich man’s table was a banquet, and the guests dined sumptuously on the choicest delicacies. And when they finished eating they would wipe their hands on chapatti-like flatbread that served as a napkin on their table, which they would then discard. It was a bit of a shame to throw them away like this, but what can you do with such scraps?
This man would not call himself “rich.” Probably “comfortable” would be his preferred description. He was a respectable man about town. He was engaged in social activities; probably a patron of several worthy civil causes. His wealth gives him status and power in the community. He is a man of action. He asks people to do things, and they do it. When he speaks, his servants jump.
Death is Inevitable
But even the wealthy die at some point, and this man cannot escape that fate. It seems the poor man may have died first, which would be in keeping with his poor health. The respectable man has enough resources for a proper burial, of course, in keeping with his social status. We are left to guess that perhaps Lazarus is left without burial, the final disgrace, and it was tantamount to bearing the curse of God to be left to be ravaged by scavengers like – of all things – dogs! In life, he was treated like a dog, licked by dogs in his illness, and perhaps even mauled by dogs after dying.
But after having suffered much hunger and living among scavenger dogs, Lazarus is now transported to a feast and positioned most importantly beside none other than the father of the faithful, Abraham.
Notice that the wealthy man is in Hades, or the grave, not Gehenna – the lake of fire, the real Hell. This portrait has many parallels in Jewish literature of Jesus day, where Hades is viewed as the universal destiny for all humans, regardless of virtue. But sometimes in the popular myth there is an expected outcome of the final judgement already plotted, with a separation of people into righteous and wicked, in anticipation of the final judgement.
It is certain that Lazarus too is in Hades, or the grave, because if you read Hebrews 11, it mentions Abel, who it says is now dead (v.4); it then goes on to mention a host of OT saints, including Abraham, whom it says, “reasoned that God could raise the dead” (v.19); it then mentions others like David, whom we know is still in the grave because Acts 2 (vs. 23-29, 34) tells us this. Hebrews finishes up its description of these OT giants of the faith by saying,
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Heb 11:39-40)
[PP5] They are “together made perfect with us” – at the resurrection. So, all these texts tell us that there is the grave first, or Hades, and then the resurrection. Even in verse 31 of this parable Jesus tells us there is a resurrection. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t go to heaven, and thousands of years after come back for a resurrection. So Lazarus can hardly be in heaven if he must come back again for the resurrection. This is not a description of heaven. The conscious soul concept, post-death, independent of the body, is a pagan adaptation of ancient Greek mythology. It does not appear in the Bible.
Notice that even with this vast distance between them in Hades, this “great chasm” that has been fixed between them by their respective decisions, and the fact that their fate is obviously sealed by the way they led their lives – this wealthy man still has his old mindset. He tells Abraham to “send Lazarus” on an errand for his comfort and benefit! Read verse 24. Abraham reminds him that destinies are decided during this life.
But he is still not dissuaded from his arrogant course, and asks Abraham again to ‘send Lazarus to my five brothers to warn them.’ (v.28) Amazingly, the wealthy man has not been humbled by his new and undoubtedly startling circumstances. He still assumes Abraham is his “father” and that Lazarus, whom he knows by name but had never helped, is with Abraham in order to carry out errands on behalf of a wealthy man like himself! His audaciousness is exacerbated when we remember that Abraham was a model of hospitality to strangers, a model that this wealthy man has manifestly affronted by his treatment of Lazarus.[1]
[PP6] This is one of the two main points Jesus wants to underline with this story.
Jesus Central Points
1. Wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness.
2. If we close our eyes to the truth we are given, then we are doomed.
This wealthy man’s concern is characteristic of ‘pagans,’ whose circle of compassion extends to “friends,” “brothers,” and “relatives,” who will reciprocate in like fashion, hospitality for hospitality (14:12–14). Even this show of sensitivity is self-indicting since it manifests how true to character this rich man even now remains. He is destined for judgment because his life did not demonstrate repentance and an orientation toward God’s redemptive way (3:8). The one who now requests mercy (Greek: eleos) at the hand of Lazarus seems never to have contemplated merciful acts of almsgiving (eleēmosynē) towards this dog outside his gate.
[PP7] It is not because of his wealth that he is looking down the barrel at the judgment, but because his whole life can be described by the words, “There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.” What an indictment on your life! It’s this sort of indictment that I fear the most in life. That it might be said about me at the end that I lived a normal life, that I enjoyed myself and lived well – but that I didn’t influence someone towards receiving the gift of God! Or that I didn’t relieve the misery of the “neighbours” God sees fit to place in my way; that I only asked friends and family home to eat; that I offered help only to friends and family – even the pagans do that much, Jesus would remind us – that I walked past the needy stranger in my path!
Outside the Supermarket near my Metro the other day, was a man begging. I am careful not to give some men money in case they head straight for the vodka bottle with it. But I gave him all my change and prayed he would use it for bread. I really should have headed back in and brought a loaf of bread for him, as that would be safer than change in his hand. His clothes were retched, he was shivering from the cold, and as I went to drop the change into his hand I could see and smell he hadn’t had a wash for who knows how long. I don’t know how he got derailed into that rut in life.
But there is an old saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I!” Some people can’t appreciate this saying. They think, “No, I could never end up like this man!” But they don’t understand that it is not that far from the top to the bottom rung on society’s ladder. It can happen to any of us! All it takes is a flick of the circuit board in our brains, that tells us we are worthwhile individuals. I would love to talk to these men and tell them they can get help to kick the bottle from some churches in Kyiv. But I don’t have a good enough command of the language.
But the wealthy man in our parable, accustomed to extra considerations, calls to Abraham the third time – he will not take “No!” for an answer. Continuing to speak from his fantasised position of privilege, the wealthy man insists that for his family, more is needed, that a special envoy is required. His insolence has no bounds! He didn’t lift a finger to help poor Lazarus – then wanted Lazarus to wet his finger and apply it for this man’s comfort.
And like today, the idea of someone in ‘soul’ form returning from the dead to bring us some message from beyond, was a common myth (v.30), but Jesus rebuts it squarely by telling us, through the character of Abraham that the only way someone returns from the dead is by resurrection (v.31). And “Moses and the Prophets” are the appointed means of revelation, not spirits from the dead.
Jesus parable has taken for its medium a popular myth, similar to the ones we read in the beginning. He has the Pharisee’s and their money-hungry ways clearly in his sights. But his message will apply equally to us if we neglect to practice the message given through Moses and the Prophets. Take the message Amos had for the same types in his day,
“For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push away the needy in the gate.
…Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate.…” (Amos 5:12, 15)
[PP8] See also how Jesus slated the Pharisees for the same omissions,
Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the weightier matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.”
We are to practice the practical principles of justice and mercy here and now because that is living in the Kingdom Jesus established. Jesus message is that the Kingdom of God has already come with him, and he showed us how to live these principles.
Wealth in itself is not bad. Abraham was very wealthy, and so too was Job, and many others we could mention. But the blessing of wealth – and we must see it as a blessing from God – has responsibility written all over it. We are to open our eyes to see the need around us. In Australia, the need is not that obvious. But we can all identify very needy causes where the money will be used effectively. In Kyiv the need is close at hand, like at the entrance to my Metro station!
[PP9] Jesus message was if we don’t practice these principles here and now, we “will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Jesus was that someone who rose from the dead!
If we really believe that he rose from the dead, we will rise and live the way he lived.
[1] Green, J. B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke. The New International Commentary on the New Testament
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