Ep. 255. Luke 16-17 | Lazarus and the Rich Man
EPISODE 255
LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN: LUKE 16-17
I don't know if Lazarus and the Rich Man is a true event that happened or a parable Jesus is telling, but that isn't the point of the text. We certainly don't want to assume that the point is that those who had a hard life here inherit true life, and those who had a great life here inherit judgment. That isn't remotely consistent with the whole of the Bible and sounds more like some twisted view of works-based righteousness rather than righteousness that comes by faith. The point most certainly rests in the last few verses, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." And "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."
The Law of Moses and the Prophets all speak to the truth of who Jesus is. We have talked about this often as we have journeyed through the Bible so far. We see our first references to Jesus in Genesis three, then arguably again in Genesis 7, certainly in Genesis 12 and fourteen. Genesis twenty-two is a parable of Jesus along with Exodus 12, Leviticus 28, Numbers 21, and Joshua 2. We can't forget how abundantly Isaiah and David speak of the coming Savior, along with nearly every other prophet of the Old Testament. Even Jonah's time in the belly of a fish is a picture of Jesus in the grave. If the religious leaders of the day wouldn't believe the Scriptures that pointed to Jesus, neither would they believe when he was raised from the dead.
Every now and again, you will hear people say, "If Jesus would just show up here right now, I'd believe in him." What they miss is that he did show up. He declared himself equal to God. He raised the dead. He healed the sick. Still, the people disbelieved. People will always want another "proof." Remember in John 6 how the people, who were following Jesus because of the miracles he had been doing, said, "What work will you do so that we might believe?"
For the better part of a year, you and I have been on a journey to dig more deeply into the Scriptures and find the riches and beauty of our Jesus. If we don't believe the Scriptures, we won't believe even if we saw him raised from the dead. Remember Jesus' words to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
ADDITIONAL READINGS: Matthew 5:17-18; John 5:39
