JESUS AND THE PARABLES! The rich man and Lazarus the beggar.

Luke 16:19-23 reads, “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores”. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom”.

What is the meaning of sumptuous?
It means luxurious, costly, rich, lavish, expensive etc.

TRANSLATION.

There once was a rich man, who lived a lavish lifestyle. Likewise, there once was a beggar named Lazarus who stayed by the rich man’s gate, begging for crumbs everyday. In addition, Lazarus was sick and the dogs licked his sores. Unfortunately, he died and so did The rich man. Then God sent his angels to bring Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom (chest) and The rich man was sent into Hades (Hell). While The rich man was being tormented, he looked up and saw Lazarus in the distance in Abraham’s bosom.

Luke 16:24-26 reads, “Then 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 tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us”.

TRANSLATION.

Then the rich man cried out, asking Abraham for mercy. He wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to bring him water because he was thirsty. But Abraham reminded him of his past life. About how he received many good things and likewise Lazarus received many evil things. Abraham then says “besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf (large body of water)” in between that prevents us from reaching over to where you are.

Luke 16:27-31 reads, “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them”. And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead”.

TRANSLATION.

Then the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his household, to warn his 5 brothers. He didnt want them to end up in hades aswell. But Abraham said that they (his brothers), have Moses and the other prophets. Still, the rich man insisted and said that if Lazarus goes and tells his brothers, they would believe him because he was already dead. And again Abraham said, if they do not listen to Moses and the other prophets, they will not be convinced by someone that has risen from the dead.

The parable above is very important because it teaches us to be kind to one another. The rich man watched Lazarus everyday by his gates, begging for leftovers. In addition, he knew Lazarus was sick but he did nothing about it. His complete lack of compassion speaks of the level of wickedness in his heart.

Lazarus on the other hand, went through so much in his life. Just imagine being homeless, sick and hungry. Begging for crumbs and leftovers by someone’s gate. The feeling of abandonment and emotional stress that takes over can be maddening. It can sometimes lead to drug use or it can drive a person to question their existence.

Alot of us have continually searched for God. We say to ourselves “where is God?”, “Why doesn’t he make himself known?”. We say these things without realizing that he has already made his presence known. Infact, God has appeared to many of us in many different forms. E.g someone homeless, someone afflicted with drugs, the poor, the sick, animals, the persecuted, a victim of abuse, etc. God is everywhere.

Matthew 22:37-39 reads, “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

John 15:12 reads, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”.

1 John 3:17 reads, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”.

When we are kind to each other, we are abiding by God’s love.

Luke 17:1-2 (NIV) reads, “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

First thing we should know about the verses above, is that the phrase “little ones” refers to those who follow Jesus Christ. It refers to believers. Jesus is warning those that cause believers to stumble. He says the punishment for those who actively make believers fall is worse than being thrown into the sea with a milestone tied around their neck.

What is a suffering?
A suffering is a mental, physical, emotional or spiritual condition that a person has experienced or is currently experiencing.

What is the meaning of a bosom?
It refers to the chest of a person. In the parable of “The rich man and Lazarus” , Abraham’s bosom refers to a place of comfort.

Proverbs 14:31 reads, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him”.

Whoever insults, ignores, or opresses the poor and the needy in any way, also offends God. But anyone that blesses the poor and the needy, honors God.

Matthew 5:3 reads, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

Blessed are those that are spiritually poor (those that have a spiritual posture of a beggar). Their inheritance is the kingdom of God. Which also means, as we live and ask the Lord for everything in our lives, spiritually our posture changes. When we approach the Lord, we do it with humility, humbleness,  patience, endurance, gentleness etc. all these things allow us to inherit the kingdom of God.

God’s love for the poor and the needy is so great, that he weeps everytime wickedness is thrust upon them. We are supposed to be our brother’s keepers. Meaning, we are supposed love and take care of one another. Our love for each other is a replication of the love that God has for us. Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

So let’s start paying attention today! Let’s begin a movement of love and peace. Give what ever you can with love. Donate used items, such as clothes, shoes, or bags. Donate canned food, water, or cook a hot meal and deliver it to a shelter. Donate your time, pray for others and always give without expectations.

Luke 17:3-4 reads, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him”.

The parable above holds many lessons. When Jesus says “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him”, he isn’t talking about your sibling. “Your brother” in this sentence represents anyone. Your neighbour, a friend, or a stranger. When he says “rebuke him”, he isn’t saying you should rebuke that person. Instead, he wants you to rebuke the enemy or the spirit manipulating him or her. That person is most likely not aware that they are being used by the enemy to make you angry. Remember, our enemy is not human! And Jesus goes on to say ” if he repents, forgive him”. He says this because God wants us to forgive others when they have wronged us. He doesn’t want us to harbor hatred, malice or anger in our hearts. Think about it! When we are angry with someone, we dont feel good inside. It is as though something has entered our minds, and we feel as though our minds are in chaos. We cant sleep properly and even after we wake up, we are still thinking of whatever happened the night or day before. Every time we think of that person or see them, we get angry and eventually we start hating them. We are not supposed to harbor feelings of anger and hatred in our hearts because it allows the enemy and his agents to manipulate us. Yes, i know it can be very hard, but God says when we are in the midst of experiencing negative feelings, we should pray. We should give all our feelings of nagativity to God and he will replace them with positive ones.

Therefore when Jesus says “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day he returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him”, he is telling us to forgive others because he also has forgiven us our sins.  Jesus himself went through many things and he was surrounded by enemies. But, in the midst of trials and temptations of hate and anger, he chose God over everything. He overcame the traps of the enemy by keeping his eyes focused on God. And That’s what God want’s us to do.

Forgiveness brings us freedom!

Luke 17:5-6 reads, “And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”  So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”.

Here we see the disciples of Jesus, asking him to increase their faith because they wondered how it was possible to always forgive others. (Luke 17, verse 3-4). And Jesus responded with the parable of “The mustard seed”. Faith and belief are closely related! When we believe, our faith grows. The more we believe, the more our faith grows. If we have enough faith, we can forgive others as many times as possible.

The message that Jesus was trying to pass on to his disciples was that of encouragement. He wanted them to know that, if they truely believed and had faith in God, all things were possible.

In conclusion, loving God means making him a priority in our lives. it is important to continue reading the scriptures and trusting in God. We should take the time to develope a personal relationship with him and really try to understand who he is. Our father in heaven is wonderful and there’s no one like him. Glory be to God.

Father king of glory, we thank you for your love, and kindness. We thank you for your patience and teachings. We pray that we are able to continue absorbing the scriptures and that we are able to apply them in our lives. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

You are all Blessed.

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