The Law and the Prophets stand as witnesses, Jesus told them, that the kingdom of God has arrived and that everyone is urgently piling into it (verses 16-17). What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight” (verse 15). Jesus then pointedly told the Pharisees, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. Its point: If you love money, as the Pharisees did, you will not love God. Jesus moves to the fourth story, the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-14). In telling these three parables, Jesus wanted the tax collectors and sinners, as well as the grumbling Pharisees and scribes who believed they had no need of repentance, to know that “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7). First, Jesus told three parables, The Shepherd Who Rejoices Over Finding His Lost Sheep, The Woman Who Rejoices Over Finding Her Lost Coin, and The Father Who Rejoices Over Finding His Lost Son. Lazarus and the Rich Man is the final parable of five that Jesus told in response to a group of Pharisees and scribes who, being lovers of money and self-importance, were disgruntled over the fact that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them (Luke 15:1 and 16:14). The underlying revelation in this story is that, in fact, there is one who crosses chasms for the sake of sinners. Jesus told the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man for two reasons: 1) to expose and condemn the refusal of the leaders of Israel to believe in him, and 2) to reverse common assumptions about riches being a sign of God’s favor and poverty being proof of God’s disfavor. It is always bad business to base a doctrine on one verse alone, and especially on a verse in a story designed to make a different point altogether. But like all of Scripture, the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man falls within a particular context and needs to be understood in that context. Have you ever heard that God is incapable of reaching those who do not become believers before they die? It’s a cruel and destructive doctrine, and its so-called “proof” is a single verse in the parable known as Lazarus and the Rich Man. Bible prophecy: Lazarus and the Rich Man: A Tale of Unbelief
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |