Luke 16:19-31
March 27, 2022
Vs. 20 – “Lazarus” – is a form of the Hebrew name “Eleazar,” meaning “the one God helps
Vs. 20-21 – Rich … Poor – Wealth is not a sign of God’s favor; poverty is not a sign of God’s displeasure.
Vs. 23 – being in torment – There are perhaps few more awful passages in the Bible than this
Vs. 25 – Child – Abraham is addressing the rich man tenderly, (the same way the father addressed the older son (15:31). The rich man has made his choices, and Abraham cannot change their consequences
“Like many of Luke’s teachings in the central section of the Gospel, the decisive eschatological issue is not wickedness but neglect. At the Great Banquet, it was neglect of an invitation (14:16–23); here it is neglect of a man in need whom the rich man could have helped.”
- James R. Edwards
Vs. 26 – been fixed – The separation between Lazarus and the rich man has been established by God and cannot be altered
Vs. 27-28 –I beg you … warn them – unconverted people find out the value of a soul when it is too late
Vs. 29-30 – from the dead – the greatest miracles have no effect on men’s hearts if they will not believe God’s Word.
Faith, simple faith in the Scriptures, is the first thing needed for salvation. The person who has the Bible and can read it and yet waits for more evidence before he becomes a convinced Christian is deceiving himself.
- J. C. Ryle
Vs. 31 – Rise from the dead – Another man called Lazarus did rise from the dead, and yet the Jews stayed unbelieving. ABOVE ALL, Christ himself rose from the dead, and yet the Jewish nation would not believe.