The Rich Man and Lazarus

In Luke 16:19-31 we read about the Rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor beggar who lived outside the gates of the rich man's house. Lazarus was covered with sores and longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. When they both died, Lazarus went to Abraham's Bosom, heaven's waiting room, and the Rich Man went to Hades, hell's waiting room.

As we read, we see the rich man now becomes the beggar, longing to have Lazarus dip his finger in water and touch the rich man's tongue to momentarily quench the agony of the flames. The problem for the rich man is that there is an impassable chasm between them and no one can cross over from one side to the other. In other words, it is a one way road to heaven or hell and once you're there, you're there for all eternity.

Understanding this reality, the rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his five brothers so they can avoid the terror and torment of hell. "If someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!", cries the rich man. "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead”, says Abraham. Simply stated, this story reveals the fact that people in hell understand the importance of personal evangelism. "Please warn my five brothers," says the rich man.

Think about the people you meet during the day? Store clerks, co-workers, telemarketers, baristos, and neighbors; could it be that they have relatives in hell, begging for someone to go share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their loved one "so that they will not also come to this place of torment." Think about that next time you speak to a stranger or a person you know would not be going to heaven if they were to die today. Don't just pass them by. If we are committed to the cause of Christ, then we are here to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). We are here to walk into people's lives and warn them of the torment to come in order so that they, like Lazarus, may be comforted in the life to come.