A Rich Man’s Story
The man was rich. He dressed in the finest linen garments and ate only the best victuals. His home was one of the finest in the city and he spared no expense for his comfort. He lived in luxury and ease and nothing disturbed that sumptuous life, except for one man.
There was a man laying at his gate every day and his name was Lazarus. Lazarus was a beggar who was dirty and covered in filthy sores. He was a disgrace to this man’s property and an eyesore every time he passed him on his way to town. The dogs would even come and lick his sores!
A Little Charity
How many times had he passed Lazarus and said no to Lazarus’ request for money? How many times had he walked by Lazarus and never offered him a piece of bread? How many times did this rich man just simply ignore Lazarus?
I mean really, what was it going to take for Lazarus to get the message that he was getting nothing and would never get anything?
Day after day Lazarus laid at the rich man’s gate. If he had the opportunity, Lazarus may have chosen to lay at someone else’s gate hoping for a little charity, but the men that carried him, laid him at this gate every day whether he liked it or not. But Lazarus was grateful for any help he received. And now his needs were completely dependent on one man.
Too Busy with Business
Lazarus saw the rich man walk by every day and every day he tried to say hi to the rich man in the hopes that the rich man would give him something, anything. But the rich man never did.
In fact, the rich man rarely if ever spoke to Lazarus. The rich man never knew or bothered to learn why Lazarus was a beggar or why he laid by this rich man’s gate day after day.
One can only wonder why?
I have a feeling that the rich man’s life was a lot like our lives today. Like us, the rich man was too busy with business and his connections, stopping to learn a beggar’s story just wasn’t on his radar. In fact, he was probably so busy he barely even thought about the man laying at his gate every day.
Never Cultivated a Life of Faith
Well, as with all life, Lazarus died and went through the veil of this life to the next. Lazarus must have been a man of faith, waiting daily for God’s provision, because upon his passing, the angels carried Lazarus to heaven.
In time, the rich man died too. Being rich though, the man never found a reason to rely upon anyone else for his needs and as a result, never cultivated a life of faith. The ramification of the choices the rich man made in life did not become evident until it was his turn to pass through the veil of this life into the next. When the rich man passed through the veil, he found darkness, loneliness, flame, and torment.
In his agony, the rich man saw, and begged for help from the one man he had ignored for so long, Lazarus. All he wanted was a drop of water from Lazarus to cool his tongue. But it was impossible.
A chasm separated the rich man in his suffering from Lazarus and all of heaven’s blessings.
The rich man begged further, asking that Lazarus be sent to his five brothers and warn them of the place where he was now suffering. He was told his brothers had the Word and that they should listen to it. The rich man replied that if one came to them from the dead, they would listen to him. But the response to the rich man was that his brothers would not be persuaded even if one rose from the dead.
A Journey We Take Alone
In our lives today, we have the story of One rising from the dead, Jesus Christ. The question for us is whether we believe it or are we too busy to even consider it? We also have the Word which is found in the Bible.
The path we take through the veil of this life into the next life is a journey we take alone. What I mean is that we will not have our friends and family with us when we go from this life to the next.
In the story Jesus told about Lazarus, He said the angels carried Lazarus away, but not the rich man. Because Lazarus believed in Jesus Christ, God sent His angels to bring Lazarus home.
The rich man never knew God and as a result was never known by God and so the angels were not sent to bring him to heaven.
They say that hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, it’s obvious to see what we should have done. When we are on the other side, the result of our choice in this life will be revealed.
I encourage you to take the time to seek Jesus Christ and discover His promise of eternal life in heaven. The gift is free. Trust me when I say, the blessings of heaven outweigh any suffering we may endure in this life. All you must do is believe.
Resource
The Rich Man and Lazarus
“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.
“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.’
“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.’ 30 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.’” Luke 16:19-31