Sermon Tone Analysis

By Pastor Glenn Pease

On a cold December night in 1959 blazing machine guns found their victim.

Roger Toughy, a former member of Al Copone's gang, was shot down in front of his sister's house in Chicago.

It was only 23 days after his release from prison.

He knew too much about the underworld, and they have a saying that says dead men don't talk.

We would all agree that death is a great silencer, and that is why we are quite surprised by the parable of Lazarus and Dives for it is a conversation between two dead men.

We should expect such a conversation to arouse our curiosity and stimulate some questions, but less we ask questions for which it has no answers let us first ask the first two basic questions which we should ask of every Scripture passage: When was it spoken, and to whom?

You might ask what difference does it make?

In this case it makes the difference between understanding and confusion.

By not keeping in mind that Jesus told this parable before the cross and resurrection we can get confused as to its teaching on salvation.

We see little of the character of Lazarus and Dives.

All we see is their condition, and it appears that one was saved simply by being a helpless beggar, and he other was lost because he was rich.

Our confusion arises because we fail to realize that this is a pre-Christian parable.

Lazarus was not a Christian.

He was saved on the basis of the Old Testament dispensation.

This is the only parable Jesus told in which He gave a name to one of the characters.

Lazarus means helped of God, or a man whom God helped.

It indicates that he was one who found his only help in God.

We notice also that there is no mention of the Gospel, but only Moses and the prophets.

The parable is in pre-Christian terms.

The Jewish concept of Hades was a place where all dead people go.

The righteous dead go to a good part called Abraham's bosom, and the wicked go to a place of torment.

There was only a wall between them and conversations between the dead were a common method of teaching by the Rabbis.

This means that what we have in this parable is a picture of the intermediate state under the Old Testament.

The New Testament picture does not follow this same pattern.

The fact of this being before the cross and resurrection changes the impression we should get as we seek to interpret what Jesus is teaching.

It is also helpful to see that Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees.

They based their hope of salvation on their genealogy.

They were descendants of Abraham.

They felt that they were in for sure and had complete security because of the heritage.

You can imagine the shock they felt in hearing a story where a descendant of Abraham was on the wrong side of the gulf in Hades.

The fact of this being spoken to the Pharisees also explains why the rich man wanted someone from the dead to warn his brothers.

It is likely another poke at the foolishness and blindness of the Pharisees who were always asking for signs and proof, but they never believed it when it was given.

All they had to do was accept Moses and the prophets, but since they did not believe the Word of God, neither did they believe His work when it was before their very eyes.

With this background in mind we need to ask some specific questions about this story which apply to all times.

I. WHY WAS THE RICH MAN IN HADES?

On the surface it seems that his greatest sin was in being rich, and there have been many in the past who taught just that.

If we examine the life and teaching of Jesus, however, we do not find Him teaching that poverty equals piety nor that wealth equals wickedness.

Money in itself is amoral.

It is like electricity.

It can be either good or bad.

It can light a church or light a bar.

Money has the potential for both good or evil.

Consider the life of Jesus.

He was not poor in the extreme sense as was Lazarus.

He was a hard working carpenter.

When He called His disciples a treasurer was appointed and Judas carried the bag.

We know there was money in it because when He left at the Last Supper the others thought He was going to take care of some financial matters.

Jesus did not wear rags, but had such a beautiful robe that the soldiers gambled for it.

He could not have worn such a garment had there been anything inherently evil about expensive clothing.

The same holds true for the large meals He often ate with the rich, and for all the fuss Martha went through she must have put together quite a feast.

There was praise for the man who turned his 5 talents into 10, and for the woman who poured a small fortune of perfume on Jesus.

Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man who buried Jesus in his tomb, and John Marks mother had a nice home she opened up for the disciples of Jesus.

Even in this parable Lazarus goes to Abraham's bosom, and Abraham was one of the richest men in Bible history.

Neither in the Old Testament nor the New is poverty considered a virtue.

Riches in both Testaments call for great responsibility.

Whenever Jesus rebuked the rich it was not because they were rich but because they were irresponsible with their riches.

Verses 10 to 21 make it quite clear that Dives was not a good steward of his riches.

A poor man in misery was before his very eyes and he did not respond with compassion.

It is like the story of a traveler who came upon a miserable wretch in dirty rags sitting in silence by the roadside.

"Why are you dumb?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask for help?"

The wretch responded, "Can any mouth speak louder than my rags, sores, and skeleton bones?"

Lazarus represents and opportunity to serve God, and Dives represents a neglect of that opportunity.

All Lazarus desired was crumbs from his table, but Dives was so self-centered that he did not care.

We know he did not get crumbs, for when Dives asked for only a drop of water he too was refused.

To add to his condemnation Jesus pictures the man's dogs as having more compassion than he did.

By instinct they should more love with their healing tongue on his sores than Dives did with all of his riches and God-given capacity to help.

Thank God not all men are without compassion.

When Albert Schweitzer read this story it was the spark that touched off a revolution in his life.

He concluded that Africa was the beggar at Europe's doorstep and he dedicated his life and talents to heal that beggar.

There are too many who ignore the beggar and lack compassion, and that is why Madam DeStael said, "The more I see of men, the more I think of dogs."

There is no doubt about it, we can learn something about compassion from dogs.

Dives was in Hades not because of his good food and fine clothes, but because he had no concern about the poor food and clothing of Lazarus.

God's requirement is that we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

He failed to do any of these and was justly condemned.

II.

WHAT DOES THE TORMENT OF HADES REPRESENT?

Verses 23 and 24 make it clear that Dives is in real torment, and he cries out to Abraham for mercy.

All he wants is a drop of water from the tip of the finger of Lazarus.

He realizes now how meaningful it is to receive the smallest mercies.

If only he had known it when he had the chance to give Lazarus some crumbs.

Just in passing we want to notice that this is the only prayer in the Bible to a saint, and it was not answered.

Abraham makes it clear that there is no help available now, for death determines destiny.

If anyone prefers to call the intermediate state purgatory let them do so, but let them also note that there is a great gulf over which they cannot pass in spite of the their pleading with a saint.

Too often we get our concepts of what Christ taught from the artist rather than from the examination of his own words.

How often have we pictured hell as a place where men are raging in rebellion against God, and cursing the injustice of it all.

Jesus pictures it just the opposite, for it is seen here as a place of great enlightenment.

Dives saw in hell what he never saw on earth.

Dives was not raving against injustice.

When Abraham points out the contrast between his life and that of Lazarus his conscience condemns him.

He knows he is there justly, and he knows he never repented, for he pleads for his brothers to be warned because they may repent.

It is almost as if hell made a better man out of Dives.

He saw himself as he really was for the first time.

He knew the truth, but now it was too late, and that is what hell is.

It is truth known too late.

The weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus often spoke of fits perfect with this picture of regret and sorrow for living a life without compassion.

What was his torment?

The answer is found in verse 25.

The essence of his misery was his memory.