“Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame” (v. “Father Abraham, have mercy on me!” the rich man cried out. 22, 23).įrom his place in the flames, the rich man peered across the cosmic gulf to see Lazarus at Abraham’s side. What Jesus next said in His parable shocked the minds of everyone listening: The poor man “was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom,” while the rich man was found in Hades, suffering torment (vv. Yet one thing was the same: They both died. Though these two men dwelt in close proximity to one another, they lived opposite lives. And to further illustrate how desperate his situation was, Jesus added, “Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.” He wanted the dustpan scraps the maid swept up after supper. Make no mistake: Lazarus wasn’t hoping for a takeout box of leftovers. He wore rags for clothes and was always hungry-so hungry that he laid in the street just outside the rich man’s gates in the hopes that he would “be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table” (v. The rich man’s table was also regularly spread with feasts, and he enjoyed every variety of dainty delicacies. “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen,” Jesus explained (Luke 16:19). With an eager multitude gathered around Him, including some Pharisees lurking at the edges, Jesus told a parable about two men who were opposites in almost every respect. Perhaps that’s why Jesus told the astonishing story of two very different lives with two very distinct destinies-the tale of Lazarus and a rich man. People have always been fascinated by ironic stories of rags to riches-and, yes, riches to rags. Then there’s Bill Cosby, who once was known and loved by everyone as “America’s favorite Dad.” Now the disgraced millionaire comedian is languishing in prison, where he will likely spend the remainder of his life, after being convicted of sexual assault. After being locked up for 39 years, the unjustly held prisoner becomes a happy millionaire. An Amazing Fact: Craig Coley, a California man who was wrongfully convicted for killing an ex-girlfriend and her son four decades ago, is found innocent, set free, and receives a $21 million settlement from the city of Simi Valley.
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