The Rich Man and Lazarus

    The narrative in Luke 16:19-31 grew out of a conversation which Christ had with the Pharisees. He had taught on the danger of the love of money (vv. 1-2), the deceitful nature of riches (vv. 9-11), the right use of property (vv. 11-12), the worthlessness of earthly esteem (v. 15), the need of listening to Moses and the prophets (vv. 16-17), and the evil of  adultery (v. 18). The design of this narrative was to impress these truths upon the people and warn men of the danger of Hell-fire.
NOT A PARABLE
    For centuries scholars have disputed whether these verses are a parable or real history. I believe they are a historical incident for a number of reasons. First, the whole story is so graphic and forcible that it appears to be the language of narration and not a parable. The expressions, “There was a certain rich man,” and “There was a certain beggar named Lazarus,” show our Lord is giving history. He is relating the history of two men who had some time in the past lived and died in Jerusalem. These two men could have been known to some of the people who heard Him speak.

Author: Milburn R. Cockrell
Publisher: Berea Baptist Church
Year: 2019
ISBN 13: 9781932879292
Number of Pages: 31
Format: Paperback

Location: M6