Christ shook our hearts with his description of heaven and hell now and hereafter. The rich man was arrogant. He clothed in luxurious bright clothes, strutted like a peacock, and had always many guests singing and growing wanton. Nevertheless, he was an ordinary man and had never committed an apparently abominable sin. But he had never done good. This was his sin, for he was a steward responsible for all his possessions before God. He did not make to himself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness (16:1-13), and therefore his heart became hard because of his love for money, and did not see the sick and poor man who was laid at the passage leading to his gate.
The name of that poor man was Lazarus, which means " a man destitute of help". It also signifies "the help of God". This poor man was rejected by his relatives and friends because of the bad smell of the incurable sores that filled his body. They laid him at the rich man’s gate as an appeal to his sympathy. They probably thought that the rich man would look after him, not out of mercy, but to get rid of the ugly view before his gate. But the hardhearted man said within himself, "If I began to help one, then all my house would become a hospital for the sick and a restaurant for the hungry." So he left him alone in his miserable condition that even the dogs, as if moved by pity, came and licked his sores. Weakened because of hunger, he became very thin as a ragged cloth, and then died and crumbled.
We are all like this rich man who did not commit an evil, but neglected kindness. Our hard heart is our prominent sin. Do you have mercy on the poor, the foolish, the sick, and the harmless? Or do you strut as a peacock in your surroundings, seeing nothing but yourself and your problems, and showing no practical mercy on the poor laid at your gate?
Poor Lazarus died. He was buried with no ceremony. They dug a hole anywhere, and tumbled his body in, without any solemnity. However, his name was written in heaven. Then the rich man and his retinue heaved a deep sigh at the death of the ugly one, for there would be no bad smell any longer at the gate. But soon the prominent, rich man died in consequence of his wanton profusion and drunkenness, and a pompous funeral with a train of mourners followed his golden coffin, which was raised on hands. The entire town followed him, but the angels of God did not care about him, for his name was not known in heaven at all. While the angels of God carried poor Lazarus immediately into the wide expanses of God, where the faithful dead rest in peace looking for the glorious resurrection, the rich man fell empty from any penny he had had, and stripped of all his purple clothes, into a place full of fiery smoke, where the evil dead are tormented. Their portions were changed, and their shares went from one to another. What a contrast! Just after the poor man was in hell on earth, he became in paradise with God, while the rich man who was rolling in wealth in an earthly paradise entered immediately into the flaming hell. We do not read that the poor man was a believer, but his entrance into the rest of God shows us that he was justified by his faith, which empowered him to extreme patience in his sufferings. However, the rich man had no love, for he had no faith.
Do you know hell? Because of the brokenness of your soul, Christ opened some of the lowered veil between you and the other world. So pay attention particularly to the verbs, which the rich man spoke after death, and you will observe with fear that the dead can see, think, know, speak, ask, hope, and want. They are not senseless nonexistence, but they feel, thirst, look for the reduction of severity of their torment, and suffer too much in the ocean of flames. These are not images and superstitions, for Jesus is not a liar, but he is warning you by this revelation and unveiling to you the mystery of hell that you may be prepared during your life for the afterlife.
The formerly rich man – now poor - saw the formerly poor man – now rich - preserved in God’s rest. "Abraham’s bosom" was the Jews’ expression of the happiness of the righteous at death, for Abraham was the father of the faithful, and those of his faith must come back to him. The once arrogant rich man, who treated Lazarus in the world as less than a dog, is now begging Lazarus for mercy through Abraham. Now observe that Abraham is living. He lives forever in his heavenly being, but he cannot help his lost son, even if he asked for his help, for there is a great gulf fixed between heaven and hell, an impassable one, a great chasm, that so there can be no communication at all between glorified saints and damned sinners. Whoever falls into hell remains in it, and whoever enters into heaven abides in God forever.
The torment of those in hell becomes greater, for they see and hear the truth with exactness, and recollect the evil things they committed in their life on earth. They also know that they had neglected the good. Their intense regret for the opportunities they had lost without availing themselves of them in good deeds is more painful than their shame for their offences. Love alone realizes the others’ distress and helps them. Any shortcoming in carrying out the services is an indication of lacking of love. Where is the pride of your righteousness? Cry today that you may not cry tomorrow. Penetrate deeply into the Holy Bible that your heart may be filled with love and it may prompt you to be merciful to the lost, then you deny yourself, forget it, and sink in the ocean of the love of God, serving all men at all times.
When the desperate rich man knew that the severity of his torment had no reduction, and that he had no hope for salvation, he remembered frightfully that he had also failed to inform his five brothers about salvation and the life to come. They were all unbelievers. Now, the reprobate is asking the blessed Abraham to send the blissful Lazarus to those brothers who are still living in the world to warn them that they may immediately repent and turn. The rich man was probably involved in contacts with unclean spirits during his life on earth, and therefore he hoped that his brothers could see a twinkling light from heaven thrown on them to shake their hearts that they may be converted.
But Abraham repeated his decisive word twice, deciding that neither heavenly revelation, nor divination, nor contacting with the dead could save or reform men, except the word of God alone. No miracle or sentimental undulations can ever change your wicked heart except the law and the gospel alone. The testimony of the word of God is creative and is able to save every wicked, lost man.
Dear brother, Study the word of Christ faithfully every day, for it is the unequalled way to countenance your heart, and change your future from hell to continuance in heaven. Overcome prayerfully your innermost refusing to read in the Holy Bible, for the word of God fills your spirit like the bread which nourishes your body, and the gospel quenches your thirst like cold water.