Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Luke 16:22-24
22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
Commentary:
16:22–23 The poor man died and received no burial, in contrast to the rich man who was buried. The poor man was carried … to Abraham’s side (lit., “bosom”), which means he was welcomed into the fellowship of other believers already in heaven, particularly Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. But the rich man went to Hades (the place of the wicked, the dead, or “hell”), a place of torment. That the rich man saw Abraham far off indicates the unbridgeable gulf between heaven and hell. The previous earthly situations of the rich man and Lazarus are completely reversed. As in 13:28, the unbelieving dead seem to have some awareness of the blessedness of believers in heaven. Though this is a parable, and thus it is unclear how far the actual details should be pressed, the story seems clearly to teach that, immediately after death, both believers and unbelievers have a conscious awareness of their eternal status and enter at once into either suffering or blessing.
16:24 have mercy. The merciless one now seeks mercy but will not receive it (vv. 25–26) because the “year of the Lord’s favor” (4:19) has passed. send Lazarus. The rich man knows Lazarus’s name and thus knew his plight, though he had ignored it. The conversation between the rich man and Abraham may be one of those details of the parable that should not be pressed for doctrinal significance, for nowhere else in Scripture is there any indication that there will be personal communication between those in heaven and those in hell.
16:24 have mercy. The merciless one now seeks mercy but will not receive it (vv. 25–26) because the “year of the Lord’s favor” (4:19) has passed. send Lazarus. The rich man knows Lazarus’s name and thus knew his plight, though he had ignored it. The conversation between the rich man and Abraham may be one of those details of the parable that should not be pressed for doctrinal significance, for nowhere else in Scripture is there any indication that there will be personal communication between those in heaven and those in hell.
Questions:
- Needless to say, hell will be a terrible, terrible place to be. Not only should hearing of the horrible truths of hell make us REALLY not want to go there, it should also stir up in us worship for God. It's extremely sobering to truly consider what we've been saved from. Our faith in Jesus doesn't just make our life better. It LITERALLY saves us from experiencing the horrors of hell. God is just, but he is also infinitely gracious. How grateful are you for God's saving grace? What passions does it stir up in you?
- But why would a loving God send a "good" person to hell? The fact is, no one is good. We have all broken God's law and must be punished to satisfy his justice. Our God is infinitely holy and righteous. We can't possibly live up to that standard. Even the BEST person falls miserably short. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking we are pretty good. But we fail to see our depravity. What are the pitfalls of thinking we are better than we are?
Pray:
- That you would remember all God has done for you.
- That you would remember that we serve an infinitely holy God, and Jesus is the only reason we can have a relationship with him.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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