NOTES for Luk 16:19-31
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: |
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, |
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. |
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; |
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. |
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. |
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. |
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. |
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: |
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. |
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. |
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. |
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. |
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The Gospel says little about what "life after life" is like, and most likely this silence is due to the fact that the road to heaven passes over the earth, where we are to live according to our calling. But here before us is a story that slightly opens the mysterious veil. Even here, however, the focus of our attention is not the details of existence beyond the grave, which are mentioned briefly, but the meaning of the story as applied to our life.
And so we see how a man who thoughtlessly lived for his own pleasure ends up in hell because he has already received everything in earthly life. One might ask, what wrong did he do? True, he did not feed Lazarus, who was lying by the house like a filthy homeless man, but after all, one cannot feed everyone. Nothing else bad is said about this rich man; it is not mentioned that he robbed or murdered anyone. Why, then, did he end up in hell?
It must not be "for what," but "why": not because he enjoyed earthly pleasures, but because they blocked God from his sight. Just as the same substances can, depending on dosage and proportions, be either medicine or poison, so the gifts the Lord created to satisfy our needs can become destructive if because of them we stop noticing the Creator.
And this story also contains an important prophecy: if people do not listen to well-known prophetic words, they will not believe even the One who rises from the dead. To this day, it is difficult for those who hope for endless life amid earthly luxury to believe the Risen One. But when He descended into hell, He overcame the great chasm that until then could not be crossed.
Readings for 25 March 2026
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