August 12
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS / PART 1
IT IS A PARABLE!
-The first and most important thing that we must see concerning the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus is: IT
IS A PARABLE! A “parable” is: a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach a spiritual truth, religious
principle, or moral lesson.
-Matthew 13:34 tells us that Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables ( figurative language ); and
without a parable did He not speak unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open
My mouth in PARABLES; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world … With this
in mind, we can now approach the teachings of Jesus in a proper way. Remember … Jesus always spoke in parables when
He opened His mouth in public before the multitudes.
-Starting with Luke chapter fifteen Jesus begins to speak a five-part parable. Notice who His audience is. He
is speaking to the: publicans, sinners, Pharisees, and scribes. The five parables are:
1. THE LOST SHEEP
2. THE LOST COIN
3. THE TWO LOST SONS ( THE PRODIGAL SON )
4. THE UNJUST STEWARD
5. THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
-The first three parables are spoken to encourage the publicans and sinners concerning God’s love for
them. The last two parables are spoken to warn the Pharisees and scribes ( the religious leaders ) of God’s disapproval
of their self-righteous behavior, which would ultimately lead to the Kingdom of God being stripped from the Jews and given
to the Gentiles.
-The reason it is so important that we understand that Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables is because
of this: Many people literalize things in scripture that are to be understood spiritually, or in a metaphoric sense.
This is the MISTAKE that is often made by most concerning the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. We must also understand
that the meaning of a parable is LOCKED to the mind of human intellect, which is the carnal ( fleshly ) mind.
-1st Corinthians 2:14-16 states, … But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit
of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is
spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct
Him? But we have the mind of Christ …
-MAY WE APPROACH THIS PARABLE WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST!-
