Luke 16:19 Commentary and Bible Study

(Synoptics: Luke 16:19-31)Commentators have argued among themselves about whether this account of the rich man and Lazarus is based on a real event involving historic individuals, or whether it is a parable and entirely fictional. Even if it is based upon a real event, it is given in the form of a parable. Of course, it gives us a unique insight into the goings on in heaven and in hades, and that is something that only God knows, and which Christ alone could have firsthand knowledge of. If these characters are fictional, nevertheless the conversation that takes place is true to life, and the circumstances of those in hades and in heaven are accurately presented to us. Abraham, of course, is a well-known figure to every Jew, and if the rich man and Lazarus are fictional characters, the passage tells us the true thoughts and fears of those who have died without faith. There is a certain amount of the parable in this account, because the Lord Jesus is describing some of the thoughts and the hopes and the aspirations of people who have been condemned, and gone out of this life, and gone down into the pit, far away from God. We are admitted into a private conversation between hades and heaven which cannot be literal, because there can be no direct communication between them. It is rather to be seen as a symbolic conversation, given to us to convey truths which could not otherwise be expressed. There must be so many people who have been shown the issues of life and death from this portion of Scripture. God has, through this account, woken up their souls and they have begun to feel their spiritual need, and realize how important it is to seek after the Saviour while there's yet time. He says these things to impress upon us the great importance of seeking and finding the Lord before it is too late.It begins with a description of this certain rich man, and we see he is an extremely wealthy man. ‘Which was clothed in purple and fine linen.’ What is he doing clothed in purple? He thinks he is royalty: that was the royal colour worn by rulers. He is not described as a ruler, but the Lord is indicating how the man regarded himself. He saw himself as fit to be a king, even clothing himself in imperial ruling colours. Fine linen was about the lace work and the linen. This was the ultimate in fashion. We are being told that he was vain, and spent a tremendous amount of money on his appearances, on being right up with the very latest. That is what counted with him. He was totally dedicated to self-promotion. He cared more than anything else about what people thought of him, how people estimated him. He has got to be on show; he has got to impress; he has got to be thought well of. He fared sumptuously and the Greek indicates that he indulged himself every day. In other words this man was sensually gluttonous. He was a sensual man. He had to indulge his appetites. He wears sumptuous clothes; he eats gourmet meals; he lives in a prominent house. It doesn't actually say he lives in a prominent house, but the Greek word translated ‘gate’ we have in the English language. It’s the word ‘pylon’, and it was used to describe a very elaborate column or gatepost of a temple, or a palace, or a mansion. So this man in the parable is depicted as having a mighty gatepost and portal and Lazarus is laid at his gate daily. The great preachers of the past come straight to the point, and they say, ‘Do you notice how this rich man is described? Entirely in terms of what he had, what he wore, and what he ate.’ What a way to describe a human being! It is divine irony. We don't learn anything about what sort of a person he was, except by inference. He is not said to be a helpful man, a kind man, a compassionate man. But he isn't described in terms of what he was, what sort of a character he was, what value he was, or what he knew. People might ask, ‘Is he a man of knowledge? Has he got depths of understanding? Can he counsel and help people with wisdom? What has he achieved? What does he do in life?’ He isn't described in any of those terms, only by what he had, what he possessed, what he wore and what he ate.