Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Understanding Parables | New Testament | Luke 16

Episode Date: April 10, 2023

Did you know some Bible stories are fiction? No, not the creation story or Jonah. Jesus often told parables designed to move people to action. In today's episode, Keithdiscusses a parable found in Luke 16. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Luke 16

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. Okay, I have a confession to make. I think some of the stories in the Bible aren't true. They're fiction. They're made up. They didn't actually happen.

Now, maybe you hear that and it stresses you out, or maybe you hear it and you feel kind of relieved. But before we get very far down either response, let's talk about which stories I'm referring to. Am I referring to God creating the world out of nothing? In other words, do I think that's fiction? No, absolutely not. I believe that is true.

I don't know how God did it, but I'm very confident that he did. When I say some of the stories in the Bible are fiction, I'm talking about parables, those fictional stories that Jesus told. Parables are some of the most loved parts of the Bible, but when you start studying them, you find that they're often more complicated than we first realized. Before we dive into Luke 16 and one of the parables Jesus told, let's just review a few things about what parables are. First, parables aren't unique to Jesus.

In other words, you can find parables in the Old Testament and you can find other teachers that used parables, but no one used parables as frequently or forcefully as Jesus did. Jesus' parables are some of the best known and most influential stories in the world. Think about the parable of the prodigal son or the parable of the good Samaritan. human beings love stories second parables are only found in the synoptic gospels which are matthew mark and luke third parables are an indirect form of communication in other words jesus could have just said look love people different than you but instead he tells the parable of the good samaritan parables like all good stories have a way of getting around our

defenses and hitting us in the heart which leads us to the fourth point about parables they are design to wake you up and move you to action. In other words, they're not intended just to give you some information. They demand a response. Okay, so let's dive into one of the parables found in Luke chapter 16. It's called the rich man and Lazarus. And the parable starts by setting these two men, the rich man and Lazarus, next to each other. Here's verse 19. There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

There were very few people in first century Israel who were as wealthy as this man that Jesus describes as living in luxury every day. More people were like Lazarus, but even his condition is presented in the extreme. The dogs that licked Lazarus's sores weren't pets. The Israelites didn't keep dogs as pets at that time. These were wild dogs scavenging for food. Now, we know that the rich man knew Lazarus because he recognizes them after both of them have died. By the way, real quick, this is not referring to the Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead.

Now, have you ever been in a very rich person's house? What about a very poor person? It's a very different experience, isn't it? I mean, if you've been in both, and I have, you know that it kind of can be shocking to see the difference between those who seem meaningly have everything money can buy and those who don't even have enough money to provide the basics. Some Christians see that wealth gap and they think there's something they can do to fix it. Maybe they turn to an economic system like capitalism or socialism or maybe they think the government or private business can solve these wealth problems. Other people look at the rich and poor

and conclude that they each got what they deserve. In other words, they are wealthy or in poverty because of their own choices or even worse because of their own standing with God. Let's see what happens in Jesus's story. Verse 22. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my time.

because I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied, Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you're in agony. And besides all this,

between us and you, a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. When these two men died, they experienced a reversal of fortune. When Lazarus died, his body was thrown into the trash heap, but then angels were told carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man died, and I'm sure he had a very different kind of funeral.

All the important people were there. His body was dressed up in place in an impressive tomb, but he ended up suffering in Hades. A person's eternity may look very different than their present life on earth. This parable is not intended to teach us details about the afterlife, but one thing is, clear. One thing is unmistakable, and that is that there's no possibility of reversing the rich man and Lazarus's position after they die. But what really bothers most of us in the story is that Jesus doesn't talk about anyone's faith. It sounds like the rich man and Lazarus are condemned or rewarded simply because they were rich or poor. But listen to the rest of the story.

Verse 27, this is the rich man talking. Then I beg you, Father, send Lazarus to my faith. family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so they will not also come to this place of torment. Abraham replied, they have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them. No, father, he said, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. He said to him, if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead. The rich man pleads that Jesus would do something to give his brothers a chance to repent, And this suggests, of course, that he knew his problem that he hadn't repented of his sin and turned in faith toward Jesus. If that's the case, then it is implied that Lazarus did have that kind of relationship with God.

He did put his faith in his promises. Now, here's another thing that might help us understand the point. This is the only parable Jesus told in which someone in the story is given a proper name. But Lazarus's name is symbolic. Lazarus means God helps. In other words, God was Lazarus's salvation. The rich man's disregard for Lazarus's need is evidence that he had never repented. The rich man would have been familiar with Moses and the prophets, which explicitly commanded

generosity toward the poor. The New Testament continues that same emphasis. Listen to what James says, What good is it, my brothers and sisters? If someone claims to have faith but has no deeds, can such a faith save them? suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food if one of you says to them go in peace keep warm and be well fed but does nothing about their physical needs what good is it in the same way faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action is dead or here's first john 317 if anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them how can the love of god be in that person Jesus isn't saying that you can't be rich and be a Christian, which is good news for us because the vast majority of people listening to me, including myself, are rich compared to historical

standards or world standards today. But Jesus is saying that when you have a relationship with him, when the love of God is in you, when your faith is genuine, then you are going to be generous toward people in need. the rich man's insistence that if someone would return from the dead then his brothers would repent is a subtle way of excusing himself he was saying that he would have repented if a special messenger from the dead had come to him he was saying that moses and the prophets god's word wasn't enough this is exactly what people today say the bible is not enough the resurrection is not enough we need special signs and wonders then we will believe but it's pretty arrogant to tell

God what he must do if we are to believe. Abraham concluded by saying, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. Those who have hardened their hearts toward God, toward God's word, refused Jesus, even after he walked out of his own tomb, and it is still the same today. Listen to God's word. Heed his warning. Put your faith in Jesus.

and then let that faith drive you to be generous toward all people, especially toward those in need. Hey, thanks for listening. If you want to go deeper, sign up for the 10-minute Bible Talk newsletter. You'll get a short email once a week. It'll challenge you to grow in your faith, give you interesting background on today's passage, and a lot, lot more. Just click the link in the show notes to sign up. It'll help you deepen your journey with Jesus.