"For I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment" - Luke 16: 28.
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Luke 16:16-31
16 "The Law and the Prophets were until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.
18 "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' 27 He said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' 29 Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' 30 He said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
Through this parable, Jesus gives us on earth a chilling reminder. There is an impassable chasm exists between those who belong to the kingdom of God and those who for their love of riches on earth reject the gift of salvation through God's only begotten Son. Although all of us are given this lifetime to accept or reject the gift of salvation, once death happens, none of us can cross that chasm between eternal life and eternal damnation.
In this parable, the rich man and his brothers had lived a life of luxury and cared little about the needs of others, which in this case was the poor man Lazarus lying in front of his house with sores. Although Lazarus suffered a lifetime of evil, he was shown mercy and comfort in death for an eternity. This was in stark contrast to the rich man's fate, whose lifetime of luxurious living resulted in an eternity of torment in Hades. Even though he pleaded with Abraham for mercy and to be given an opportunity to return to earth and warn his brothers of their fate if they continued in the decadent lifestyle.
As Jesus had solemnly warned in Matthew 12:30-31: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."
As the only believer in my family, I'm warned of the urgency of sharing the gospel message with my pre-believing family members, and really need the Holy Spirit's help in having the courage to bear witness to own family members. Please pray with me.
I will close my sharing with this beautiful worship song, a reminder of the Living Hope within each of us as children of God.
Living Hope by Phil Wickham
How great the chasm that lay between us
How high the mountain I could not climb
In desperation, I turned to heaven
And spoke Your name into the night
Then through the darkness
Your loving kindness
Tore through the shadows of my soul
The work is finished, the end is written
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Who could imagine so great a Mercy?
What heart could fathom such boundless Grace?
The God of ages stepped down from Glory
To wear my sin and bear my shame
The Cross has spoken, I am forgiven
The King of kings calls me His own
Beautiful Savior, I'm Yours forever
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One Who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's Salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the roaring lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Then came the morning that sealed the promise
Your buried body began to breathe
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion
Declared the grave has no claim on me
Jesus, Yours is the victory, whoa!
Hallelujah, praise the One Who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One Who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, praise the One Who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Oh God, You are my living hope
Youtube link: https://youtu.be/9f2FXxDVO6w?si=WNeaGZLw4irUj9Rq
Songwriters: Brian Johnson / Phil Wickham
Copyright: Living Hope lyrics © Be Essential Songs, Bethel Music Publishing
Reflection on Luke 16:16-31 by Chris Tan
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