Jesus told a 'Tale of Two Men' through a parable as recorded in the gospel of Luke, Chapter 16 . One an unnamed rich man, and the other a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man enjoyed all the wealth, friends, large family and health in this world. The poor man was hungry and thirsty living outside the gates of the rich man as sick and homeless . If you had met these two men during their life times, no one in this world would choose to be Lazarus. Yet, if you could have seen them five seconds after death, the choice would have been in the favor of Lazarus. When both died, the rich man probably had a great funeral with friends and family around. Lazarus on the other hand died without any one. The story scene then turns towards eternity where Lazarus is seen resting in peace in the bosom of the Father Abraham, while we see the rich man being tormented in eternal fire.
Many feel that heaven and hell are there to compensate for what happens in this present life, to square accounts for what we have done while living. The parable is not really about heaven and hell or how to get there. Heaven and hell are not a compensation for what you go through here. The principle that determines who goes where is quite different. It is not what you did, but who you were in this world.
The rich man was not in hell because he was rich any more than that Lazarus was in heaven because he was poor. His actions as a rich man grew out of his refusal to hear Moses and the prophets. His self-centered, self-indulgent life is a reflection of that refusal to follow the scripture. The story indicates that man must love God and use money, instead of using God and loving money. Being rich is not a problem, but just being poor towards God is the problem. Abraham was rich in wealth, and at the same time he was rich in faith toward God. There are many others in the Bible who were rich and Godly like Job, Zacheaues and Joseph of Arimathea.
Even though the rich man had all the world’s good, he still lacked something worth more than all he had earned. He lacked the perception of a life after death. Having money is a blessing when used with a greater purpose than yourself. Money is not the cause of evil. The Bible says, "The love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith." (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Jesus wants us to consider priorities in life. Jesus said, "What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but loses his own soul?"
We get accustomed to two or more cars, sevearl TVs, air conditioning, running water, a complete dining room set, a computer in nearly every home and so on. We become so accustomed to having these amenities that we believe that this is normal life and forget those who are without these privileges. We all try to write our own story to justify the way that we live. It is the paradox of our age that we have so much wealth and still are so spiritually poor. We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; more experts, but less solutions to problems; more medicine but less wellness.
The story also teaches that death is a universal equalizer. Everyone born in this world will die one day regardless of power, position or wealth. Where one spends eternity is not based on wealth or fame, rather by choices one makes while living. Different relgions teach various views on eternity. Jehovah Witnesses believe that death is the opposite of life in that humans do not possess an immortal soul or spirit. Man is annihilated and when a person dies, he or she ceases to exist. Roman Catholics believe in a place called purgatory, a holding place until you reach eternity. There you pay for your individual sins that you did not confess and do penance while on earth. The living loved ones can offer prayers for the dead so that the dead can get out of purgatory quicker. Many Eastern religions teach that there is no hell rather there will be reincarnation. If you do good works you are reincarnated to a better state. Karma is the ultimate goal, where you become one with the universe. Mormons teach that a person can change after death. A living person is baptized in proxy for someone who is dead. That allows the mormon missionaries to go and explain the mormon gospel on behalf of the deceased person. If that person accepts the mormon gospel, then the dead person begins the process of exaltation, with all the necessary works being done in their temples by the dear ones.
The Bible teaches clearly that there is a life after death in eternity. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27). Death is not the end of existence. Humans are eternal beings who exist after the physical body dies. Once a skeptic asked a believer, "What would you say if when you die you found out that there was no such a place as heaven after all?" With a smile the believer replied, "I should say that I’ve had a fine time anyway!" Then, he asked a question in return, "What would you do if when you die you discovered that there was such a place as hell after all?"
There is a warning and a promise in this strange tale of two men. The warning is that our eternity is only a breath away, and it is determined by the choices one makes while living. But there’s also the promise that those who live a life with a vision towards eternity will enjoy God's presence after death. Mark Twain summed up the idea of leaving a lasting legacy with this, "Let us endeavor to live that when we come to die even the undertaker (funeral director) will be sorry."
Blessings
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