I have stated before, and will again, the purpose of all Scripture is one thing: to show us Jesus. No matter what the Scripture, He is in there somewhere. Understanding that your Bible study is a quest to see Jesus will revolutionize your life.

So where is Jesus in Luke 16:19-31?

The Rich Man and Lazarus

 19"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.

 20"And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,

 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

 22"Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

 23"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

 24"And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

 25"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

 26'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'

 27"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house--

 28for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

 29"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'

 30"But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'

 31"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" 

Now, since there is no direct mention of Jesus in this passage, it has been interpreted as a story about heaven and hell. Father Abraham has been assumed to be a picture of God. But because God is omnipresent- His presence reaches even the depths of hell (Psalm 139:7-8)- I doubt He would say that He could not cross this or any other chasm. So, I see that Father Abraham is simply Abraham, a loved and respected human being.

Ah, but the great chasm! Who can possibly span it? Certainly no human being, no matter how great his desire, no matter what his standing with God. So the conflict of the story is the chasm, and the chasm is a picture of our need for a Saviour.

And there HE is! As always, Jesus shows up! HE is the Savior, the bridge between heaven and hell, our lives as they are and how they could be. Jesus, once dead, now alive forevermore, holds the keys to hell. (Revelation 1: 19) HE has bridged the great divide- the chasm between heaven and hell. Thus a story of helplessness and damnation becomes a story of life and hope, of Jesus Himself.

Then the icing on the cake. In verse 31, Jesus states that those who do not listen to Moses and the Prophets will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. He is, I believe, referring to His own death and resurrection, which in fact did not sway the Pharisees (to whom He was speaking).

Yet it was Jesus' death and resurrection that has bridged the chasm between heaven and hell forever. He saved the human race when we could not save ourselves, or those around us. What a glorious Savior!

Praying you always see Jesus- because He most certainly is always there!

the tractor that saved his life

His daughter Emma with Bootsie- her latest gift from her daddy

His baby, Olivia. She is sitting with him on the bed. My little brother always has open arms for his girls. I have never seen him brush them aside, even tho he is always busy doing something- he always reaches down and scoops them up whenever they approach him.

Hugs and prayers for a speedy recovery, David!

Psalm 145:8  The LORD is gracious and merciful;
              Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

Thank-you, Jesus, for watching over my baby brother today. Amen.

PS Please give Ms Rosie a big hug for me!