Bible Verses of the Week

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. ²⁰ At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. ²¹ As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. ²² “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ ²⁵ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ (NLT, Luke 16:19–26)

Many people of Jesus' time believed that wealth was a sign of God's favor and poverty was a consequence of sin, but Jesus completely rejected that idea. The poor beggar Lazarus ended up in heaven while the rich man ended up forever in hell. The rich man's sin was not that he had been blessed with wealth, but that he used it selfishly and was indifferent to the needs of the poor (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

The idea persists today that the poor somehow deserve their fate, and that idea is sometimes used as justification for a hard-hearted attitude toward the poor and outcasts of society. But the Bible warns again and again that we must do whatever we can to help anyone in need. For more details: What Does the Bible Say About Money and Wealth?, What Does the Bible Say About Generosity and Duty to the Poor?