A Resurrectional Check-Up

Luke 16.19-31

One of the things that is the same with Jesus's society is that everyone desires to be rich and nobody desires to be poor. Jesus, therefore, gives a parable about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. This parable is a warning to those who try so hard to enjoy their present life and a comfort to those who might be living a life of suffering.

The rich man is too fixated on his present life that he makes no preparations for his future life. The rich man eventually dies and his future life is very different than the life of riches that he enjoyed; his future life is one of suffering. Similarly, Lazarus, who lived as a poor man with sores, dies, but his future life is one of blessing. Consequently, the rich man is concerned for his family so he begs Abraham to send someone who can warn his family. But Abraham rejects the rich man's request, saying that they have sufficient warning through the Word of God.

There are at least two things that we can learn from this parable. We too have become so fixated with the busyness of our own present lives and have therefore been neglecting the important reality of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because we are in Christ, we no longer have to place our identity, hope, joy, purpose, and security in this world. Instead, we can live with freedom and endure with perseverance because we know that our true life has been secured by Christ.

Second, there is much emphasis on the Word of God in this passage. Left to ourselves, we will continually succumb to the pressures and the promises of this world. We will always make excuses, pointing the finger at difficult circumstances. But this passage reminds us that all we need is the Word of God to have the right perspective on life. We must seriously reflect upon the question: are we living according to God's Word?

This passage is timely as we get ready for another year of discipleship and small group ministry where the focus will be on reading the Bible meaningfully together!