The Rich Man and Lazarus
The Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31.
DISCOVERY OF THE FACTS.
I. The life that now is, vv. 19-22.
Is this an actual event or an imaginary incident? (Compare 18:9-14.) Who is the first man mentioned? What do we know about him? Did he go to hell because he was rich? Why then? What was his fault? (v. 25.) How did he live? Is it a wrong use of wealth according to God’s Word to spend it on fine clothes and rich fare? (Ezek. 16:49; Amos 6:1, 4-6; Rev. 18:7.) Is this a common use of wealth? What is the proper use of wealth? (16:9; I Tim. 6:17-19.) Did this man get any real, solid satisfaction out of his sumptuous living even while here? (Ecc. 1:8.) What was right before the rich man’s eyes that took away all excuse for his sumptuous living? Do men today ever spend their money in self-indulgence while misery and want lie at their very gates crying for help?
What do we know about Lazarus? Which is better, to be rich and clothed in purple and fine linen and fare sumptuously
every day and go to hell hereafter, or to be a beggar full of sores and hungry and go to heaven hereafter? Which was really the happier on earth? Was Lazarus a godly man? Does the fact that a man is in poverty and distress of body prove God is displeased with him? What does the name Lazarus mean? Did it really look as if God was his help? What is God’s promise to us in regard to the supply of our needs? (Phil. 4:19.) Does that mean we shall never hunger? (i Cor. 4:11; 2 Cor. 11:27; Phil. 4:12.) Did Lazarus have any friends? Did the rich man know he was there (v. 24)? What did he want? What is all the rich often give the poor? Do they always give them even that?
What was the issue of both lives? What is one thing neither riches nor poverty can ward off? What did death bring the poor man? The rich man? What was all the rich man’s wealth could bring him at his death? Did that do him much good? What did the poor man’s piety bring him? Which had the best of it? Whom did the rich man have for his pallbearers? Whom did the poor man have for his? Which would you rather have for yours?
2. The life that is to come, vv. 23-31.
Where did the rich man find himself as soon as his eyes were closed on earth? Was his condition there a conscious one? Of what was he principally conscious? (Rev. 14:10, 11; 20:10.) Where had he seen Lazarus during his lifetime? Where does he see him now? What did he do in his distress? Did that cry reveal a real desire for heaven? Is the condition of the lost that of torment in literal fire? (Frequency of the image, Matt. 13:24-30, 36-42; 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 14:10, II; 19:20; 20:iS; 21:8.) What was the relation between the character of the rich man’s suffering and the character of his life? Is it wise to develop strongly desires for which the world to come has no satisfaction’ What desires should we cultivate? (Col. 3:1, 2.)
What did Abraham tell the rich man to do? What does every one carry into the other world with him? Will that have anything to do with our joy or our sorrow there? With what had we best store our memory? Why was it, according to Abraham, that the rich man was in torment? Will a godly man always get evil things in this life? (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; i Thess. 3:3; 2 Tim. 3:12.) What awful thought is there in v. 26 for those who die impenitent? What joyful thought is there for those who die in Christ? Where must a man make his choice for eternity?
What was the rich man’s next request? Did that indicate a real repentance on his part? Does his request imply a covert excuse for himself? Was it from sin he wished to save his brethren, or merely
from torment? What was Abraham’s reply? Were there sufficient warnings in Moses and the prophets against such lives as they were leading? Have all impenitent sinners today sufficient light to keep them from such lives as they lead? Was it more light that his brothers needed? What was it? What is it that the impenitent need today? What did the rich man think would be the result of their seeing a resurrected man? Would it? (Rev. 16:9- 11; John 11:43-53; 12:10, II.) What was Abraham’s reply? What does that imply? When has a man a right to ask more light and claim he would live up to it if he had it?
CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHINGS.
1. Wealth.
Brings with itself great responsibilities, 19, 20; great perils, 19; great and eternal anguish when wrongly used, 23-26.
2. Poverty.
Oftentimes the earthly lot of godly men, 20; brings neglect by man, 20; may lead men to set their affections on things above and so secure comfort and honor and joy hereafter, 25.
3. Suffering and glory.
Suffering of others a call to service,
20; Suffering on earth no sign of God’s
displeasure, 20; Suffering hereafter the doom of those
who seek self-indulgence on earth,
25; Suffering of the godly in this present
time not worthy to be compared
with the glory that shall be revealed in them in the life to come,
20-22;
Glory of the self-indulgent in this present time not worthy to be compared with the agony that shall be endured by them in the life to come, 19, 23, 24.
Death.
The lot of all, rich and poor, 22; brings sweet release, angelic ministry and eternal blessedness to the godly poor, 22, 25; brings a big funeral, the end of hope, and eternal and unbearable anguish to the worldly rich, 23-25.
The life to come.
A conscious state — for the godly of indescribable joy, for the worldly of indescribable torment and anguish, 23-25; we carry our memories into it, its issues depend on conduct in the life that now is, 25; its issues are unalterable, 26; its torments along the line of earthly indulgences, 19, 24.
Worldliness.
Its cruelty, 21; end, 22; penalty, 23-25.
LESSON 9L
Mary and Martha’s Message to Our Lord When Their Brother Lazarus was
Sick. John 11:1-16.
to heal our sickness immediately? Were
DISCOVERY OF FACTS.
I. The messenger from Mary and Martha brings tidings to our Lord of the sickness of their brother Lazarus, vv. 1-6,
In what home is our Lord recorded as having visited more frequently than any other? What shadow had now fallen upon that home? To whom did Martha and Mary turn in their extremity? Where was He now? (10:40.) How far away was that? To whom should we turn in every extremity? (Matt. 11:28-30; Phil: 4:6, 7.) What message did they send Him? What were its characteristics? Did they ask Him to come? Why not? Did He come? Did He come as quickly as these sisters considered necessary, and expected? Why not? What does their message show that they were confident that He could do? Can He heal all sickness? Did He deem it best in this case to heal the sickness immediately? Will He in our case always deem it best
they right in saying that our Lord loved Lazarus (v. 5)? Did He love Lazarus and Martha and Mary in a way in which He did not love all His disciples? Are there any disciples today for whom He has a peculiar attachment? Is a universal love for all men inconsistent with a peculiar form of love for certain individuals? Can one who is the especial object of the Saviour’s love be sick? How sick was Lazarus? Can one whom our Lord loves be sick unto death and actually die? Is the theory that those who are nearest and dearest to Him cannot sicken and die well founded, or is it baseless?
What did our Lord say when He heard that Lazarus was sick? Was not this sickness unto death in any sense? In what sense was it not unto death? Was Lazarus’ so-called death really death, or simply a four-days’ sleep? Does a believer ever die? (v. 26.) What then is what we call death? (i Thess. 4:15-) Is it an unconscious sleep? (Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:1-8. R. v.; Luke 16:19-31; 23:43.) Do we worry when our friends fall asleep at the close of the day? Ought we to worry if they sleep a little longer than usual? How much longer than usual did Lazarus sleep in this case? How much longer than usual will those who fall asleep in Jesus sleep? For what purpose did our Lord say this sickness came to Lazarus? For what purpose is the sickness of all believers? How was God glorified in this special instance? In other cases how is He glorified? (See 9:3.) How can we make sure that the Son of God may be glorified in our sicknesses?
When our Lord heard that Lazarus was sick what did He do (v. 6)? Why? (Note “Therefore.”) How would it seem at first thought, that His love to Martha and Mary and Lazarus would have brought Him at once to their side or that it would have kept Him from going to them? Does He ever delay His coming to us just because He loves us? What did Martha and Mary desire from Him? Had He anything better than healing to give them? Has He anything better than heahng to give us for our loved ones? What? (v. 43, 44; Phil. 1:23; i Thess. 4:16.) If the resurrection of our loved ones does not come in four days, of what may we be sure? Will it be long before Jesus comes and raises our loved ones? (Rev. 22:20; i Thess. 4:13-18.) Did those four days seem long to Martha and Mary? Were they perplexed by His not coming? Does the time we have to wait for Him seem long? Do we need to be perplexed by it? What question must Mary and Martha have asked themselves again and again as they stood by the bed of Lazarus and saw his life fading away? What was the true answer to this question?
Why is it that our Lord does not come to us at once and heal our loved ones?
2. Our Lord goes to Martha and Mary and Lazarus, vv. 7-16.
What apparently good reason had He for not going into Judea again (v. 8)? Did His going back, humanly speaking, hasten His death? (v. 46-53-) What answer did He make to the protest of His disciples? What is the point in that answer? While a man’s allotted day lasts, against what is he safe? What is the real place of safety? What is everything outside of God’s will (v. 10)?
What did our Lord say of Lazarus in the 14th verse? What that He had already said did this seem to contradict (v. 4)? Did it really contradict it? Are our loved ones dead? Why did He say that Lazarus was dead (v. 12)? How did He first speak of him (v. 11)? For what purpose did He say He was coming to Lazarus? For what purpose may we be sure that He will some day come to our sleeping loved ones? (i Thess. 4:16.) Of what does He say He was glad (v. 15)? For whose sake? If Jesus, the Prince of Life, had been there, what would have fled away abashed? How was God more glorified and their faith more greatly strengthened? What then was one purpose of this whole transaction? Are you glad that He was not there and so Lazarus died? If He had been there and Lazarus had not died, what would we have lost? Would the loss of this nth chapter of John be much to the church? Will the day ever come when we will be glad that our Lord did not come more quickly to the sick bed of our loved ones when we called Him, but permitted them to fall asleep for a season? From what do all our perplexities and griefs over God’s dealings arise? (Ro. 11:33.)
Who stands forth at this point as a doubter, and as one who always looked on the dark side of things (v. 16)? Yet what did he show himself to be? Are there many doubters of the Thomas type?
CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHINGS.
I. Jesus Christ.
(i) His nature:
Divine, 4, 11, 14; human, 6, 8, 9, 10,
IS, 16.
(2) His attributes:
Omniscience, 4, ii, 14; omnipotence, 11; love, 3, 5.
(3) What He did:
He loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus with a peculiar love, 5; knew what was going on at a distance, 4, 11, 14; glorified the Father, 4; delayed going to His loved ones who seemed to need His help that He might give them a greater blessing, 6; fearlessly faced death that He might bring blessing to those whom He loved, 8-16; taught that any man is safe and no one can touch him until his work is done, 9; raised the dead, 11.
(4) How He was treated: Depended upon and sought after by
those who believed in Him, 1-3; hated
and persecuted unto death by the Jews, 8, 16; misunderstood by His disciples, 12, 16.
2. Mary.
An object of the Saviour’s peculiar love, 5; annointed Him with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, 2; was allowed to lose her brother for a time, 2; had her brother restored to her after a short sleep, 11-13; sent to the Lord in her extremity, 3; her Lord whom she loved did not seem to heed her message, 6; though apparently disregarded, it was only that she might obtain a greater blessing, 6-15.
3. Lazarus.
An object of the Lord’s peculiar love, 3, s; fell sick, 3; died, 14; his death apparent, not real, 4. n; after a brief sleep raised from apparent death, 11,
4. Sickness.
Is for the glory of God, 4; one whom Jesus loves may be sick even unto death, 3, 5; is subject to the power of Jesus, 3, 11.
5. Death.
Even those who are objects of our Lord’s love may appear to die, 3, 5, 14; the apparent death of those whom He loves is not real death, but only sleep, 4, n. I4; when He comes apparent death gives place to resurrection, 11-15.