Some commentators believe that the rich man and Lazarus is a parable, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning indeed, we have called it a parable in the title. I love that the Lord does not want that any should perish His desire is for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), so out of His love and grace, He gave the Pharisees and us another parable, warning us all that in eternity many things that man holds dear in this world will be changed entirely.įirst, we must consider if this is a parable or a real-life story. 15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God (Luke 16:14-15). Their response to Christ’s message was to scoff (NIV) or deride Him (KJV).ġ4 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. The Pharisees who were listening knew that the Lord was speaking about their love of money. He finished the Parable of the Shrewd Manager by stating, “You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13).

The Lord was teaching His disciples about the proper use of earthly resources, i.e., that we are to use finances for eternal good instead of hoarding riches for this world. How would it affect us if we could view what was happening, this instant, in hell? It would be a very sobering experience that would shake us to the core of our being.Īfter teaching about a young man who squandered his father's money (Luke 15:11-32), Jesus went on to tell a parable about a shrewd manager who wasted his master's resources over a large estate (Luke 16:1-13). Have you ever wondered what in hell is happening? That is the question we wish to answer today. Have you ever heard a statement that reverberated in your mind and stayed with you for some reason? I once heard plates crashing in a restaurant, and someone cried out, “What in hell is happening?” The statement struck me as I thought about the literal significance of the words.

Bible story about rich man and lazarus