What we need to know
about this amazing parable:

Rich man: Clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting sumptuously—luxury signals (Esth 8:15).

Lazarus: His name means “God has helped” (Heb. Elʿāzār). Laid at the gate.

“Abraham’s bosom”—intimate fellowship/comfort with Abraham (Matt 8:11).

Hades, in torment. Note consciousness after death and immediate moral reversal.

A great chasm is fixed: no post-mortem crossing. (Luke 16:26) underscores the urgency of repentance now (Heb 9:27; 2 Cor 6:2).

Sufficiency of Scripture: “Moses and the Prophets” are enough to call people to repentance (Ps 19; 2 Tim 3:15–17). Miracles don’t guarantee faith (John 12:37–40).

Stewardship & responsibility: Wealth itself isn’t condemned; indifference is (cf. 1 Tim 6:17–19; Prov 14:31; 19:17). The rich man’s sin is failure to love the neighbor placed literally at his gate (Lev 19:18; Luke 10:25–37).

Vocabulary list:

Definition of Key Terms

Walking Points:

• Proximity without mercy is condemnation: The needy at your gate are your assignment (Luke 10:36–37).
• Wealth tests worship: Who is your god—God or mammon? (Luke 16:13)
• Death fixes destinies: The time to repent and to love is now (Luke 16:26; Heb 9:27).
• Scripture is enough: A heart that rejects the Word will also reject a miracle (Luke 16:31).
• Indifference is sin. The rich man’s crime wasn’t what he did to Lazarus, but what he failed to do (James 4:17).
• Faith in Scripture outweighs fascination with miracles. “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets…” (Luke 16:31).
• Heaven and hell are real, conscious, and final. No purgatorial bridge; only repentance now (2 Cor 6:2).
• At the gate today: “Lazarus” is at our gate —neighbors, congregants, homeless, the isolated, the under-insured. The issue is not only personal charity but righteous practices in business, church, and civic life (Prov 29:7). Examine how you treat the Lazarus at your gate.
  

Monday Morning Moment: “Your condition is not your conclusion”

Luke 16:25 – “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.