Luke 16:19-31
Though Luke introduces some things between them, there can be no doubt
that this example was intended by Christ to confirm the discourse which
we have last examined. He points out what condition awaits those
who neglect the care of the poor, and indulge in all manner of gluttony;
who give themselves up to drunkenness and other pleasures, and allow their
neighbors to pine with hunger; nay, who cruelly kill with famine those
whom they ought to have relieved, when the means of doing so were in their
power. Some look upon it as a simple parable; but, as the name Lazarus
occurs in it, I rather consider it to be the narrative of an actual fact.
But that is of little consequence, provided that the reader comprehends
the doctrine which it contains.
19. There was a certain rich man. He is, first of all, described
as clothed in purple and fine linen, and enjoying every day splendor and
luxury. This denotes a life spent amidst delicacies, and superfluity, and
pomp. Not that all elegance and ornaments of dress are in themselves displeasing
to God, or that all the care bestowed on preparing victuals ought to be
condemned; but because it seldom happens that such things are kept in moderation.
He who has a liking for fine dress will constantly increase his luxury
by fresh additions; and it is scarcely possible that he who indulges in
sumptuous and well garnished tables shall avoid falling into intemperance.
But the chief accusation brought against this man is his cruelty in suffering
Lazarus, poor and full of sores, to lie out of doors at his gate.
These two clauses Christ has exhibited in contrast. The rich man, devoted
to the pleasures of the table and to display, swallowed up, like an unsatiable
gulf, his enormous wealth, but remained unmoved by the poverty and distresses
of Lazarus, and knowingly and willingly suffered him to pine away with
hunger, cold, and the offensive smell of his sores. In this manner Ezekiel
(16:49) accuses Sodom of not stretching out her hand to the poor amidst
fullness of bread and wine. The fine linen, which is a peculiarly delicate
fabric, is well-known to have been used by the inhabitants of eastern countries
for elegance and splendor; a fashion which the Popish priests have imitated
in what they call their surplices.
21. And even the dogs came. It was quite enough to prove the
hardened cruelty of the rich man, that the sight of wretchedness like this
did not move him to compassion. Had there been a drop of humanity in him,
he ought at least to have ordered a supply from his kitchen for the unhappy
man. But the crowning exhibition of his wicked, and savage, and worse than
brutal disposition was, that he did not learn pity even from the dogs.
There can be no doubt that those dogs were guided by the secret purpose
of God, to condemn that man by their example. Christ certainly produces
them here as witnesses to convict him of unfeeling and detestable cruelty.
What could be more monstrous than to see the dogs taking charge of a man,
to whom his neighbor is paying no attention; and, what is more, to see
the very crumbs of bread refused to a man perishing of hunger, while the
dogs are giving him the service of their tongues for the purpose of healing
his sores? When strangers, or even brute animals, supply our place, by
performing an office which ought rather to have been discharged by ourselves,
let us conclude that they are so many witnesses and judges appointed by
God, to make our criminality the more manifest.
22. And it happened that the beggar died. Christ here points
out the vast change which death effected in the condition of the two men.
Death was no doubt common to both; but to be after death carried by angels
into Abraham’s bosom was a happiness more desirable than all the kingdoms
of the world. On the other hand, to be sentenced to everlasting torments
is a dreadful thing, for avoiding which a hundred lives, if it were possible,
ought to be employed. In the person of Lazarus there is held out to us
a striking proof that we ought not to pronounce men to be accursed by God,
because they drag out, in incessant pain, a life which is full of distresses.
In him the grace of God was so entirely hidden, and buried by the deformity
and shame of the cross, that to the eye of the flesh nothing presented
itself except the curse; and yet we see that in a body which was loathsome
and full of rottenness there was lodged a soul unspeakably precious, which
is carried by angels to a blessed life. It was no loss to him that he was
forsaken, and despised, and destitute of every human comfort, when heavenly
spirits deign to accompany him on his removal from the prison of the flesh.
And the rich man also died, and was buried. In the rich man we
see, as in a bright mirror, how undesirable is that temporal happiness
which ends in everlasting destruction. It deserves our attention, that
Christ expressly mentions the burial of the rich man, but says nothing
of what was done to Lazarus. Not that his dead body was exposed to wild
beasts, or lay in the open air, but because it was thrown carelessly, and
without the slightest attention, into a ditch; for it may naturally be
inferred from the corresponding clause, that no more attention was paid
to him when he was dead than when he was alive. The rich man, on the other
hand, buried magnificently according to his wealth, still retains some
remnant of his former pride. In this respect, we see ungodly men striving,
as it were, against nature, by affecting a pompous and splendid funeral
for the sake of preserving their superiority after death; but their souls
in hell attest the folly and mockery of this ambition.
And Lazarus was carried by angels. When he says that Lazarus
was carried, it is a figure of speech by which a part is taken for the
whole; for the soul being the nobler part of man, properly takes the name
of the whole man. This office is, not without reason, assigned by Christ
to angels, who, we are aware, have been appointed to be ministering spirits
(Hebrews 1:14) to believers, that they may devote their care and labor
to their salvation.
Into Abraham’s bosom. To detail the variety of speculations about
Abraham’s bosom, in which many commentators of Scripture have indulged,
is unnecessary, and, in my opinion, would serve no good purpose. It is
quite enough that we receive what readers well acquainted with Scripture
will acknowledge to be the natural meaning. As Abraham is called the father
of believers, because to him was committed the covenant of eternal life,
that he might first preserve it faithfully for his own children, and afterwards
transmit it to all nations, and as all who are heirs of the same promise
are called his children; so those who receive along with him the fruit
of the same faith are said, after death, to be collected into his bosom.
The metaphor is taken from a father, in whose bosom, as it were, the children
meet, when they all return home in the evening from the labors of the day.
The children of God are scattered during their pilgrimage in this world;
but as, in their present course, they follow the faith of their father
Abraham, so they are received at death into that blessed rest, in which
he awaits their arrival. It is not necessary to suppose that reference
is made here to any one place; but the assemblage of which I have spoken
is described, for the purpose of assuring believers, that they have not
been fruitlessly employed in fighting for the faith under the banner of
Abraham, for they enjoy the same habitation in heaven.
It will perhaps be asked, Is the same condition reserved after death
for the godly of our own day, or did Christ, when he rose, open his bosom
to admit Abraham himself, as well as all the godly? I reply briefly: As
the grace of God is more clearly revealed to us in the Gospel, and as Christ
himself, the Sun of Righteousness, (Malachi 4:2,) has brought to us that
salvation, which the fathers were formerly permitted to behold at a distance
and under dark shadows, so there cannot be a doubt that believers, when
they die, make a nearer approach to the enjoyment of the heavenly life.
Still, it must be understood, that the glory of immortality is delayed
till the last day of redemption. So far as relates to the word bosom, that
quiet harbor at which believers arrive after the navigation of the present
life, may be called either Abraham’s bosom or Christ’s bosom; but, as we
have advanced farther than the fathers did under the Law, this distinction
will be more properly expressed by saying, that the members of Christ are
associated with their Head; and thus there will be an end of the metaphor
about Abraham’s bosom, as the brightness of the sun, when he is risen,
makes all the stars to disappear. From the mode of expression which Christ
has here employed, we may, in the meantime, draw the inference, that the
fathers under the Law embraced by faith, while they lived, that inheritance
of the heavenly life into which they were admitted at death.
23. And, lifting up, his eyes in hell. Though Christ is relating
a history, yet he describes spiritual things under figures, which he knew
to be adapted to our senses. Souls have neither fingers nor eyes, and are
not liable to thirst, nor do they hold such conversations among themselves
as are here described to have taken place between Abraham and the rich
man; but our Lord has here drawn a picture, which represents the condition
of the life to come according to the measure of our capacity. The general
truth conveyed is, that believing souls, when they have left their bodies,
lead a joyful and blessed life out of this world, and that for the reprobate
there are prepared dreadful torments, which can no more be conceived by
our minds than the boundless glory of the heavens. As it is only in a small
measure—only so far as we are enlightened by the Spirit of God—that we
taste by hope the glory promised to us, which far exceeds all our senses,
let it be reckoned enough that the inconceivable vengeance of God, which
awaits the ungodly, is communicated to us in an obscure manner, so far
as is necessary to strike terror into our minds.
On these subjects the words of Christ give us slender information, and
in a manner which is fitted to restrain curiosity. The wicked are described
as fearfully tormented by the misery which they feel; as desiring some
relief, but cut off from hope, and thus experiencing a double torment;
and as having their anguish increased by being compelled to remember their
crimes, and to compare the present blessedness of believers with their
own miserable and lost condition. In connection with this a conversation
is related, as if persons who have no intercourse with each other were
supposed to talk together. When the rich man says, Father Abraham, this
expresses an additional torment, that he perceives, when it is too late,
that he is cut off from the number of the children of Abraham.
25. Son, remember. The word son appears to be used ironically,
as a sharp and piercing reproof to the rich man, who falsely boasted in
his lifetime that he was one of the sons of Abraham. It seems as if pain
inflicted by a hot iron wounded his mind, when his hypocrisy and false
confidence are placed before his eyes. When it is said that he is tormented
in hell, because he had received his good things in his lifetime, we must
not understand the meaning to be, that eternal destruction awaits all who
have enjoyed prosperity in the world. On the contrary, as Augustine has
judiciously observed, poor Lazarus was carried into the bosom of rich Abraham,
to inform us, that riches do not shut against any man the gate of the kingdom
of heaven, but that it is open alike to all who have either made a sober
use of riches, or patiently endured the want of them. All that is meant
is, that the rich man, who yielded to the allurements of the present life,
abandoned himself entirely to earthly enjoyments, and despised God and
His kingdom, now suffers the punishment of his own neglect.
Receivedst THY good things. The pronoun thy is emphatic, as if
Abraham had said: Thou wast created for an immortal life, and the Law of
God raised time on high to the contemplation of the heavenly life; but
thou, forgetting so exalted a condition, didst choose to resemble a sow
or a dog, and thou therefore receivest a reward which befits brutal pleasures.
But now he enjoys comfort. When it is said of Lazarus, on the other hand,
that he enjoys comfort, because he had suffered many distresses in the
world, it would be idle to apply this to all whose condition is wretched;
because their afflictions, in many cases, are so far from having been of
service to them, that they ought rather to bring upon them severer punishment.
But Lazarus is commended for patient endurance of the cross, which always
springs from faith and a genuine fear of God; for he who obstinately resists
his sufferings, and whose ferocity remains unsubdued, has no claim to be
rewarded for patience, by receiving from God comfort in exchange for the
cross.
To sum up the whole, they who have patiently endured the burden of the
cross laid upon them, and have not been rebellious against the yoke and
chastisements of God, but, amidst uninterrupted sufferings, have cherished
the hope of a better life, have a rest laid up for them in heaven, when
the period of their warfare shall be terminated. On the contrary, wicked
despisers of God, who are wholly engrossed in the pleasures of the flesh,
and who by a sort of mental intoxication, drown every feeling of piety,
will experience, immediately after death, such torments as will efface
their empty enjoyments. It must also be recollected, that this comfort,
which the sons of God enjoy, lies in this, that they perceive a crown of
glory prepared for them, and rest in the joyful expectation of it; as,
on the other hand, the wicked are tormented by the apprehension of the
future judgment, which they see coming upon them.
26. A vast gulf lieth. These words describe the permanency of
the future state, and denote, that the boundaries which separate the reprobate
from the elect can never be broken through. And thus we are reminded to
return early to the path, while there is yet time, lest we rush headlong
into that abyss, from which it will be impossible to rise. The words must
not be strictly interpreted, when it is said, that no one is permitted
to pass who would wish to descend from heaven to hell; for it is certain,
that none of the righteous entertain any such desire.
27. I beseech thee, father. To bring the narrative into more
full accordance with our modes of thinking, he describes the rich man as
wishing that his brothers, who were still alive, should be warned by Lazarus.
Here the Papists exercise their ingenuity very foolishly, by attempting
to prove that the dead feel solicitude about the living. Any thing more
ridiculous than this sophistry cannot be conceived; for with equal plausibility
I might undertake to prove, that believing souls are not satisfied with
the place assigned to them, and are actuated by a desire of removing from
it to hell, were it not that they are prevented by a vast gulf. If no man
holds such extravagant views, the Papists are not entitled to congratulate
themselves on the other supposition. It is not my intention, however, to
debate the point, or to defend either one side or another; but I thought
it right to advert, in passing, to the futility of the arguments on which
they rest their belief that the dead intercede with God on our behalf.
I now return to the plain and natural meaning of this passage.
29. They have Moses and the prophets. In the persons of the rich
man and Abraham Christ reminds us, that we have received an undoubted rule
of life, and that therefore we have no right to expect that the dead will
rise to instruct and persuade us. Moses and the prophets were appointed
to instruct, while they lived, the men of their own age; but it was with
the design, that the same advantage should be derived by posterity from
their writings. As it is the will of God that we should receive instructions,
in this manner, about a holy life, there is no reason why the dead should
assure us of the rewards and punishments of the future state; nor is there
any excuse for the indifference of those who shelter themselves under the
pretext, that they do not know what is going on beyond this world. Among
irreligious men, we are aware, is frequently heard this wicked saying,
or rather this grunting of hogs, that it is foolish in men to distress
themselves with fears about a matter of uncertainty, since no one has ever
returned to bring us tidings about hell.
With the view of counteracting every enchantment of Satan of this description,
Christ draws their attention to the Law and the Prophets, agreeably to
that passage in the writings of Moses:
It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us
to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither
is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea
for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word
is very nigh unto thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou
shouldest do it, (Deuteronomy 30:12-14.)
They who ridicule as fabulous what Scripture testifies as to the future
judgment, will one day feel how shocking is the wickedness of giving the
lie to the holy oracles of God. From such lethargy Christ arouses his followers,
that they may not be deceived by the hope of escaping punishment, and thus
fail to improve the time allowed for repentance.
Abraham’s reply amounts to this: By Moses and the prophets God had sufficiently
made known to his people the doctrine of salvation, and nothing remains
for us but that it obtain the assent of all. So thoroughly infected is
the mind of man with a depraved curiosity, that the greater part of men
are always gaping after new revelations. Now as nothing is more displeasing
to God than when men are so eager to go beyond due bounds, he forbids them
to inquire at magicians and soothsayers respecting the truth, and to consult
pretended oracles after the manner of the Gentiles; and in order to restrain
that itching curiosity, he promises, at the same time, that he will give
prophets, from whom the people may learn whatever is necessary to be known
for salvation, (Deuteronomy 18:9,15.) But if the prophets were sent for
the express purpose; that God might keep his people under the guidance
of his word, he who is not satisfied with this method of instruction is
not actuated by a desire to learn, but tickled by ungodly wantonness; and
therefore God complains that He is insulted, when He alone is not heard
from the living to the dead, (Isaiah 8:19.)
The division of the word of God, which Abraham makes, into the Law and
the Prophets, refers to the time of the Old Testament. Now that the more
ample explanation of the Gospel has been added, there is still less excuse
for our wickedness, if our dislike of that doctrine hurries us in every
possible direction, and, in a word, if we do not permit ourselves to be
regulated by the word of God. Hence too we infer how solid is the faith
of Papists about purgatory and such fooleries, when it rests on nothing
but phantoms.
30. Nay, father Abraham. This is a personification, as we have
said, which expresses rather the feelings of the living than the anxiety
of the dead. The doctrine of the Law is little esteemed by the world, the
Prophets are neglected, and no man submits to hear God speaking in his
own manner. Some would desire that angels should descend from heaven; others,
that the dead should come out of their graves; others, that new miracles
should be performed every day to sanction what they hear; and others, that
voices should be heard from the sky. But if God were pleased to comply
with all their foolish wishes, it would be of no advantage to them; for
God has included in his word all that is necessary to be known, and the
authority of this word has been attested and proved by authentic seals.
Besides, faith does not depend on miracles, or any extraordinary sign,
but is the peculiar gift of the Spirit, and is produced by means of the
word. Lastly, it is the prerogative of God to draw us to himself, and he
is pleased to work effectually through his own word. There is not the slightest
reason, therefore, to expect that those means, which withdraw us from obedience
to the word, will be of any service to us. I freely acknowledge, that there
is nothing to which the flesh is more strongly inclined than to listen
to vain revelations; and we see how eagerly those men, to whom the whole
of Scripture is an object of dislike, throw themselves into the snares
of Satan. Hence have arisen necromancy and other delusions, which the world
not only receives with avidity, but runs after with furious rage. But all
that is here affirmed by Christ is, that even the dead could not reform,
or bring to a sound mind, those who are deaf and obstinate against the
instructions of the law.
