Luke 16:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

NIV: So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

NASB: And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’

CSB: ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’

NLT: The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

KJV: And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

NKJV: “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

A rich man is in Hades: the temporary place of the unsaved dead before final judgment. The poor, starving, afflicted beggar he ignored outside his gate is now in paradise, comforted by Abraham (Luke 16:19–23). The rich man begs Abraham to send the once-beggar, Lazarus, to ease his pain.

The rich man calls out for "Father Abraham." He is a Jew, a physical descendant of Abraham. It was through Abraham that God chose His people. At that time, it was normal for Jews to assume they were God's people because of their ethnicity. John the Baptist vehemently rejected this. Those who are spiritual descendants of Abraham naturally do good works (Luke 3:8–9). The rich man ignored Lazarus, letting him die in the streets.

The rich man, interestingly, doesn't argue about his place in Hades. He makes no attempt to argue that he deserves a different fate. Yet he is longing for relief and treats Lazarus as a servant to get it. Scripture doesn't indicate whether the man sees the irony in the situation. He wants Lazarus to cross a great chasm to give him a bit of water (Luke 16:26) although the wealthy man wouldn't walk out his own gate to give Lazarus the crumbs to keep him alive (Luke 16:19–21).

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is odd and doesn't seem to be a "parable." A parable is a story about everyday life that has a spiritual, metaphorical meaning. Of all the parables Jesus tells, none of them name any of the characters like this one does. That leads some scholars to suggest this is a true story. Do angels take the righteous dead to paradise? Does Abraham welcome God-following Jews when they die (Luke 16:22)? Can the dead in paradise and Hades see each other (Luke 16:23)?

Some of the details are confirmed in other places. Jesus says that those who go to Hades will be able to see "Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God" (Luke 13:28). The Old Testament (Isaiah 66:24), New Testament (Mark 9:48), and extra-biblical Jewish writings mention the unsaved will be tormented as if by fire. There's every reason to believe that the dead in paradise and the dead in Hades cannot change their location. Other than that, it's unwise to cling tightly to too many of the details of this passage.

Luke 16:19–31 contains the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus, a poor beggar, dies and goes to "Abraham's bosom" while a rich man dies and goes to torment. The rich man begs Abraham first for some relief and then to warn his brothers; Abraham insists they have been warned enough. There are several applications: our feelings about money often reveal our devotion to God; once someone dies, their fate is sealed; and if the Pharisees cannot see Jesus in the Mosaic law and the Prophets, they'll never see the truth of who He is in miracles—even someone returning from the dead.

Teaching His disciples and confronting the Pharisees, Jesus offers several lessons about wealth and devotion to God. The first is a parable about a dishonest manager. This illustrates the value of being careful and clever with earthly resources. Jesus then uses remarks about the Law and marriage to introduce the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This not only highlights the dangers of greed, but it also debunks the common claim that a non-believer would submit to God if only they saw "a little more evidence" or a miracle.

The prior chapter included Jesus' teachings centered on lost things: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Luke 16 includes several of Jesus' lessons about living in the kingdom of God compared to the world system, beginning and ending with parables (Luke 16:1—17:10). Chapter 16 includes the parable of the dishonest manager, Jesus' teaching on how money reveals faith, and the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Luke 17:1–10 teaches about whether Christ-followers bear responsibility for others' sin, lessons about faith, and the parable of the unworthy servants.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.