One Opportunity
Main Idea:
Jesus reminds us that eternity is real, God has given us everything we need to believe, and we must respond to His Word today, because the opportunity will not last forever.
Outline:
I. Two Lives (16:19–21)
2 Corinthians 6:2, Luke 12:16-21
II. Two Destinies (16:22–26)
Matthew 8:11, Luke 13:28, John 13:23, Leviticus 25:35, Genesis 25:8, 35:29, 49:33, Romans 4:16, Proverbs 22:2, Hebrews 9:27, Deuteronomy 15:7, 11
III. One Opportunity (16:27–31)
Romans 10:17, John 12:9-11
Summary:
Jesus sets two men side by side in Luke 16, and the picture could not be more extreme. The rich man is not just doing well. He is clothed in purple and fine linen, living it up, feasting sumptuously every day with a table full of all the goodies. Lazarus is not just poor. He is laid at the rich man’s gate, covered with sores, hoping for scraps, too weak even to fend off the dogs that come and lick his wounds.
The parable then brings both men to the same place every man eventually reaches. Lazarus dies, and the angels carry him to Abraham’s side, that place of comfort, closeness, and rest. The rich man also dies, and almost nothing is said about his burial before he lifts up his eyes in torment. Proverbs 22:2 stands behind the scene: the rich and the poor meet together, and the Lord is the maker of them all.
Jesus gives a sobering picture of hell, not because the point is to make people curious about details, but because the reality is serious. The rich man begs for even the smallest relief, just a wet finger touched to his tongue. Abraham tells him that a great chasm has been fixed, and no one can cross from one side to the other. The eternal state is not something to play with, and judgment is not an idea people can simply wish away.
The difference between the men is not finally their bank accounts. Abraham himself was wealthy, so wealth is not the indictment. The rich man had Moses and the prophets, and the law had already told him not to harden his heart or shut his hand against his poor brother. His life showed that he did not care about what God had said.
The rich man then begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers, but Abraham says they already have Moses and the prophets. Jesus makes the point sharp: if they will not hear the word of God, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead. Another Lazarus would later be raised, and Jesus himself would rise from the grave, yet unbelieving hearts still resisted. The call is plain: do not wait for some miracle. Scripture has already given everything needed to believe, and today is the day to trust Christ and speak the good news while there is still time.