Lazarus Did Not Earn His Comfort

Jesus told a story about two men who died and ended up in completely different places. It is one of the most sobering things He ever said, and the reason for the difference is not what most people assume.

Luke 16:22 says, "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried." Lazarus was carried. He did not walk himself there and he did not buy his way in.

That is the whole point. Being poor did not save Lazarus, and being rich did not condemn the other man. What separated them was where their trust had been while they were still alive.

Romans 3:22 describes it as "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference." There is no difference. Not between rich and poor, not between the impressive and the ordinary. It is a gift or it is nothing.

The rich man's torment was not only the flames. It was seeing what had been freely available the whole time and knowing he never reached for it. That is the ache in the story.

Romans 1:16 says the gospel "is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Every one. If you have trusted Jesus, your place is already settled and the Holy Spirit in you is the receipt. You do not have to be scared of this story, you get to tell it.