The Rich Man and Lazarus
Bible Text: Luke 16:19–31
in a nutshell: God promises justice for all—rich and poor, privileged and oppressed, popular and outcast.
Big Question: Does this story mean that all rich and powerful people go to hell?
Key Words: REVERSAL, REPENTANCE, JUSTICE, MERCY
• The story of the rich man and Lazarus is one of reversal, a common theme in Luke’s Gospel.
• Social and economic reversals are part of God’s justice, which comes as judgment to the privileged and mercy to the marginalized.
• Jesus proclaims that hearing and doing God’s word is the basis of inheriting the promises God made to Abraham.
• Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are a proclamation against the temptation to mistake God’s deliverance for divine privilege and God’s provision for our deserving.
• We often measure people’s worth and value by the size of their income and wealth, but we are who we are and have what we have because of God’s grace.
• Our church is committed to using its resources to serve others.
Does this story mean that all rich and powerful people go to hell?
Our earthly life is not fair. Youth are very aware of this fact. This scripture is about justice. Youth live in a culture in which they are bombarded with advertisements for expensive things. They have friends or classmates who flaunt their expensive toys and clothes, and they often make fun of those who do not have the means to purchase the expensive things. It does not take much at this vulnerable time in their lives to make youth feel inferior or superior.
Helping youth to hear that there is a time in God’s kingdom when those who have and those who do not have will be equalized may help them to realize that the events of today are not the most important things in the total scheme of God’s kingdom. It is not easy to look at a long-range picture of fairness when youth feel inferior today. This concept needs to be dealt with in a patient and caring manner.
Download this week’s student sheet to help enter into conversation about this lesson:
The Rich Man and Lazarus Student Sheet
