The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-08-07
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

International Sunday school Lesson for
August 40. 1890.
LHssoN TRxr-Luke io: 1881. tt
GOLDEN Txxr-"How hard Is II for them that
trust IN riches 70 enter Into the kingdom Of
odi"-Mark 10: ~.
December, A. D. -, or early IA A. D.
%; not long after our last lesson.
PLACE --Percs, beyond the Jordan.
INTERVENING H1sroRY-After telling 70 the
Pharisees the parallels Of our last two lessons,
the parable Of the unjust steward to His disci-
pies, particularly to the pubiicans and sinner!
who believed on Him. The Pharisees dcrided
His tesching. Jesus replied with ON applioa-
tion 70 them Of biblical truths, Of which prob.
ably only brief summary 10 given end clinchsd
His instruction with the parable Of to-day's
lesson
ExPLANAroRY--First Scene. On Earth.
Two Characters. A Contrast. -vers.
1922. I. The Worldly Man st His
Earthly Best. 10. IA certain rioh
man." His name Is not given. "perhsps
to imply that his name was not written
In Heaven" perhaps TO show how little
honor 10 given by Heaven 10 mere rich.
90. II is not worth while even TO mon
ton his name simply bsoause he 10 ROB.
II. The Cody Man at His Earthly
Worst. 20. "A certain beggsr named
Lazarus" The Greek name Lazarus
comes from Eleszer (God helps)
abbreviated by the rabbins In Lessar,
hence Lazarus. The name was common
among the Jews. 81. "And desiring TO
be fed with the crumbs" "Crumbs''
were the fragments Of those thin cakes
used for bread in those times, upon
which guests wiped their fingers after
dipping them in the dishes, and which
they then flung ON the foor
III. The Close of Life. A Contrast.
%. "And it came to pass that the begRar
died." His death 10 mentioned first, be-
cause one in his condition would be
likely to die first, and II the rich man
had done his duty the poor beggar would
have been In Heaven to welcome his
benefactor there (Luke 18:9). Nothing
10 said OF his burial, or of what hap
pened to the body, "because 1t was oon-
temptuously and without honor thrown
into ditch"
Second. The Scene Beyond the Grave.
The Same Characters. - Vers. 1881.
!. The Contrast Reversed. %. And in
hell" Greek Hades, which is repre-.
sented as containing both Paradise and
Gehenna, and is merely the Greek equiv
alent Of the Hebrew Sheol, "the grave"
the intermediate condition of the dead
between death and the fnal Judgment
The rich man was in place of punish
ment; for the whole parable turns on
this point. "And seeth Abraham afaR
off," So represented, because both in
condition and in character they were -
far apart aa possible. "And Lazarus in
his BOSOM" Reclining In honor at the
banquet Of bliss. The rich man recog-
nizes now the worth that Heaven puts
upon character, and not on outward cir
cumstances. "a. "And he cried
Father Abraham" This b the only In.
stance in Scripture Of praying to saints.
And that prayer was not successful.
II. The Reasons for tho Contrast.
Is. "And Abraham said" The re.
quest was refused, not from any
unwillingness on the part Of Abrs-
ham and Lazarus to help the. suffer
ing man, for such unwillingness would
be contrary to the very nature of every
one. in Heaven, where 'there Is 10Y
among the angels over one sinner that
repenteth." But the request itself Of
the worldly man showed he was not re.
pentant-had not changed his character.
III. Too late to change. %. "And be-
side all this" The reason drawn from
the fitness Of things is followed by q res
son drawn from the necessity Of the
case. IA great gulf fixed" Literally .
chasm, the opening or gaping Of the
earth. ~. The Source Of his State lay
il his Choices, not in his circumstances
"A Warning. 81. II pray thee there
FORE" Since nothing can be done to a.
leviate my misery, at least do not let
there be any increase. THAT thou
wouldstsend him." Still the same super
cilious willingness that Lazarus should
serve him. %. "For have FIVE breth-
rem" They are Jews living In privil-
eyed, brilliant condition, like that Of
the rich man-the Pharisees, whom this
man represented; this relat ion 10 the
idea expressed by the image Of tho kin.
ship which connects them. THAT he
may testify unto them." Bear personal
witness to what he had seen, and knew
from experience, Of the results Of the
earthly life. 20. "They have Moses and
the prophets" All the Old Testament.
Abraham's answer is brief and almost
stern, rebuking, as was At, this evil
thoughtof his heart. "They are warned"
they have enough to keep them from
your place Of torment, II only they Will
use It, "They have Moses and the proph.
cts; let them hear the M" 80. "Nsy
:. but II one went unto them from the
dead" He imagi nes that the unwont-
edness Of the phenomenon, the awe with
which they will look upon one from tho
unseen world, together with the author
lty with which he will testify Of what
he has seen and experienced, will cause
that they shall repent. "They will re-
pent" Observe that Dives here reoog-
nizes his failure to repent as the reason
Of his being in the place of torment.
81. "Neither will they be persuaded.
though one rose from the dead" These
words demand to be accuratalv c0nsid.