The Brinkley argus., 1914-05-15
LESSON FOR MAy77
THE Rich MAN AND LAZARUS.

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.
 LESSON TEXT-BIlxe e1e:14-15; 19-31- | GOLDEN TEXT-~WhDso stUppeth his ears st the cry of the poor, he shall
 also cry, but shall not be heard" Prov. l z1:l3.
 ! Verses 14 and 15 link this parable
 with the teaching of Jesus about cove tousness' and stewardship. Verse To | is a most heart-searching one. It de- mands that we look well to the stan dards by which we measure our con duct, I Sam. 167. That the teaching of Jesus was effective is evidenced by l the statement of verse 14. These Pharisees were naturally cool, cynical, | calculating and their scoffing shows l that Jesus had probed them deeply. Their love of money-service of mann mon-made them unfaithful in their professed stewardship. In the inter- yening verses Q6-1S) Jesus condemns their attitude of seeking to justify Themselves in the sight of men, de- clarIng such an attempt to be useless l in the sight of God The methods men exalt are an abomination to him. No | jot or little of the law can fail. This 1 he emphasizes by an illustration about 1 the binding nature of the marriage re- lationship. We get our suggested two fold division of this lesson from I Tim. As.
 Why He Is Condemned.
 l. The Life That Now Is, w. 1922. The revised version for verse 19, now there was certain rich man"-indi- cates even stronger than the King l James version that this is the story of historical incident Jesus did not mention the rich mans name. snor does he enumerate his moral delin- auencies. Even morality cannot save. man from punishment in the next life. Nor is this rich man condemned because he is rich. He is condemned because he sought to enjoy his pleas ures in this life, squandering his time and his money upon sensual pleas ures, ignoring the need of those at his deor Jesus had just told these Phari- secs how to use money (v. 9, see Tim 6:17-19. A wrong use of money damns a man. A few paltry charities CT even larger gifts given for ostenta tious display will not suffice. There vas, however, no real joy to the rich nan In his life as he sought sensual satisfaction, Feel 1:S Lazarus lying at the door was a living rebuke to his self-indulgence. Here is another of those vivid pictures that not alone re- veals the misery but makes an indeli- ble impression on the mind It is bet ter however, to be a beggar, sore and. hungry in this life and go to heaven hereafter, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and be forever in torment in the life to come. The name Lazarus peans God his help" and is an indication of his character. It did not look as though God was mindful Of his own" but the sequel abundantly corrects such an idea.
 Positions Reversed.
 II. The Life Which Is to Come, W. f3-31. Unconscious of the need of oth- CTS here the rich man is very much conscious of his own need ill hades when subject to torment and anguish There is no need of trying to minimize or TO explain" nor to deny these words of Jesus Hell is for the will fully disobedient, and was never pre- pared for man (Matt. 25:4D. On earth he saw Lazarus "at his gate,' now with Abraham, resting fin his bosom" Their positions are reversed, the petitioner is now the rich man who begs for mercy" though in life he showed none at all. His plea was for his tongue; that organ had been pampered in life but now it is in mis- cry. because deprived of earthly satis- faction. The solemnity of this lesson is very great As we have suggested Luke does not call this a parable. It is possible that Jesus auditors knew the very people of whom he was speak Ing, some notoriously wealthy citi- zen recently deceased. and some we'll known alms-seeker. For moment our Lord withdraws the curtain to let those about him read the story, cat&6, for an instant, glimpse. He shoWs us that the attitudes of today determine the destinies of tomorrow. The experience of life beyond death is determined by the use of the life that HOW is" The gate of heaven is without our self-centered life and often takes tho form of beggar. To wrongly em-. ploy our wealth. to live within the gate of selfishness will shut the gate of heaven in our own faces. If we pass without that gate of selfishness and minister. presently we find we have made friend In the life beyond. It is not the crumbs we give the beg gar, that which we do not miss, 1t must oe seif-cmptying service
 This lesson raises the question, fare the Tuiing desires Of our lives such as shall develop qualification and satis- faction in the life to come?" If not, wa do sell to heed this story Col B. 2 Memory is also active in that fu- ture cxistenec and 1t will be either a source 0f gratifying joy or else of un- speukaole anguish We are taught that education Is largely developed out of ,rsr.1arv and the ScriDture tells us