The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 16:31,
"If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
This is the astonishing conclusion to Jesus' account of a beggar named Lazarus and a rich man. In careful description, Jesus makes the point that the stations each held in this life are reversed in the next. The rich man was "dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day", verse 19. However, following his death, in Hades, he was "in torment", verse 23. In verse 24 he tells Abraham, who is at a distance, "I am in agony in this fire."
In contrast, Lazarus was a sick, poor, hungry beggar in this life. He was "covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table", verse 21. The verse goes on to say, "Even the dogs came and licked his sores." Upon his death, however, he was carried by the angels to Abraham's side, verse 22. When the rich man asked Abraham for some relief, Abraham told him, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony, verse 25.
Clearly, the Lord was teaching us that in the kingdom of God, a whole new paradigm of life is headed our way. Our station in this life does not necessarily reflect what we will have for an eternity. We may be sick in this life, we may have bills up to our noses and without a job, we may have few friends, we may have struggles here that seem to transcend what most folks encounter in this life - but a new day is coming! We may be very successful in this life, we may feel we have all we need and count ourselves among the happiest and most content here, leaving us feeling little need for salvation - but a new day is coming! Life for an eternity is headed our way, and what we experience in this life does not necessarily indicate what will be ours in the next.
However, the point of the account is what brings the differences in the next life - it is all about faith. It is at the end of this account that we read the astonishing conclusion: if folks won't believe the Scriptures, they are not going to believe, to be convinced, even if Jesus Christ rises from the dead! Many are simply tenacious in an unwillingness to embrace Jesus Christ in faith.
Jesus spoke to this issue in his conversation with Nicodemus, when he said we must be born again. He said, "Whoever believes in him [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." John 3:18-21. Many will not embrace Jesus Christ due to their clinging to sin. With no room for a change within a heart given to sin, the unrepentant stays in his sin.
When it comes to faith, I am reminded of Paul's words, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: 'Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.' Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, 'I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.' And Isaiah boldly says, 'I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.' But concerning Israel he says, 'All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.'" Romans 10:17-21.
Exposure to the gospel message generates faith in the hearts of those who are willing to turn from their sinful ways to embrace Jesus Christ. However, to those who are given over to their sins, the Scriptures hold no hope for them, even given the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
How tenacious is the hard heart of sinful man! How loving is the heart of our Savior who has done so much to bring us to him!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
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