Luke 16:25

What then, I asked, are the fire and the gulf and the other features in the picture? Are they not that which they are said to be? I think, she replied, that the Gospel signifies by means of each of them certain doctrines with regard to our question of the soul. For when the patriarch first says to the Rich Man, "Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things," and in the same way speaks of the Poor Man, that he, namely, has done his duty in bearing his share of life's evil things, and then, after that, adds with regard to the gulf that it is a barrier between them, he evidently by such expressions intimates a very important truth.… This, in my opinion, is the "gulf"; which is not made by the parting of the earth, but by those decisions in this life which result in a separation into opposite characters. The man who has once chosen pleasure in this life, and has not cured his inconsiderateness by repentance, places the land of the good beyond his own reach; for he has dug against himself the yawning impassable abyss of a necessity that nothing can break through.

This place, despised and spurned By the denizens of paradise, Those who burn in Gehenna hungrily desire; Their torment doubles At the sight of its fountains, They quiver violently As they stand on the opposite side; The rich man, too, begs for succor But there …

The Lord compared the priests of the people with him who was clothed in purple. Nothing is more honored than purple clothing. He compared the disciples of the cross with Lazarus. There were none more lowly than Lazarus was. He revealed the name of his …

1. The parable about Lazarus has benefited us not a little, both rich and poor, teaching the latter to bear poverty well, and not allowing the former to think highly of their riches; but showing, by the circumstances of the case, that he is of all men to be most pitied who lives in luxury without sharing his wealth with others. Allow me again to take up the same subject; since, also, those who work in mines, wherever they see many grains of gold, there they dig again, and do not cease until they have gathered out all that can be found. Let us, therefore, proceed, and, at the place where we left off yesterday, there again recommence the discourse. It might be possible, indeed, to unfold to you the whole parable in a single day; but we do not strive to be able to depart with the feeling that we have said a great deal, but that you, having received and retained the things spoken, may be able, through this carefulness, to gain a sense of real spiritual benefit. A tender mother about to change the |60 food of her child from milk to more solid diet, if she were at once to give it unmixed wine would injure it, for the child would at once reject the new diet. She feeds it little by little, and thus the new nourishment is received without trouble. […]

(Conc. 2, 3. de Lazaro.) Behold the kindness of the Patriarch; he calls him son, (which may express his tenderness,) yet gives no aid to him who had deprived himself of cure. Therefore he says, Remember, that is, consider the past, forget not that thou delightedst in thy riches, and thou receivedst good things in thy life, that is, such as thou thoughtest to be good. Thou couldest not both have triumphed on earth, and triumph here. Riches can not be true both on earth and below. It follows, And Lazarus likewise evil things; not that Lazarus thought them evil, but he spoke this according to the opinion of the rich man, who thought poverty, and hunger, and severe sickness, evils. When the heaviness of sickness harasses us, let us think of Lazarus, and joyfully accept evil things in this life.

That the lust of possessing, and money, are not to be sought for. In Solomon, in Ecclesiasticus: "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver." Also in Proverbs: "He who holdeth back the corn is cursed among the people; but blessing is on the head of him that communicateth it." Also in Isaiah: "Woe unto them who join house to house, and lay field to field, that they may take away something from their neighbour. Will ye dwell alone upon the earth?

To whom it is answered that in this life he received his good things, because he considered all his joy to be transitory happiness. For the just can have good things here, and yet not receive them as recompense, because while they seek better things, that is eternal things, whatever good things may have been present, in their judgment, when they burn with holy desires, they seem hardly good at all. Hence the prophet David, who was supported by the riches of his kingdom and many attendants, although he perceived that these things were good for necessity, nevertheless panted with longing for one singular good alone, saying: "But for me, to cling to God is good." Among these things it should be noted what is said to him: "Remember, son." For behold, Abraham calls him son, whom nevertheless he does not free from torment, because the faithful forefathers of this unfaithful people, since they see that many have strayed from their faith, do not rescue from torments by any compassion those whom nevertheless they recognize as sons according to the flesh.

But this which is said to him through Abraham's response must be considered with very great fear: "Son, remember that you received good things in your life, and Lazarus likewise evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are tormented." This sentence, my brothers, needs fear rather than exposition. For if any of you have received something of external good in this world, you ought to fear that very external gift, so to speak, lest it be given to you as recompense for certain of your deeds, lest the Judge who here restored external goods reject you from the retribution of inward good, lest honor here or riches be not an aid to virtue but a reward for labor. For behold, when it is said, "You received good things in your life," it is indicated that this rich man also had something of good, from which he might receive good things in this life. And again, when it is said of Lazarus that he received evil things, it is clearly shown that Lazarus also had some evil that needed to be purged. But the fire of poverty purged the evils of Lazarus, and the happiness of passing life rewarded the goods of the rich man. Poverty afflicted and cleansed the one; abundance rewarded and repelled the other. Therefore whoever among you have good things in this world, when you recall that you have done good deeds, greatly fear concerning them, lest the prosperity granted to you be the reward of those same goods. And when you see any poor people committing some blameworthy acts, do not despise them, do not despair of them, because perhaps the furnace of poverty purges what the excess of very slight depravity stains. Fear greatly concerning yourselves, because a prosperous life has even followed some evil deeds. But consider carefully concerning them, because the teacher poverty also torments their life until it leads them to righteousness.

(in Hom. 40.) Whatsoever then ye have well in this world, when ye recollect to have done any thing good, be very fearful about it, lest the prosperity granted you be your recompense for the same good. And when ye behold poor men doing any thing blameably, fear not, seeing that perhaps those whom the remains of the slightest iniquity defiles, the fire of honesty cleanses. (ubi sup.) It may also be answered, that evil men receive in this life good things, because they place their whole joy in transitory happiness, but the righteous may indeed have good things here, yet not receive them for reward, because while they seek better things, that is, eternal, in their judgment whatever good things are present seem by no means good.

Now Abraham calls him his son, whom at the same time he delivers not from torments; because the fathers of this unbelieving people, observing that many have gone aside from their faith, are not moved with any compassion to rescue them from torments, whom nevertheless they recognise as sons.

And Abraham said to him, "Son, remember that you received good things in your lifetime, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are tormented." Behold, when it is said, "You received good things in your lifetime," it is indicated …

He did not say to the rich man: you inhuman and cruel one, are you not ashamed? Now you have remembered philanthropy. But how? "Child"! Behold the compassionate and holy soul. A certain wise man says: do not disturb a humbled soul. Therefore Abraham also …

And Abraham said to him, etc. After he described the punishment with regard to the misery inflicted, here he describes it with regard to mercy denied; and this part is divided into two. In the first of which is expressed the denial of mercy with …

Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things - Thou didst choose and accept of worldly things as thy good, thy happiness. And can any be at a loss to know why he was in torments? This damnable idolatry, had there been nothing more, was enough to sink him to the nethermost hell.

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

But Abraham said, son,....

The parable we have now read, in one respect stands alone in the Bible. It is the only passage of Scripture which describes the feelings of the unconverted after death. For this reason, as well as for many others, the parable deserves especial attention. We learn, firstly, from this parable — that a man's worldly condition is no test of his state in the sight of God. The Lord Jesus describes to us two men — of whom one was very rich, and the other very poor. The one "fared sumptuously every day."

The parable we have now read, in one respect stands alone in the Bible. It is the only passage of Scripture which describes the feelings of the unconverted after death. For this reason, as well as for many others, the parable deserves especial attention. We learn, firstly, from this parable — that a man's worldly condition is no test of his state in the sight of God. The Lord Jesus describes to us two men — of whom one was very rich, and the other very poor. The one "fared sumptuously every day." The other was a mere "beggar," who had nothing that he could call his own. And yet of these two, the poor man had grace — and the rich man had none. The poor man lived by faith, and walked in the steps of Abraham. The rich man was a thoughtless, selfish worldling — dead in trespasses and sins. Let us never give way to the common idea that men are to be valued according to their income, and that the man who has most money is the one who ought to be the most highly esteemed. There is no authority for this notion in the Bible. The general teaching of Scripture is flatly opposed to it. "Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble — are called." (1 Corinthians 1:26.) "Let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him who glories glory in this — that he knows and understands me." (Jeremiah 9:24.) Wealth is no mark of God's favor. Poverty is no mark of God's displeasure. Those whom God justifies and glorifies — are seldom the rich of this world. If we would measure men as God measures them — then we must value them according to their grace. We learn, secondly, from this parable — that death is the common end to which all classes of mankind must come. The trials of the "beggar," and the sumptuous faring of the "rich man" — alike ceased at last. There came a time when both of them died. "All go to one place." (Ecclesiastes 3:20.)