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PARABLE: the rich man and Lazarus

 {PARABLE} the rich man and Lazarus_ 

Luke 16:19-31 

Have you ever heard someone say that religion is just a ‘crutch’ or just a source of comfort for the weak? 
Have you ever heard someone say that religious people pay no attention to those who are hungry or suffering? 
Christianity doesn’t teach passive suffering in the face of injustice and oppression. Jesus calls us to serve those who are in need. 

 

[Discussion starter] Have you ever been asked for money by someone homeless? 
How did you react? 

 

The final parable in this study reminds us that suffering in this life can be replaced by bliss in the next... 

 
[Read Luke 16:19-31] 

 
In verses 19-21, how does the parable reveal the rich man’s lack of concern for Lazarus? 
 

 
How would you account for the rich man’s indifference towards Lazarus? 
 

 
What are some of the ways that you have heard people explain why some in society are poor? 

 

 
 

 
Which of these ways of thinking do you find to be most biblical and why? 
How does the parable contrast the state of the two men before their death, at their burial, and after their death? 

 
 

Does this parable teach that Lazarus experienced heavenly bliss because of his earthly poverty and that the rich man experienced torment because of his wealth on earth? 
Explain.  
 

 
Contrast the rich man’s accessibility to Lazarus in life and death (verses 20, 23, 26). 

 
 
 

 
In verse 25, what is the one thing that Abraham asks the rich man to do? 
 

 
Why does God not send messengers from the dead to warn us (verse 31)? 
 

 
Why did Jesus’ resurrection fail to convince people of his day, and why does it still fail to convince people today? 
 

 
How does this parable speak to you about ways that you might be withholding compassion from people in your life? 
 

 
How does this parable speak to you about ways that you may be closed to hearing God’s wisdom or to following Jesus’ teachings? 

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