Rich Man & Lazarus No Parable

Luke 16:16 - The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

John the Baptist the last prophet of the Old Testament era. Compare John 1:17. Same note at Matthew 11:13.

Luke 16:19-31 - The rich man and Lazarus.

Reasons why this is a true account, not a parable:

1. Describes things outside human experience, like hell. Parables are used to relate human experience to spiritual things. This does not.


2. Names a character (Lazarus). No parable does.


3. Involves historical figure, Abraham. No parable does.


4. Mentions places of the dead and state of existence after death. No parable does.


5. Involves angels. No parable does.


6. If only a parable and there really is no Hades, then this the only parable where Jesus teaches error. God forbid!

Above paraphrased to fit in Bible margin, taken from article by Middletown Bible Church, Middletown, CT. Link to their article.

Luke 16:24-25 - "And he cried and said, Father Abraham.... But Abraham said, Son," to the unsaved rich man.

Compare Luke 3:8; Galatians 3:7.

Luke 16:31 - And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Still not persuaded though One did! Acts 4:2; Acts 4:15-18; etc. This verse and this account a strong argument against all these "back from heaven or hell" stories that are gaining popularity.

VM

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Luke 15:6 - And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Important cross ref: Isaiah 53:6.

VM

They Will Reverence My Son

Mark 12:6 - Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

"He sent him also last unto them...." - In Matthew 21:37, "last of all" - after all the other prophets. The final and complete revelation of God to man is in the incarnate Christ. See Hebrews 1:1-2. This note also made at Matthew, here.

Compare Luke 16:31 - "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

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Notes in Matthew Chapter 15

Note at Matthew 15:2 - This custom of hand washing explained for Gentiles in Mark 7:1-5.

Matthew 15:4-5 - "For God commanded, saying...  But ye say...."

Any time you hear, "God says, BUT" then there is a serious problem.  "I know the Bible says..., BUT!"  "In general I am biblically against ..., BUT in this case...."

Note at Matthew 15:5-6 - "It is a gift..."

A gift to the Lord.  Supposedly consecrating to the Lord what could be used to help parents; then using it for selfish purposes under pretense of use for devoted purposes.  "Corban" in Mark 7:11.  Pharisee loophole in the Law, one of many.

Note at Matthew 15:8 - "...their heart is far from me."

Contrast Matthew 26:41 - "The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak."  The one is insincere.  The other is sincere but simply weak.  Do not confuse the hypocrite (completely insincere) with the carnal or the weak.

Matthew 15:15 - "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable."

Amazing!  Plain doctrine (Matthew 15:11) thought to be a parable and not understood plainly.  So "Jesus said, are ye also yet without understanding?"  (v. 16).  We must make the efforts to understanding God's word, II Timothy 2:15.

Matthew 15:38 - And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

See this note at 14:21.

VM

Margin Outline of Kingdom Parables

See this post for an explanation of outlining scripture passages in the margin to make certain things easier to find.  Here is an outline of the Kingdom Parables in Matthew chapter 13.

In the margin, right next to verse 3 - Parable of the sower.
v. 10 - The reason for parables.
v. 18 - The sower explained.
v. 24 - The wheat and tares.
v. 31 - The mustard seed.
v. 33 - The leaven in meal.
v. 36 - The tares explained.  Fulfilled, Revelation 14.
v. 44 - Treasure in field.
v. 45 - Pearl of great price.
v. 47 - Fish gathered in net.

VM