![]() ![]() If purple and fine linen seem familiar to you, it might be because those exact words are used to describe what the high priest was to wear according to the Torah:Īnd these are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister as priest to Me.Īnd they shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen. Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. Now, let’s get into some of the details of the story, focusing first on what “the rich man” wore: Purple and Fine Linen Interestingly the word used for “lovers of money” is virtually the same word used by Paul in his oft (mis)quoted maxim about the love of money:įor the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.-1 Timothy 6:10 (emphasis mine) Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him.-Luke 16:14 (emphases mine) “And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.”Īnd he said, “Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house-for I have five brothers-that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.”īut Abraham said, “ They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them.”īut he said, “No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!”īut he said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.”-Luke 16:19–17:1 (emphases mine) The Contextįive verses before the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man, we see religious leaders being identified with greed and interpreting the story of the Unjust Steward as hostile to them. ![]() Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom and the rich man also died and was buried.Īnd in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.Īnd he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue for I am in agony in this flame.”īut Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day.Īnd a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,Īnd longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. I’ve emphasized some words I think will provide careful readers with important interpretive clues as to the original intended meaning. So, of course, we should expect to learn new things, even about old books, like the Bible. Now we have vast resources at our disposal, not just information that was not available before, but tools that help us analyze and access that information thousands of times more powerful than long form, hand-copied, inaccessible paper libraries in centuries past. The same was true of historical documents that could serve to put stories such as this in proper historical context, and Biblical archeology was nearly nonexistent. This may have served a spiritual agenda with tendencies toward otherworldliness and deep ambivalence, at best, about the sacredness of non-clerical callings such as commerce.īut are such general interpretations the best ones? Up until modern times, texts in the original languages were either unavailable or difficult to find. ![]() Is the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man aimed at the wealthy in general? That is how it was used during the Middle Ages when it was at peak popularity. The section below argues that the ‘Rich Man’ in the parable refers to the High Priest. The following is an excerpt from The Maker Versus the Takers: What Jesus Really Said About Social Justice and Economics¸ by Jerry Bowyer (New York, Fidelis Books, Post Hill Press, 2020), release date Sept. ![]()
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