If you drove here tonight, you're in the richest 8% of the whole world. If you have two cars you're in the richest 1.5% of the whole world. If you have two cars and a house, you're in the richest 0.5% of the whole world. We are the rich man - the rich man is us. This isn't a parable about a certain rich man and Lazarus and Abraham; this is a parable about me and about you; and about our basic attitude toward other people.
So the beggar gets laid at the rich man's gate, because people figured that the rich man could help him. The beggar was so helpless, he could not keep dogs from licking his wounds; but the rich man made a decision on earth, and that decision was this: I am better than him.
I do not have to engage that problem - I'm better than him. He kept Lazarus outside of his framework, outside of a gate - so the rich man on earth isolated, and elevated. He considered himself better. He thought he was better than Lazarus, and that he didn't have to engage a beggar who could not keep dogs from licking his sores.
The Bible says that in the afterlife, what you make happen for others, God makes happen for you. The rich man, who made hell on earth happen for the beggar - he ends up in torment in the afterlife.
On earth, the rich man chose isolation and elevation; so in the afterlife, God gave him exactly what he chose on earth: isolation and elevation. He became the centre of his whole universe - and that is called Hades, or Hell. To a Hebrew person, Hell is a place with no boundaries. It's a place where you can treat me any way you want.
In this story, Hell is a place of isolation and torment; but heaven is a place of feasting and fellowship. To be at “Abraham's side” is a Hebrew euphemism for “feasting”, because they leaned on each other's side to eat.
On earth Lazarus, cannot keep dogs from licking his wounds; but in the afterlife, he's feasting, and having a party in heaven with Abraham.
On earth, the Rich Man had his feasting, partying, and fine linen. He had his two cars, a boat, and a house. He had those things - but in hell he was isolated and tormented. That is the basis of the story.
Then there's this interesting dialogue between Abraham and the rich man. The rich man looks up, he notices Abraham and Lazarus, and he makes this series of requests.
Abraham says: there is a great chasm, which exists between me and you, so that people from here can't go to there - as if that was a problem (enough heaven, let's go fry); and people from you, can't come to us.
1) What kind of great chasm exists, that you can talk across?
2) What kind of great chasm exists, that you can recognise the face of somebody on the other side?
How big is this chasm? It can't be that big! It's not big enough, that the rich man can't say: hey, I think that's Abraham - I've seen pictures; and hey, there's the beggar - I remember the beggar, He was laid at my gate.
My first question is: what was the chasm? The focal point of the whole story is this chasm: we can't get to you; and you can't get to us. What is this chasm, that you can have a normal conversation across, and recognise the face of someone on the other side?
The clue is to be found in the rich man's requests. His first request was what? Have Lazarus dip his finger in water, and come stick it on my tongue - which is an odd request, isn't it? Have you ever had a conversation with somebody on fire? How about: HELP! PUT ME OUT!
To make a request for somebody to put one drop of water on his tongue - it makes no sense. Why? He's on fire!
1) It wouldn't solve his problem - he'd still be on fire
2) It wouldn't help at all! One drop of water on your tongue is not going to help!
What is this about; and how does this give us a clue as to what the great chasm is?
On Earth, the rich man's problem was: he thought he was better than the beggar. He thought: I don't have to engage that, I'm better than him. He is in hell now. This is only time Jesus used the word Hades, in terms of somebody going there.