Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame … I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment … No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” (Luke 16:24-30)

Eighty Words

A certain rich man enjoyed the finest things of life as few men could imagine. Clothing dyed purple was expensive as well as impressive. Few people in the First Century could afford such luxury as this garment was only worn by princes, nobles, and those who were very wealthy. Egyptian fine linens adorned the rich man’s household as a sign of immense wealth. He feasted on the finest food and drink. There was never a time when the man lacked the best of the world dining with society’s elite. The conversation was a daily pursuit of wealth, power, prestige, honor, and pleasure. Everything about the man’s life was consumed with the best that life could offer. And then he died, and everything changed.

Jesus peels back the curtain of death to allow the world to see and hear what happened to this certain rich man. Like all men, death is not a respecter of persons. The rich man died, as did the pitiable beggar laid at his gate. Two men died on the same day. There was great pomp and circumstance for the dead rich man as his five brothers lamented their brother’s passing before finding ways to inherit his immense wealth. The tomb of the rich man was an ornate and incredibly stunning piece of art commemorating the life of a man of such means. When someone noticed the beggar who had been laid at the gate had died, a cart was brought and the body of Lazarus was unceremoniously dumped in a hole.

When the rich man awakened in eternity, he found himself in a place of torment in the realm of Hades. It was a place of darkness, fire, weeping, and the gnashing of teeth. Those bound in this eternal pit of horror screamed for relief. The rich man begged for mercy from Abraham for just a drop of water to cool his tongue. There would be no relief from the torment. Abraham reminded him of how well he lived and how miserable Lazarus’s life had been. According to the Law of Moses, the rich man should have cared for Lazarus, but he treated him with contempt. Now, Lazarus was comforted, and the rich man suffered. The suffering of Lazarus ended in death, and the suffering of the rich man began in death and would never end.

Realizing there would be no relief for himself, the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to his family and tell his five brothers of the horrors that awaited them. The rich man knew how they were living. He knew they would find themselves in torment and needed to be warned. Abraham told the rich man there was nothing that could be done. If the brothers did not listen to Moses and the Prophets, a man rising from the dead would not have convinced them. The story ends, and the rich man fades away into the darkness of torment to be bound under an eternal curse for rebellion against the Lord God.

The conversation of the rich man was only eighty words. He never asked about his money and his investments. There were no questions about his houses, lands, possessions, servants, crops, and 401K. The rich man did not ask to enjoy the pleasures of life. He did not worry about his job. There was nothing on his mind about the political conditions of the Roman Empire. He did not care who the king, president, or ruler was. It did not matter who was winning what sport and what team was the best. He did not complain about the weeds in his garden, how people drove, the noisy neighbor, when to take another vacation, or what new technology was available.

Everything about the eighty words the rich man spoke was about everything he never cared for when he was alive. The sad reality of the human story is that the world is consumed with things that will not be taken with them when they die. The rich man suddenly possessed a spiritual mind, concerned about the spiritual condition of his family and whether they would find eternal life or be pressed into the damnation of Hell. It was too late. His mission-minded efforts could not be done. He was damned to torment, and his five brothers would find the same fate if they did not repent.

The lesson Jesus is teaching is understanding what eighty words will mean when we enter the realm of the eternal. Where is your heart? The place where you find your heart is the place where you will find your eternal soul. What will it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul? You will have eighty words to say to the Lord, but it will mean nothing. The eighty words of the rich man were answered with silence. There is nothing more to say.