Chapter 88

Rich Man and Lazarus

JESUS just story withim olketa disaepol abaotem way for iusim olketa material samting long proper way, taem hem say iumi kanduit for slave for olketa samting olsem and long sem taem kamap slave for God. Olketa Farisi they listen tu, and they start for tok daonem Jesus bikos they love-im shilling tumas. So hem say long olketa: “Iufela nao pipol wea say iufela raeteous front long olketa man, but God savvy long heart bilong iufela; bikos samting wea hae long olketa man hem no gud samting long eye bilong God.”

Taem hem kam nao for olketa wea rich long material samting and wea garem paoa long politik and religion for kasem different samting. Olketa bae go daon. But pipol wea luksavvy long spiritual need bilong them bae kamap hae. Jesus tok abaotem disfela change taem hem say long olketa Farisi:

“Law and olketa Profet they stap kam kasem taem bilong John [the Baptizer]. Start long datfela taem olketa talemaot kingdom bilong God olsem gud nius, and evri different kaen man trae hard for kasem. Tru nao, hem moa easy for heven and earth for finis winim way for any part long Law for no fulfill.”

Olketa scribe and Farisi they praod from they say they followim Law Bilong Moses. Tingim hao taem Jesus duim mirakol for healim wanfela blind man long Jerusalem, olketa tok praod olsem: “Mifela olketa disaepol bilong Moses. Mifela savvy God hem toktok long Moses.” But distaem Law Bilong Moses hem fulfillim purpose bilong hem finis for leadim olketa humble wan go long King wea God markem, Jesus Kraest. So long start long ministry bilong John, evri different kaen man, planti wea humble and poor, they trae hard for kamap pipol wea bae stap under long Kingdom bilong God.

From Law Bilong Moses hem klosap for fulfill, way wea they mas keepim diswan bae finis. Law hem letem man for divorce from samfela samting, but distaem Jesus say: “Evriwan wea divorce-im waef bilong hem and maritim narawan hem duim adultery, and anywan wea maritim wanfela woman wea divorce from hasband bilong hem, hem duim adultery.” Olketa Farisi they kros taem they herem toktok olsem, bikos they letem man for divorce from any samting!

Taem Jesus go ahed for story long olketa Farisi, hem talem wanfela tok piksa abaotem tufela man wea position, or living bilong them barava change. Waswe, iu savvy hu nao tufela man hia piksarem and meaning bilong way wea living bilong them hem change?

“But wanfela man hem rich,” Jesus say, “and hem savvy wearim purple and white kaleko, and evriday hem enjoyim planti richfela samting. But wanfela poor man, wea nem bilong hem Lazarus, they putim hem long gate bilong datfela rich man, and body bilong hem fulap withim olketa soa, and hem savvy want for kaikaim olketa samting wea fall daon from tebol bilong rich man. Yes, olketa dog savvy lickim olketa soa bilong hem tu.”

Long hia Jesus iusim datfela rich man for piksarem olketa bigman bilong Jew religion, wea they nao olketa Farisi and scribe and olketa Sadducee and chief priest tu. They rich from they garem olketa spiritual privilege, and they garem fasin olsem datfela rich man. Purple kaleko bilong them stand for haefela position bilong them, and whitefela kaleko stand for way wea they say they raeteous.

Disfela praodfela sekson wea olsem datfela rich man they barava ting daonem olketa poor man wea they man nating, and they kolem them ‛am ha·’aʹrets, or pipol bilong earth. So datfela poor man Lazarus hem stand for pipol wea olketa bigman bilong religion no want for givim them proper spiritual kaikai and privilege. So, olsem body bilong Lazarus hem fulap withim olketa soa, they ting long olketa man nating olsem pipol wea sik long spiritual way and fit for kampani withim olketa dog nomoa. But, olketa bilong Lazarus class they hangre and thirsty for spiritual kaikai so they stap long gate, for waitim any spiritual kaikai wea maet fall daon from tebol bilong rich man.

Distaem Jesus start for story abaotem change wea kamap insaed long living bilong rich man and Lazarus. Wanem nao olketa change hia, and wanem nao they piksarem?

Laef Bilong Rich Man and Lazarus Hem Change

Datfela rich man hem piksarem olketa bigman bilong religion wea garem olketa spiritual privilege, and Lazarus hem piksarem olketa man nating wea hangre for spiritual kaikai. Jesus go ahed for story abaotem bigfela change wea kamap insaed long laef bilong tufela.

“Go-go,” Jesus hem say, “datfela poor man hem dae and olketa angel tekem hem go for stap klosap long Abraham. And datfela rich man tu hem dae and olketa buryim hem. And long Hades hem luk go ap, hem kasem bigfela pain, and hem lukim Abraham farawe and Lazarus stap klosap long hem.”

From datfela rich man and Lazarus they no really pipol but they piksarem tufela sekson bilong pipol, dae bilong tufela hem tok piksa tu. Wanem nao dae bilong them piksarem, or meanim?

Jesus hem just story abaotem samting wea change taem hem say ‘Law and olketa Profet they stap go kasem John the Baptizer, but start long datfela taem olketa talemaot kingdom bilong God.’ So, preaching wea John and Jesus Kraest duim hem mekem rich man and Lazarus dae or lusim living bilong them bifor.

Olketa bilong Lazarus class wea humble and repent they dae long way wea they hangre long spiritual way bifor and they kasem gudfela position front long God. Bifor they luk go long olketa bigman bilong religion for kasem lelebet spiritual kaikai wea fall daon from tebol bilong them, but distaem they kasem olketa spiritual truth wea they needim from Jesus. So they stap klosap, or garem gudfela position front long Bigfela Abraham, Jehovah God.

Long narafela saed, God hem no hapi withim olketa bilong rich man class bikos they go ahed for rejectim message bilong Kingdom wea Jesus teachim long pipol. So they dae long position bilong them bifor wea luk olsem hem gud. Yes, long tok piksa way they kasem bigfela pain. Listen distaem, taem rich man hem toktok:

“Father Abraham, showim mercy long mi and sendem Lazarus for putim finger bilong hem insaed wata and putim long tongue bilong mi for cold lelebet, bikos mi feel pain tumas insaed long disfela strongfela fire.” Olketa strongfela judgment message bilong God wea olketa disaepol bilong Jesus talemaot, they nao givim pain long olketa bilong rich man class. They wantim olketa disaepol for no talemaot olketa message hia, mekem olketa no kasem bigfela pain tumas.

“But Abraham hem say, ‘Pikinini, remember hao iu garem evri gudfela samting taem iu laef yet, but Lazarus garem olketa no gud samting. But distaem, hem kasem gudfela living but iu stap long pain. And tu, wanfela bigfela hol hem stap midlwan long mifela and iufela, so olketa long hia wea want for katkros kanduit for duim, and hem hard tu for olketa from iufela for katkros kam for mifela.’”

Hem barava fitim for bigfela change for kamap insaed long living bilong Lazarus class and rich man class! Datfela change hem kamap fewfela month bihaen long Pentecost 33 C.E., taem niu covenant hem change-im oldfela Law covenant. Then hem kamap klia tumas hao God hem hapi long olketa disaepol and no olketa Farisi and otherfela bigman bilong religion. So, datfela “bigfela hol” wea separate-im tok piksa rich man from olketa disaepol bilong Jesus hem stand for olketa raeteous judgment bilong God wea no savvy change.

Then rich man askim “father Abraham” narafela samting: “Sendem [Lazarus] go long haos bilong dadi bilong mi, bikos mi garem faevfela brata.” Datfela rich man hem talemaot way wea hem fren gud withim narafela dadi, wea hem nao Satan. Datfela rich man askim Lazarus for daonem lelebet olketa judgment message bilong God mekem “faevfela brata” bilong hem, olketa fren bilong hem long religion, no kasem “disfela ples bilong bigfela pain.”

“But Abraham hem say, ‘They garem Moses and olketa Profet; letem olketa listen long them.’” Yes, sapos “faevfela brata” no want for kasem bigfela pain, wanem they need for duim nao hem for obeyim olketa raeting bilong Moses and olketa Profet wea showim aot Jesus olsem Messiah and then kamap olketa disaepol bilong hem. But datfela rich man hem say: “No moa, father Abraham, but sapos samwan wea dae finis hem go long olketa, bae olketa repent.”

But hem say long hem: “Sapos they no listen long Moses and olketa Profet, bae they no believim tu man wea laef back from dae.” God bae no mekem olketa spesel saen or mirakol for mekem pipol believe. They mas readim and followim olketa Scripture sapos they wantim hem for hapi long olketa. Luke 16:​14-31; John 9:⁠28, 29; Matthew 19:​3-9; Galatians 3:24; Colossians 2:⁠14; John 8:⁠44.

▪ Why nao dae bilong rich man and Lazarus hem long tok piksa way, and wanem nao dae bilong them piksarem?

▪ Long start long ministry bilong John, wanem change nao Jesus say hem happen?

▪ Wanem nao bae finis bihaen long dae bilong Jesus, and hao nao diswan affectim way for divorce?

▪ Long tok piksa bilong Jesus, hu nao rich man and Lazarus they piksarem?

▪ Wanem nao bigfela pain wea rich man kasem, and long wanem way nao hem askim for pain hia for finis?

▪ Wanem nao datfela “bigfela hol” piksarem?

▪ Hu nao really dadi bilong rich man, and hu nao faevfela brata bilong hem?