Day 16- The Rich Man & Lazarus
Read it: Luke 16:19-31; Matthew 25:35–40
Live it:
At first glance, the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus can be puzzling. Jesus condenses the stories of the lives of the rich man and Lazarus. Suddenly, in the parable, they have died, and we see they have reaped what they sowed in their life.
Jesus paints a striking contrast: a man clothed in fine linen enjoying daily feasts and a poor man named Lazarus, covered in sores, lying at his gate. The tragedy is not simply that the rich man had wealth; it’s that he had an opportunity right in front of him to show compassion, and he walked past it.
When both men died, their situations were reversed for eternity. Lazarus was comforted in Abraham’s arms, while the rich man faced agony. The lesson is clear: our treatment of others—especially the most vulnerable—has eternal significance.
Jesus connects this truth in Matthew 25:35-40 when He says that when we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the poor, or visit the sick and imprisoned, we are directly serving Him. To ignore the “Lazarus” at our gate is to ignore Jesus Himself.
Every day, we encounter opportunities to respond with love. We have a saying at Focus Church: we change lives one smile at a time. Sometimes a smile can change a life; sometimes someone needs more than that. True discipleship sees beyond comfort and convenience, recognizing that acts of mercy are acts of worship—done unto Christ Himself.
Ps. James