The Rich Man and the Beggar
From the Words of Jesus

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

___Luke chapter 16
 1 And he said also to his disciples, "There was a certain rich man, who had an employee who had been accused to him that he had wasted his goods.
 2 And he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you'll no longer be steward.
 3 Then the steward said inside himself, What shall I do?, for my lord is taking away from me the stewardship, I can't dig, to beg I am ashamed.
 4 Here's what I'll do, so that when I've been put out of the stewardship, they'll receive me into their houses.
 5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors to him, and said to the first, How much do you owe my lord?
 6 And he said, A hundred measures of oil.  And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
 7 Then he said to another, And how much do you owe?  And he said, A hundred measures of wheat.  And he said to him, Take your bill, and write eighty.
 8 And the lord complimented the sloppy steward, because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
 9 And I say to you, make for yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when you fail, they'll receive you into everlasting houses.
 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
 11 If therefore you haven't been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who'll commit to your trust the true riches?
 12 And if you haven't been faithful in what is another man's, who'll give you that which is your own?
 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  You can't serve God and money."
 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they made fun of him.
 15 And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is hated in the sight of God.
 16 The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.
 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to go away, than for one period or comma of the law to fail.
 18 Whoever puts away his wife and marries someone else, commits adultery, and whoever marries her that has been put away from her husband commits adultery.
 19 There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted every day.
 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who laid at his gate, full of sores,
 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, also the dogs came and licked his sores.
 22 And the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, the rich man also died, and was buried.
 23 And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being tormented, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
 24 And he shouted, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, so he can dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in these flames.
 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and you're tormented.
 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a large gulf fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you can't, nor can they pass to us that want to come from there.
 27 Then he said, Please, therefore, father, send him to my father's house,
 28 For I have five brothers, so that he'll testify to them, so they won't also come into this place of torment.
 29 Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them.
 30 And he said, No, father Abraham.  But if someone went back to them from the dead, they'll repent.
 31 And he said to him, If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded, even if someone rose from the dead."

Chapter 2

Please notice, starting in Luke 16:19, above, Jesus tells about a certain rich man and a beggar.   

Jesus doesn't tell us the rich man's name, but surely he had a name because Jesus said he was a certain rich man.  

The beggar's name is Lazarus.  

The rich man feasted every day.  

The beggar was hoping to get some of the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table.  

The beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  Abraham, of course, was God's covenant friend, and the father of Isaac and Jacob and the Israelites.    

The rich man also died and was buried.  And in hell, the rich man lifted up his eyes, being tormented, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom.  

The rich man died and was buried, and went to hell.  Where was the rich man's body?  It was buried in the ground.  Where was the formerly rich man when he saw Abraham and Lazarus?  In hell.  

When the rich man died, it was only his body that died.  He left his body behind and went to hell.  Then someone buried the dead body.  Usually about six feet under seems to be about typical.    

When you die, it's only your body that dies.  Then you, the person who had that body for a house during their life on earth, will go either up to heaven, or down to hell.  

There's more to a human being than just the physical body.  There's also the spirit and the soul.  

Hell is much farther down than just six feet.  Kenneth E. Hagin wrote a book, "I went to hell."  
In the book, he talks about going down, down, down until he began to see the fires of hell.  

Jesus said, "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36,37)

Losing your soul is going to hell.  

The richest man in the world can't buy his way out of hell.  In fact, when you die, you leave your money behind on earth.  

Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed man from the dust of the earth, and God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.  

So there's more to humans than just the body.  And that part that's not the body will be tormented in hell, if you go to hell.  

Jesus said that in hell, there's crying and gnashing of teeth, where their worms don't die, and where the fire is not quenched.  Definitely not a nice place to be.  

Jesus also said that most people go to hell--"Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many that go in there.  Narrow is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt 7:13,14)

How does one stay out of hell?  Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John chapter 3)  

How does one get born again?  By obeying Romans 10:9,10, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you're saved.  For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made for salvation."  

But the rich man died not being right with God, you see.  

In fact, Jesus said, "How hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven."  The rich are sidetracked by their riches from the things of God.  

And because of their riches, many of them are deceived into thinking they don't need God.  

So then, in hell, the rich man saw Abraham and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom.  

The rich man said to Abraham, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, so he can dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in these flames."

Abraham said that can't be done because of this gulf between us.  

Then the rich man wanted Lazarus to go back to warn the rich man's brothers.  

Abraham said they can read the writings of Moses and the Prophets.  

The rich man said, "No, father Abraham.  But if someone went back to them from the dead, they'll repent.

Abraham said, "If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded, even if someone rose from the dead."  

So you see, there is already enough evidence, but many won't pay attention to the evidence.  

I've heard people say that it was men that wrote the Bible.  

When I was in school, I took typing class, and learned to be a typist.  

If I sit down at a typewriter and type a letter, would you then say, "Oh, Fred's typewriter wrote a letter?"

No, the typewriter didn't write a letter.  All the typewriter did is put an A on the paper when my finger hit the A key, and a B when I hit the B key.  

I wrote the letter, and the typewriter merely put the letters on the paper as my fingers pressed the keys.  

Similarly, men were just the typewriters that God used to write the Bible.  

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." (2 Tim 3:16)  

Here is a very easy, three word prayer.  "Jesus, save me!"  The Bible says, "All that call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21)  



___James chapter 1
 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.
 2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,
 3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.
 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.
 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
 7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.
 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,
 10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.
 11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
 12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,
 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
 15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.
 16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.
 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.
 18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
 19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
 20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.
 21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,
 24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
 26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.
 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2
 1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
 2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,
 3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"
 4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?
 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
 6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?
 7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?
 8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,
 9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.
 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
 11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.
 12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.
 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.
 14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?
 15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,
 16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?
 17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.
 18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."
 19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.
 20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?
 22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?
 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."
 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
 26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3
 1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.
 2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
 3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.
 4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.
 5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!
 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.
 7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,
 8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
 9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.
 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.
 11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?
 12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.
 13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.
 14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.
 15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4
 1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?
 2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.
 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.
 4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.
 5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"
 6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.
 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.
 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.
 11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.
 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?
 13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"
 14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.
 15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."
 16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.
 17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5
 1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.
 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.
 3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.
 4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.
 5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.
 6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.
 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.
 8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.
 9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.
 10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
 11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
 12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.
 13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.
 14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,
 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.
 16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.
 17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.
 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
 19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,
 20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.