The Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus told a serious story:

There was a VERY rich man. He wore the fanciest clothes and ate the best food every single day. His house was like a palace!

Right outside his gate sat a poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus was sick and hungry. He had sores all over his body. He just wanted to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. But the rich man ignored him every day.

One day, Lazarus died. Angels carried him to heaven, where he sat right next to Abraham!

The rich man died too. But he didn't go to heaven. He went to a terrible place of suffering.

From far away, the rich man saw Lazarus, happy and comfortable with Abraham. 'Father Abraham!' he called. 'Please send Lazarus to bring me just ONE drop of water! I'm in so much pain!'

But Abraham said, 'Remember—you had everything good while you were alive. Lazarus had nothing but suffering. Now he's comforted and you're in agony. And there's no way to cross from here to there.'

'Then please send Lazarus to warn my brothers!' the rich man begged. 'So they don't end up here!'

'They have the Bible,' Abraham said. 'They should listen to it.'

'No, but if someone comes back from the dead, THEN they'll believe!'

'If they won't listen to Scripture, they won't believe even if someone rises from the dead.'

This story warns us: Don't ignore God or ignore people in need. And don't wait until it's too late to listen to God's Word!