Parable of Christ of the rich and Lazarus

In this parable, the Lord made it clear that if the rich people live a selfish life, spend a fortune just for fun, we do not see next to them in need, this person does not deserve eternal life with the love and mercy of God , it will make it a region of infinite darkness and eternal torment. And only one person who in this life is a narrow and sad way - by fulfilling the commandments of God, they will enter into the reign of eternal light, eternal joy.

"One person - Jesus said - was rich. He spent his life having fun, dressed in purple and fine linen and a daily hosted luxury in his home and noisy feasts, not to mention that in his gate lay a beggar, Lazarus, covered with wounds and scabs. The patient and always hungry Lazarus who want to feed at least those litters from the rich table, who in his eyes throws on the dogs, but, obviously, and was not at his disposal. None of the houses of the rich man pity for himself, no one tied his wounds, - only stray dogs came to lick his wounds. Cross your life until his death, Lazarus brought silently, patiently and humbly. And when he died, the angels of God brought him into the heart of Abraham.

But here he died rich, and he was boldly buried, with the wonderful prices corresponding to his wealth. But in the post-mortem life of his soul he was sad, he was thrown down to hell, for there was no place for Abraham in the bosom of Abraham. Tortured in hell and was anxious, rich man when he saw Abraham from afar, and Lazarus in heavenly mansions. Inspired by hope, he prayed to the Patriarch for help, "Father Abraham! We have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to wet his fingertips in the water and cool my tongue; Why am I tortured in this flame? "

"My son," replied Abraham, "remember his life! All that believed the greatest good, and that he longed for something to fight for your soul, you have in abundance. How rich you in luxury and bliss has spent all his days; You thought he was only for himself, and he was deaf to the scream of the sufferer voted out of the day and never gave him a piece of bread. And with courtesy and humility endure all his food and do not complain, do not complain that undue pain. Therefore, Lazarus has gone into the poverty and the saving field of the Earth from pure heart and your soul consolation, and you, having taken everything from life to yourself and doing no good to others, are suffering now and rightly suffer. Besides, none of us can save you from suffering, or even facilitate them, like the big gap, so that those who want to go from here to you can not be between you and us, but also get there to us. "

Realizing now all the madness lived his life, the rich man asks Abraham: "I ask you, Father, to send Lazarus to my father's house, because I have five brothers? that he can testify to them, so that they will not come to this place of martyrdom. "

"Have Moses and the Prophets," answered Abraham, "let us hear them? the righteous will of God has communicated to the people, and who will execute it will be saved. "

"No, Father Abraham! - The rich man cried, - my brothers are deaf in the voice of Moses and the prophets, do not listen to them, as I had not heard; but if they were struck by a great miracle, if one ascends from the dead, they will repent. "

And he said to him, "If Moses and the prophets do not even hear someone coming up from the dead, you will not believe it."

So skeptics of all ages often say, "If one came from another world and proved his existence, we believed in the immortality of the soul and the eternal life beyond the grave." Like the Pharisees, you must have a sign from the sky. But one point should not be given to them, because God wants man to follow Him voluntarily, not a obedient obedience, caused by the terrible miracle. In addition, if such a sign was given to someone from the belief of the infidels, if for example, he was a dead friend or relative, then he would certainly have explained his illness-minded fantasy phenomenon, and yet you will not believe. After all, they do not believe that Jews not only to Moses and the prophets, but even the resurrected Christ, and then lost his kingdom.

So the parable of Christ of the rich and Lazarus reveals symbolically a picture of our future life. He teaches man how to act in this life, not to inherit