Tenth Sunday after Pentecost – August 17, 2025

 

Introduction

  • What does it look like to live a life centered on oneself, without showing compassion to others? What happens to a person who lives that kind of life after he dies?

The authority of Jesus: vv. 14-18

  • “law and prophets” – shorthand for OT: Torah + Nevi’im + Ketu’vim (Tanakh)
  • “until John” – the key transitional figure: last of OT prophets and harbinger of God’s kingdom (Mt 3:2). He marked the end of the Old Covenant era and the start of the New.
  • “easier for heaven and earth…” – the New Covenant doesn’t relax the moral imperatives in Old Covenant law: lust = adultery; anger = murder. Jesus gives example in v.18: divorce = adultery. Many believed a man could divorce his wife for any reason. Jesus said, “No.” He doesn’t get into the exceptions here (See Mt 5:31-32; 1 Cor 7:14-16). He is making a point: the kingdom of God requires more of us, not less.
  • Jesus came to fulfill all the OT types and promises (See parallel text: Matt 5:17). In NT is Jesus is the new Adam, Abraham, Israel, David, law, temple, sacrifice, way, truth, life.

The awfulness of perdition (an afterlife separated from God): vv. 23-26

  • “In Hades” – The rich man goes to the underworld: Gk. hades or Heb. sheol.
  • “torment” (v. 23)…”agony” (v. 24) – It is an unspeakably awful place.
  • Sheol is a temporary underworld “holding cell” where the unrighteous dead are kept until the Day of Judgment. Angels also have one called Tartarus (2 Ptr 2:4; Ju 6). After the Day of Judgment, those in Sheol go to the “lake of fire” (Rev 20:14-15; cf. 14:9-11), a kind permanent anti-heaven (anti-life, light, love, peace, joy, etc.).
  • Sheol is so horrible that the rich man wants to save his brothers from it. Abraham denies the request, saying that even a resurrected person can’t convince them.
  • Pondering Hell’s utter awfulness motivates us to save ourselves and families, friends, neighbors, even strangers from this fate. It’s not our primary motivation, which is to see King Jesus worshiped and obeyed. But it is an important motivation: 2 Cor 5:20-21.

The wonder of salvation (an afterlife of fellowship with God): vv. 22-23

  • Not much detail is given here or elsewhere about this temporary underworld “waiting room” of the righteous dead.
  • “Abraham’s breast” – kolpos (cf. Jn 1:18; 13:23). The common first century Jewish way of referring to the place of the righteous dead. It was also called Paradise.
  • At Jesus’ ascension, Paradise was—with the saints in it—relocated to the present heaven, the place God dwells with his divine council (Eph 4:7-8; Heb 12:23: 2 Cor 5:8).
  • At Christ’s parousia or return, Paradise will once again be relocated, this time on a renewed heaven-and-earth (Rev 21,22).
  • We should frequently meditate on the life to come! (Col 3:1-4). The more do this, the better equipped we are to face the disappointments and suffering of this life and to adopt God’s values as our own (Rom 8:18-21; 2 Cor 4:16-18).

The danger of riches: vv. 19, 25

  • The main point of this story is to illustrate the danger posed by riches to keep us so fixated on our material stuff that we never develop into the generous, loving, compassionate persons God insists that we become and, thus, miss out on the eternal rewards offered us.
  • Money is dangerous in a couple of ways. First, it chokes us, preventing us from bearing God’s fruit (Lk 8:14). Second, it blinds us, preventing us from seeing our true spiritual condition (Lk 16:25). Having lots of wealth can lull us into a false sense of security that we are doing better spiritually than we actually are. Physical death brought an instantaneous reversal of fortunes for the rich man.
  • The attitude of the rich man is meant to be a stark contrast with that of the good Samaritan who responded with compassion to the person he found in need (Lk 10:25-37).
  • Does this teaching mean we should give a $20 bill to every homeless person we encounter? Sometimes “helping” can hurt by making it easy for an irresponsible person to continue making bad choices. That is unloving. See 2 Thes 3:10 and 1 Tim 5:9-10.
  • But we should be moved with compassion every time we see people made in God’s image living in poor conditions. We should develop the habit of praying for them, being willing to be used by God to minister to them in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads us.

Takeaway

Be honest with yourself: when you come into some extra money, do you automatically think about all the stuff you can buy it? Or do you think about all the good you can do for others by giving to missions, the poor, the needy. We can’t serve God and money. But we can and must learn to serve God with our money. The Apostle Paul tells us how in 1 Tim 6:17-19:

“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”