Luke Chapter 16, Verse 25
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25: ειπεν δε αβρααμ τεκνον μνησθητι οτι απελαβες συ τα αγαθα σου εν τη ζωη σου και λαζαρος ομοιως τα κακα νυν δε οδε παρακαλειται συ δε οδυνασαι
25: But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things:
but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
25: And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive
good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now
he is comforted and thou art tormented.
Son. This is a representation designed to correspond with the
word father. He was a descendant of Abraham -- a Jew -- and Abraham
is represented as calling this thing to his remembrance. It would not
lessen his sorrows to remember that he was a son of Abraham, and that
he ought to have lived worthy of that relation to him.
Remember. This is a cutting word in this place. One of the chief torments of hell will be the remembrance of what was enjoyed and of what was done in this world. Nor will it be any mitigation of the suffering to spend an eternity where there will be nothing else to do, day or night, but to remember what urns done, and what might have been, if the life had been right.
Thy good things. That is, property, splendour, honour.
Evil things. Poverty, contempt, and disease.
But now, &c. How changed the scene! How different the condition! And how much better was the portion of Lazarus, after all, than that of the rich man! It is probable that Lazarus had the most real happiness in the land of the living, for riches without the love of God can never confer happiness like the favour of God, even in poverty. But the comforts of the rich man are now gone for ever, and the joys of Lazarus have just commenced. One is to be comforted, and the other to be tormented, to all eternity. How much better, therefore, is poverty, with the friendship of God, than riches, with all that the world can bestow! And how foolish to seek our chief pleasures only in this life!
