Day 20

Luke 16-18

“At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.” Luke 16:20-21, ESV

We all, like Lazarus, sit at the foot of the rich man’s table longing for bread. Not one of us has the capability to save ourselves, so we lay at the gate hoping to receive mercy from one who is able. All the while, Christ is waiting. He has already come. He is the bread of life and He has come to give life unto the world. (John 6:38)

Like when Jesus fed the multitude, the vehicle that God uses to distribute this bread is His Church. God wants to use you and I to help feed those who are spiritually hungry. We must remember, however, that the Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. 

 At the end of this parable, we see an urgency to share this good news. The rich man wanted to go back and warn his brothers. He exclaims, “...but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Abraham responded, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”

Here Jesus was foretelling His resurrection, and sadly it wasn’t convincing enough to some. He tells us in Luke 18:17, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”