Read Luke 16:19-31

THE RICH MAN AND THE BEGGAR
This Lazarus should not be confused with the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead in John, chapter 11.
The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of a person’s righteousness. Jesus startled them with this story in which a diseased beggar is rewarded and a rich man is punished. The rich man did not go to hell because of his wealth but because he was selfish, refusing to feed Lazarus, take him in, or care for him. The rich man was hard hearted in spite of his great blessings. The amount of money you have is not as important as the way you use it. What is your attitude toward your money and possessions? Do you hoard them selfishly, or do you use them to help others?
The rich man thought surely his five brothers would believe a messenger who had been raised from the dead. But Jesus said that if they did not believe Moses and the prophets, who spoke constantly of caring for the poor, not even a resurrection would convince them. Even Jesus, Himself, on His way to Jerusalem to die, was fully aware that even when He had risen from the dead, most of the religious leaders would not accept Him. They were set in their ways, and neither Scripture nor God’s Son Himself would shake them loose.