04-09-2022, 01:46 PM
His popular nickname is Demas, the unnamed rich man at whose gate Lazarus lay. There is endless debate whether it's a parable or some literally true story. Well, it's wholly unlike Jesus to be telling a story of this sort and it not be a parable.
The filthy rich Demas lived a life of luxury. Lazarus was a beggar covered with sores, lying at the rich man's gate every day. In those days, really rich people ate rich food and wiped their hands on pita bread. They seldom ate that bread, but it was often tossed out for beggars like Lazarus.
And dogs also had a tendency to snatch some of this. Keep in mind that Jews in the First Century AD hated dogs for much the same reason we might dislike hyenas; Palestinian dogs in those days were nothing like our cute domestic puppies. Now, some of these dogs were licking the beggar's sores out of instinct, and it was disturbing to Jews to have any contact at all with a dog.
Thus, we have a potent contrast between Demas and Lazarus. Oddly, at their deaths, their fates were reversed. Lazarus was taken to Heaven, as symbolized by the old Hebrew expression, "the bosom of Abraham". Demas went off to Hell where he suffered eternal torment. The position is fully reversed, with Demas begging for the equivalent mercy from Lazarus that Lazarus had from him in this life. Instead of a ripped portion of greasy pita, Demas just wanted some water. Wasn't that fair?
The conversation is loaded with common Hebrew imagery, not meant to be taken literally. Since they were both Jews, they shared some DNA. They were family. Unspoken is the implication that Demas didn't carry out his duty in life in easing the sorrows of Lazarus, so there can be no justice in his request in death. Perhaps Demas in his mind had fixed a great chasm between himself and Lazarus during their human existence. At any rate, there was an bridgeable gulf between them in eternity.
Naturally Demas was solicitous for his own tribe, as he saw it. He asked that Lazarus rise from the grave and go warn his brothers. Abraham reminded him that the Covenant was more than enough; didn't it provide Lazarus with his own path of redemption? No, said Demas, his brothers would require a little extra help. To this Abraham replied that if Moses wasn't enough, nothing would help them. Stop adding to the Word of God!
The matter at hand was that one cannot truly turn to God as Redeemer if his heart isn't moved. All the convincing possible for the mind was not enough. It was not a rational decision; it was a matter of conviction. This was Jesus poking at the Pharisees, represented by Demas. They made so much of their use of reason, and never seemed to understand what Moses actually said in parables that speak only to the heart.
Worldly wealth was not the mark of God's favor. If anything, the wealthy ran a very high risk of never turning to God. Meanwhile, those who suffered were quick to trust in God, because they had nothing to lose by seeking His favor in obedience. It should be clear that Demas violated the spirit of the Covenant.
The filthy rich Demas lived a life of luxury. Lazarus was a beggar covered with sores, lying at the rich man's gate every day. In those days, really rich people ate rich food and wiped their hands on pita bread. They seldom ate that bread, but it was often tossed out for beggars like Lazarus.
And dogs also had a tendency to snatch some of this. Keep in mind that Jews in the First Century AD hated dogs for much the same reason we might dislike hyenas; Palestinian dogs in those days were nothing like our cute domestic puppies. Now, some of these dogs were licking the beggar's sores out of instinct, and it was disturbing to Jews to have any contact at all with a dog.
Thus, we have a potent contrast between Demas and Lazarus. Oddly, at their deaths, their fates were reversed. Lazarus was taken to Heaven, as symbolized by the old Hebrew expression, "the bosom of Abraham". Demas went off to Hell where he suffered eternal torment. The position is fully reversed, with Demas begging for the equivalent mercy from Lazarus that Lazarus had from him in this life. Instead of a ripped portion of greasy pita, Demas just wanted some water. Wasn't that fair?
The conversation is loaded with common Hebrew imagery, not meant to be taken literally. Since they were both Jews, they shared some DNA. They were family. Unspoken is the implication that Demas didn't carry out his duty in life in easing the sorrows of Lazarus, so there can be no justice in his request in death. Perhaps Demas in his mind had fixed a great chasm between himself and Lazarus during their human existence. At any rate, there was an bridgeable gulf between them in eternity.
Naturally Demas was solicitous for his own tribe, as he saw it. He asked that Lazarus rise from the grave and go warn his brothers. Abraham reminded him that the Covenant was more than enough; didn't it provide Lazarus with his own path of redemption? No, said Demas, his brothers would require a little extra help. To this Abraham replied that if Moses wasn't enough, nothing would help them. Stop adding to the Word of God!
The matter at hand was that one cannot truly turn to God as Redeemer if his heart isn't moved. All the convincing possible for the mind was not enough. It was not a rational decision; it was a matter of conviction. This was Jesus poking at the Pharisees, represented by Demas. They made so much of their use of reason, and never seemed to understand what Moses actually said in parables that speak only to the heart.
Worldly wealth was not the mark of God's favor. If anything, the wealthy ran a very high risk of never turning to God. Meanwhile, those who suffered were quick to trust in God, because they had nothing to lose by seeking His favor in obedience. It should be clear that Demas violated the spirit of the Covenant.