Luke 16:19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”
In a previous post, titled “The Afterlife: Union with Christ at Death,” I presented the biblical basis for my conviction that a Christian goes to be with the Lord at the point of death. Please read that article before continuing with this one, because it discusses the three uses of the term “paradise” in the New Testament and other related matters.
After reading that earlier post, a friend asked me, “What happened to Lazarus, whom the angels carried away to Abraham’s bosom? Where did he go when he died?”
The Lazarus whom Jesus described in Luke 16:19-31 was not the same as the Lazarus noted in John 11, whom Jesus raised from the dead. One obvious difference is that this Lazarus in Luke 16 was not resurrected and so did not return after his death.
Some discuss whether Jesus was telling a parable or not in Luke 16:19-31. In either case, everything that Jesus taught was always accurate. Either this did happen or could have happened. Since Jesus named the man, it’s plausible that He had a specific person in mind. By the way, “Lazarus” is taken from the Hebrew “Eleazar.” The name means, “God is [my] helper.”
Let’s go back now to our question, “Where did Lazarus (of Luke 16) go when he died?”
Some have thought and taught that Lazarus went to some kind of a waiting place and that he would not actually be with the Lord until after the final Day of Judgment. Some have believed that “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 19:22) was a reference to this kind of side-room waiting place. It was the pleasant side, if you will, of the unseen Hadean realm, but it was not actually in the presence of the Lord.
I remember hearing this interpretation in my earlier years. A man whom I respected greatly was preaching, and he showed us a large chart with circles and arrows. He said that Lazarus went to a waiting place, and he implied that Lazarus would not be with the Lord until after the Day of Judgment. I pictured Lazarus and all faithful Christians in a room off to the side, the kind of room where people might wait until being summoned to meet a great dignitary. I have heard and seen this viewpoint presented several times since.
Let me be quick to say that there are fine, faithful Christians who hold this view. With respect for all who love and study the scriptures, I am presenting here what I have inferred from the Bible's teaching.
In my understanding, that "waiting-place" approach contradicts the scriptures discussed in the previous post, noted above. If, based on that understanding of Luke 16, one therefore proposes the idea that Christians today do not go to be with Christ when they die (Philippians 1:21), that presents a serious conflict. It was that apparent conflict which caused my friend to ask me his question about Lazarus. “If we go to be with Christ when we die, what about Lazarus and Abraham’s bosom?”
Thankfully, a bit of research in the Gospels may help us understand “Abraham’s bosom.” In ancient times, when guests would recline at a table to eat, each one would lie next to the bosom (breast or chest) (Greek, kolpos) of another person.
We see a clear example of this at the Last Supper, the night before Jesus died. On that occasion the beloved disciple, probably John, “reclined on Jesus’ bosom.” That is, he lay on his side right beside the Lord. He was “on Jesus’ bosom” or at Jesus’ side.
John 13:23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
Because the literal phrase, “in one’s bosom,” sounds unusual to modern readers, the ESV substitutes the words, “at one’s side.” See Luke 16:22 and John 13:23-25 in the ESV. Yet the actual phrase “in or on one’s bosom” can refer to the position of one person reclining at a table next to another, perhaps the guest of honor. Understood this way, the phrase “Abraham’s bosom” indicates that Lazarus went to be beside Abraham.
We may also note that the Bible describes the Word (God the Son, Jesus Christ) as being “in the bosom of the Father.” The ESV translates this phrase as “at the Father’s side.” In other words, the Father and Son are together, side by side, in perfect unity, as if the Son is leaning on the Father’s chest.
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
That leads to the question, “If Lazarus is leaning on Abraham’s chest, just where is that? Where is Abraham?” Jesus answered that question! He indicated in His teaching that Abraham is, in fact, seated at the table at the heavenly banquet. He affirmed that Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets are there as well.
Luke 13:28 “… when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. 29 “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and they will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 8:11 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
So, as I understand it, Lazarus did not go into some off-site waiting place, away from the Lord. Rather, the angels carried him to be next to Abraham, in or on his bosom or chest, reclining next to him at the heavenly banquet table.
What a beautiful, comforting, encouraging description of the blessings one receives at the point of death! May every meal we enjoy here on earth remind us of the blessed feast that we shall relish on the other side forever!
By the way, Jesus also used this imagery when He related the “Parable of the Marriage Feast” (Matthew 22:1-14). A well-known hymn, based loosely on that parable, exhorts every hungry, starving soul to come to the Lord to be fed.
Are you a Christian? Have you responded to His invitation in faith, repenting and being baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38)? Read the words of this hymn as if they were written to you.
All Things are Ready (come to the feast) – Chas. H. Gabriel, 1856-1932
“All things are
ready,” come to the feast!
Come for the table now is spread;
Ye famishing, ye weary, come,
And thou shalt be richly fed.
Hear the invitation,
Come, whosoever will;
Praise God for full salvation
For whosoever will.
“All things are
ready,” come to the feast!
Come, for the door is open wide;
A place of honor is reserved
For you at the Master’s side.
“All things are
ready,” come to the feast!
Come, while He waits to welcome thee;
Delay not while this day is thine,
Tomorrow may never be.
“All things are
ready,” come to the feast!
Leave every care and worldly strife;
Come, feast upon the Christ of God
And drink everlasting life.
What about you? Have you accepted the Lord’s invitation to come to His feast? Are you confident that a place of honor is reserved for you at the Master’s side?
For further reading: Are You a Christian? Are You Saved? Are You SURE?
For further reading: Good News! An Evangelistic Bible Study Based on Acts 2
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