THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

134The dogs that lick his sores are not pets. In the Middle East dogs are considered unclean,scavengers who sniff at garbage and poor people’s sores.Abject misery!ABRAHAM’S SIDE (16:22)"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham'sside. The rich man also died and was buried" (v. 22).Jesus pictures angels carrying Lazarus to Abraham. Both NIV and ESV translate theGreek word kolpos as “side” whereas the KJV translates it “bosom.” Both translations arelegitimate. In ancient times the practice of reclining at the banquet table would likely result inhaving one's head on someone's chest. So this puts Lazarus in the place of honor at the right handof Abraham at the banquet in the next world. The poor man's fortunes are reversed.The rich man, too, experiences a reversal:THE RICH MAN IN AGONY (16:23-24)"In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away,with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity onme and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,because I am in agony in this fire’" (vv. 23-24).He is in "hell." The Greek word used here is Hades, the place of the dead, and in Jewishthought, the intermediate place of the dead prior to the final judgment. Although the Greek wordgehenna is usually used to refer to the place of final punishment, in Jewish literature torment canbe a feature of the intermediate state as well as of the final state of the wicked.He is in severe pain, tormented (basanos) because of his wickedness. His tongue is hotand dry, suffering from intense thirst. And the source of the suffering (odunao) is fire inflicted byGod.The rich man asks Abraham to order Lazarus to relieve his suffering (16:24) and later tosend a message to his brothers (16:27). He still views Lazarus as a slave who can be orderedaround at his whim.