Rich man, poor man is a story that Jesus told about two men. One was rich and one was poor. The story highlights the importance of obeying God and doing what is right while we live in the earth.
Jesus knew many of the religious leaders loved money more than they loved God.
He told what happened to these two men, and why it is useless to have riches without God. Riches cannot buy life with God in Heaven.
Read on to learn more.
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The rich man
There was a certain rich man who had beautiful clothes which cost lots of money. He dressed like a king.
The rich man also ate very well. Every meal was like a great feast. He had so much money he could buy anything he wanted to eat for breakfast, lunch, supper - or for in-between snacks.
The poor man was named Lazarus
At the gate of the rich man's house there lay a poor, sick, starving beggar. His name was Lazarus.
Poor Lazarus was full of sores. He may have had a disease. He may have had cuts and bruises from others being mean to him.
Maybe he had sores because he did not have good food like milk, vegetables or meat. Lazarus longed for food. He would have been happy with the crumbs from the rich man's table.
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Bible for Children
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Dogs were Lazarus' friends
Stray dogs sometimes padded over to the poor helpless beggar. They sniffed around him and licked his wounds. It seems nobody cared that Lazarus was starving.
Lazarus died and went to Heaven
One morning, Lazarus did not wake up. The poor starving, friendless beggar had left this life. Lazarus was dead.
Joy began for Lazarus the moment he died. Jesus said angels carried him to be with Abraham. Lazarus was comforted by God.
The rich man also died
The rich man also died. All his money could not save his life. When death came, nobody could stop it.
The rich man was buried. Perhaps it was a large funeral. Perhaps people praised the rich man for being clever and successful.
Their praises did not help him. The rich man was in Hell.
The rich man discovered that he was in hell
In Hell, the rich man cried, "Father Abraham, send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."
"In life you had everything and Lazarus had nothing," Abraham reminded the rich man. "Now Lazarus is comforted and you are tormented. No one can cross the great gulf between you and us."
The rich man asked Abraham to warn his siblings
"Send Lazarus to warn my five brothers," the rich man pleaded. "I don't want them to end up in this place of torment."
"Your brothers have God's Word," Abraham replied. If the five brothers would not believe the Bible, they would not believe if Lazarus came back from the dead.
When Jesus finished the story of the rich man and Lazarus, perhaps the religious leaders asked themselves, "Do I love riches more than I love God?"
Now they knew what would happen if they did not heed God's Word.
Message from the bible story rich man, poor man
This Bible story tells us about our wonderful God who made us and who wants us to know Him.
God knows we have done bad things, which He calls sin. The punishment for sin is death, but God loves us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a Cross and be punished for our sins.
Then Jesus came back to life and went home to Heaven! If you believe in Jesus and ask Him to forgive your sins, He will do it! He will come and live in you now, and you will receive eternal life.
Prayer for salvation from sins
If you want to turn from your sins, say this to God:
Dear God, I believe that Jesus died for me and now lives again. Please forgive my sins, so that I can have new life now, and one day go to be with You forever.
You are now my only God and I will love you alone. Help me to live for You as Your child.
I turn away from all the bad things I used to do, and trust you to make me righteous as you are, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Rich man, poor man bible verses - Luke 16: 19 - 31.
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—
28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
ATTRIBUTION - RICH MAN, POOR MAN
Written by: E. Duncan Hughes
Illustrated by: Alastair Paterson and M. Maillot and Lazarus.
Adapted by: M. Maillot and Sarah S. Produced by: Bible for Children - www.M1914.org
Jesus Tells Nicodemus To Be Born Again - introduction
Jesus Tells Nicodemus To Be Born Againis a simple explanation of how to enter into eternal life. The story centers around a man who asked Jesus if he needed to return to his mother's womb in order to be born again.
Nicodemus was an important religious leader who sneaked in to see Jesus in the night. He did not want anyone to see him.
Nicodemus began his enquiry with a compliment
‘I believe you come from
God. No one could do
the miracles I have seen
you do, unless God was
with him,’ said
Nicodemus
Jesus did not comment. Instead, He told Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to see the Kingdom of God.
Nicodemus was shocked. He was an old man!
He asked Jesus how he could become a baby again. Did he need to return to his moms womb in order to be born again.
Jesus must have chuckled. He patiently replied:
‘You must have God’s
Spirit in you."
This means that God's Spirit will give you a new spirit. Therefore, people who are born again become like born babies who are new and innocent of sin.
Jesus used the wind as an example to help Nicodemus. The wind is invisible, and you cannot see it. However, you can see the effects of the wind like the trees moving their branches.
The Lord explained to Nicodemus that those who are born again cannot see the Spirit of God. However, they and others will see the results and change that comes about in their lives.
Nicodemus still could not understand. Jesus reproved him because as a Teacher of the Law, Nicodemus should have known these things. The prophets had spoken of being born again:
Ezekiel 11:19
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 36:26
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
Jesus explained that God loved everyone so much that He sent His only Son from Heaven into the world. Every one who believes in Him will not go to hell, but will receive everlasting life.
Only people with born again spirits can receive eternal life. Eternal life means that those who believe in Jesus will not go to hell, but will live with God forever.
Furthermore, Jesus explained, those persons who are born again will practice truth, and will obey the Word of God:
``But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John 3: 21).
How can I be born again
Jesus said that anyone who is born again must believe that He is the Son of God and the only one to save them from their sins:
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They must believe that He died to save them through His blood:
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``As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
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so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
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``For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
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``For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
Everyone who wants to be born again must confess their sins to God. This means to admit to being a sinner and to tell God their sins. To confess sins mean to ask God to forgive sins:
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Persons who want to become new spirits in Christ must repent of their sins
The bible teaches that people must repent of their sins. Jesus also preached about repentance. To repent means to turn away from sins and to stop practicing them.
Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
People who have repented practice the Word of God and do not do things like lying, cheating, stealing and other sins.
This is why Jesus explained to Nicodemus that there is a difference between people who love God and those who love evil or Satan:
19``This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20``For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21``But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
Prayer asking God to forgive sins and to make you a new spirit in Christ
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I ask You to forgive my sins and save me from eternal separation from God.
By faith, I accept Your work and death on the cross as the only payment for my sins.
I promise that you will be my only God and that I will obey your Word.
Thank You for providing the way for me to know You and to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. Through faith in You, I have eternal life.
Thank You also for hearing my prayers and loving me unconditionally. Please give me the strength, wisdom, and determination to walk in the center of Your will, In Jesus’ name, amen.
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ``Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3Jesus answered and said to him, ``Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4Nicodemus said to Him, ``How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
5Jesus answered, ``Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6``That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7``Do not be amazed that I said to you, `You must be born again.'
8``The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9Nicodemus said to Him, ``How can these things be?"
10Jesus answered and said to him, ``Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
11``Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
12``If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13``No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14``As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16``For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17``For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18``He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19``This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20``For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21``But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
22After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.
23John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized--
24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.
26And they came to John and said to him, ``Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."
27John answered and said, ``A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
28``You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, `I am not the Christ,' but, `I have been sent ahead of Him.'
29``He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
30``He must increase, but I must decrease.
31``He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
32``What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.
33``He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.
34``For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.
35``The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
36``He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
