Scripture to Read: Luke 16:30-31
The rich man was not satisfied with the response that Abraham had given him. We read in Luke 16:30–31, “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” The rich man knew that while he had lived on earth, he had chosen to turn a blind eye and ear to what God had revealed through Moses and the Prophets. He also knew that his brothers were choosing to do the same thing. Therefore, the rich man thought that if Lazarus was raised from the dead, his brothers’ hearts would respond to God and His Word. But Abraham told him that if God’s Word was not enough to turn the hearts of his five brothers, then not even someone rising from the dead would turn their cold, calloused hearts to repent. Jesus knew He would do just that, that He would suffer, die, and then three days later defeat death by being raised from the dead. And we know that the resurrection of Christ was not enough to save the entire human race in His day. For we read in 1 Corinthians 15:5–8 that Christ physically appeared to Peter, then to the twelve, then to over five hundred at one time, then to His earthly brother James, then to all the apostles, and finally to Paul, that even with all of that evidence, people rejected Him and still do today.
Challenge & Application
Why, with all of the evidence of who Christ is, do people still turn a blind eye and ear to Him and His Word?
How must we pray, live, and share for those who are still lost in their sins?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!