Luke 16: 19-31 Analysis

Themes are central to everything that we read ranging from everyday books, or the type of individuals that we surround ourselves with to reading Biblical passages. Although there are many themes out there that can be used to find the central message of specific things, the Bible consists of eight primary themes. These eight themes are creation, sin, covenant, incarnation, death and resurrection, discipleship, love of neighbor and reign of God.1 When an individual reads the Bible, it is essential to keep these themes at the back of the mind to make connections with certain passages and see the underlying theme. The purpose of this paper is to examine Luke 16: 19-31 and identify the underlying central theme of loving thy within this passage.
At the beginning of the passage, the reader observed the selfishness of the rich man with his refusal to share his abundant amount of resources with Lazarus. Due to being poor, Lazarus was not able to provide resources to sustain his life. As the story progresses, both individuals end up dying, Lazarus is granted heaven while the rich man goes to hell. Being granted the pathway to heaven relieved Lazarus of his misery, but the rich man must face the consequences of his selfishness. The rich man sees Abraham and cries out to him in hopes of saving himself from the tormenting hell has to offer. Instead of listening to the rich man cries, Abraham reminds him of how he did not love his neighbor and his refusal to share the blessings that were given to him. Although the rich man understood Abraham, he still attempts to save his brothers from the fate that is currently facing. Abraham refuses the rich man attempt and reminds him that his brothers have prophets that they should listen to. Continuously, he states that if the rich man “do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16: 19-31). The passage ends with the rich man feeling lost and