Two Beggars: The Story of Eternal Consequence

We all love a good story. Stories capture our imagination, teach us profound truths, and sometimes shake us awake to realities we'd rather ignore. Jesus was a master storyteller, and one of His most sobering parables reveals a truth many would prefer to dismiss: how we live today reveals where we spend eternity.
A Tale of Two Lives
Picture this contrast: a man clothed in purple—the color of royalty, a hue so expensive that common people couldn't afford it or even wear it legally. This wasn't just wealth; this was extravagance personified. He feasted sumptuously every day, never glancing at prices, always choosing the most expensive items because, well, why not?
At his gate lay Lazarus, whose very name means "God has helped." The irony would have been palpable to anyone passing by. Here was a man covered in sores, so destitute that even mangy dogs came to lick his wounds. He would have gladly eaten the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table—just the scraps, nothing more.
Two men. Two vastly different lives. One living as if this world is all there is. The other with nothing in this world but everything that matters eternally.
The Great Reversal
Then both men died.
Lazarus was carried by angels to Abraham's side—a party in heaven, a celebration of a soul coming home. The rich man was buried with likely all the pomp and circumstance money could buy: hired mourners wailing, an elaborate funeral, a show of importance. But that was the last party for him.
Notice something striking: after death, he's no longer called "the rich man." Because he isn't anymore. All that wealth, all that status, all that comfort—gone in an instant. The great reversal had occurred.
In torment, the formerly rich man looked up and saw Abraham far off. And Lazarus—the beggar he had stepped over daily—was at Abraham's side. The shock must have been overwhelming.
The Chasm That Cannot Be Crossed
"Father Abraham," he cried out, "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."
Think about that request. The same man whose finger he would never have allowed to touch his table, he now begs to touch his tongue with water. But Abraham's response was clear and final: "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us."
The man who lived for temporary comfort now begged for just a drop of water—and couldn't have it. Ever.
A Warning Ignored
Then the man thought of his five brothers still living. "Send someone to warn them," he pleaded, "lest they also come into this place of torment."
Abraham's reply cuts to the heart: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." In other words, they have the Bible. They have God's Word. That's enough.
"No, Father Abraham," the man argued, "but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent."
The response? "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."
This is the stunning truth: faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Not from miraculous signs we demand. Not from the perfect conditions we think we need. From hearing and believing what God has already said.
Swimming in Shark-Infested Waters
Imagine being surrounded by sharks and not knowing it. Imagine someone knowing you're in danger but saying nothing because they don't want to be uncomfortable or ruin the pleasant conversation. That would be unconscionable.
Yet how often do we do exactly that spiritually? We know people swimming in sin-infested lives, heading toward an eternity without God, and we stay silent. We swap pleasantries. We're nice. But we don't warn.
Jesus wasn't that kind of person. He told this story as a loving warning to religious people who thought their heritage and rituals would save them. He made it crystal clear: there are two ways to live, two ways to die, and two eternal destinies.
The Heart of the Matter
This isn't ultimately a story about wealth and poverty. It's about the heart. God knew the rich man's heart—that his love was for temporary things, for himself, for comfort now rather than eternity. God also knew Lazarus's heart—that despite having nothing in this world, his faith was in God.
The question isn't whether you're rich or poor. The question is: where is your treasure? What are you living for? Who are you living for?
The Call to Repentance
The formerly rich man understood something too late: repentance is necessary. Turning from selfish pride and temporary thinking to God is essential. But once he crossed that chasm, it was too late. He couldn't ask for forgiveness anymore—only for comfort he would never receive.
The invitation stands now: turn to God. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. The Bible promises you will be saved. With the heart one believes and is justified—made right with God. With the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Who Needs to Be Warned?
Is there someone in your life who needs to hear this truth? A child, grandchild, parent, friend, coworker? Don't grow weary in praying for them. Don't hesitate to lovingly share the truth with them.
Make it clear. Be biblical. Tell them that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory, that the payment for sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Tell them that God demonstrated His love while we were yet sinners—Christ died for us.
The time to warn is now. The time to turn is now. Because once that chasm is crossed, there's no going back.
The question remains: which beggar are you?