Hell Is Not A Hearing Problem
When we discuss the topic of heaven and hell, we often hear the question about the fate of those who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. Many have never heard of the message of Christ and it appears unfair that they would be judged for not responding to a message that they never had the opportunity to hear. How can God be just if he holds people accountable for not taking an opportunity that they never knew about? This is a very common question and is often asked in the first few years after someone has started to follow Jesus.
Heaven and Hell: Unveiling the Response to God's Revelation
In our passage today, we will hear Jesus address this topic. He was not asked this question directly, but his teaching on this occasion will speak to this question. Jesus told the story of a man who complained that if he had heard more from God then he would have not ended up experiencing the torments of Hell. Was this man’s protest just? Can anyone in hell make the case that they don’t deserve to be there because they didn’t hear enough from God?
Jesus answered this question in a shocking fashion. He told a story that ended in a surprising way. His story contrasted two characters. These characters had vastly different experiences in this life and the next. The story pivots with a great reversal in the middle. The man who experienced prosperity in this life experienced torment in the next life. The man who experienced pain in this life experienced comfort in the next life. The closing of the story explains why these men had vastly different experiences and why the man who faced judgment was in the position he was in. He was not in hell because he didn’t hear enough, but rather because he didn’t listen and respond to what he heard. The problem was not that God was silent, but rather that the man was stubborn. The problem was not God’s revelation, but the man’s lack of repentance.
Big Idea: Hell is not a hearing problem
It is important that we first understand the audience of Jesus’ teaching. Our modern-day Bibles break up this passage into several sections, but the teaching of Jesus here is one continuous section from verse 14 to verse 31. This teaching of Jesus was in response to the Pharisees’ rejection of Jesus’ prior teaching. Luke pointed to the hypocrisy of these Pharisees before Jesus responded to their antagonism.
Luke 16:14-15, “14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Beware of Superficial Faith: Lessons from Pharisaic Hypocrisy
The Pharisees were experts in the laws of the Old Testament, yet they failed to follow these laws. They neglected the poor and sought to selfishly expand their wealth. They looked pious and prosperous on the outside, but God was not fooled. He knew their heart and was displeased with their lack of obedience. They knew the testimony of the Law and The Prophets, the Old Testament, but they neglected to apply them. Their hypocrisy and lack of obedience caused Jesus to tell a story that was meant to shock them.
Luke 16:19-21, “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.”
Contrasting Lives
These men were different with regard to their wardrobe, diet, and shelter. Purple was the color of royalty and was a rare and expansive dye. Having two garments of this color was a sign of luxury. Linen was a higher-end fabric, which also indicates the prosperity of this man. We are told that Lazarus was covered in sores instead of fine clothing. His sores were accessible to the dogs, which indicates that he did not have much clothing to cover his body. The rich man feasted extravagantly every day of his life. The poor men simply wanted what was left over. This could refer to the pieces of bread that were used as napkins at that time and then were discarded. The extravagance of the rich man's home is evidenced by his property having “gates.” This was a feature of a large estate. Lazarus laid on the road accompanied by unclean dogs. Dogs were not seen in that culture as “man’s best friend.” Nothing yet is shared about their love for God, but that will become evident later.
Luke 16:22-26, “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.’”
Contrasting Destinies: Earthly Lives and Eternal Realities
Just as these men had vastly different experiences in their earthly lives, they had dramatically different experiences in the afterlife. In the afterlife, their roles were reversed. The rich man experienced the anguish of the flames of hell. Lazarus, who had experienced a great amount of pain and sorrow in his earthly life, was now in a place of peace. Jesus’ story reveals several elements of his understanding of what life after death looks like. Jesus portrayed hell as a place of conscious torment. The rich man was not asleep or annihilated. The rich man's painful state was also portrayed as permanent. He could not cross to the place of comfort where Lazarus was.
Jesus wanted the Pharisees to see themselves as the rich man in the story. Several elements of the story make this point clear. First, the rich man was Jewish. He called Abraham “Father” and Abraham called him “child.” He also speaks as though he is familiar with “Moses and the Prophets in verse 29. Second, the Pharisees are labeled as being “lovers of money” in verse 14, which is precisely how the rich man is portrayed in verses 19 and 20. Third, Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees that God knows their heart is portrayed in a negative way, which connects with God’s clear disapproval of the rich men as witnessed by his placement in Hell. Jesus’ Pharisaic audience was in danger of experiencing the same fate as the rich man in this story.
Interestingly, the rich man called Lazarus by name, which is an indication that he knew Lazarus prior to his death. Only in the afterlife did he give him notice. The rich man couldn’t claim that he was unaware of Lazarus' desperate situation. He had intentionally neglected to care for the poor man right outside his gates. The rich Jewish man had disregarded God’s instructions on caring for the poor and helping the needy. He hadn’t listened to God’s voice in the scriptures. The rich man’s defiance of God’s word becomes clearer in the closing section of Jesus’ story.
Luke 16:27-31, “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.’”
Rich Man's Revelation: A Shocking Clarity on Repentance
In verse 30, the rich man saw the reason for his placement in hell. The rich man saw that his problem was a lack of repentance and not an abundance of riches. This level of clarity is shocking. He knew where he had failed and what caused him to be judged by God. He was aware of what he was missing, but not why he was missing it. The rich man protests that his brothers need more from God than the words of the Law and the Prophets. This protest indicates that the man also felt that if he had experienced more from God he would not be where he was. He felt that he hadn’t heard enough. God was to blame for providing an inadequate amount of revelation to bring him to repentance. If he had heard more then he wouldn’t be in hell.
Abraham's response to the rich man's hypothetical situation is shocking. He asserted that the witness of the Old Testament was enough. Abraham didn’t accept the rich man’s excuse and his standard of accountability. Abraham explained that even the miraculous experience of a resurrected witness wouldn’t convince the one who has already rejected God’s witness in the scriptures. Abraham’s rebuke of the rich man reveals to us that people go to hell not because God is silent but because they are defiant. Hell is not a hearing problem.
Rejecting Revelation in the Face of Truth
The Pharisees that Jesus was addressing had the witness of the Old Testament. They were very familiar with God’s words. Their rejection and subsequent judgment seems just because they had more revelation than most. Paul, in the book of Romans, teaches that no one is without revelation. How much each one hears is different, but everyone hears something. This sense of universal witness is what causes all to be without excuse concerning judgment. Paul presented the problem of humanity as being the rejection of revelation and not the inadequacy of revelation. Our problem is not that we have not heard enough, but rather that we have rejected what we have heard.
Romans 1:18-21, “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Paul explained that God had been revealing himself since the beginning of creation in his creation. The amount of revelation has left mankind “without excuse.”
Hell is Not a Hearing Problem
When we ask the question about the eternal fate of “those who have never heard,” we are creating a category that doesn’t exist in Scripture. The Scripture states that all have heard and are accountable for what they have heard. Our hypothetical situation of a genuine seeker of God not hearing enough to escape hell is as artificial as the rich man’s protest that more from God would have changed his fate. No one in hell can protest that God didn’t give them enough. All those in hell heard from God in some fashion and rejected it. Indeed, some will never hear of the good news of Christ, but they do hear God’s witness in creation. Hell does not exist because of God’s inadequate revelation, but man’s inexcusable rejection. Hell is not a hearing problem.
Prayerful Outreach: Extending Compassion and Hope to Those Yet to Follow Jesus
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I encourage you to set aside one hour this week to pray for a friend or family member who is not yet following Jesus. Pray that they will open their ears. God is speaking to them in creation, in their story, and through you. Pray they will listen. If you participate in one of our life groups, I want to encourage you this week to set aside your prayer time to focus on the friends and family members of those in your group. I love it when we get to pray for each other’s needs, but this week I want to challenge you to focus your prayers on those not yet following Jesus. I don’t know if there are any followers of Jesus in this room who didn’t have someone praying for them before they started following Jesus. I know there were many praying for me before I placed my faith in Christ. I’m inviting you to do for others what was done for you.
Discerning God's Presence and Call in Your Life: An Invitation
If you are here and you are not yet following Jesus, I want to encourage you to see the witness of God in your life. God is not indifferent toward you. His creation calls out to you. His orchestration of your life shows his interest in you. I don’t believe you are here in the room simply by your choosing. He is calling you. Will you listen or will you ignore him?
Discipleship Notes:
Head: Read John 11:43-53. What was the response to Jesus’ miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead? How does this mixed reaction connect with what Jesus said in Luke 16:31?
Heart: Read Psalm 19:1-3. How does the magnificence of creation reveal the existence and nature of God?
Hand: Read Colossians 4:2-6. What does Paul ask the church to pray for? What does he instruct them to be mindful of when relating to “outsiders?”
Habit: When will you schedule your one-hour prayer time this week? Who will you be praying for?
Check out our 5 Day Bible Reading Plan for this Message, here.
