Our friend Taken from the discussion forum asked us to:
Highlight the parts of Jesus' teaching OF HIS DOCTRINE, "YOU" claim are NOT Factual Truths
As we had stated it is our contention that this is a parable and that the Lord deliberately chose to use metaphors, i.e. figurative language so as to hide its true meaning from the worldly wise. Thus the things said are NOT the things meant, it is NOT to be taken as literal statement of facts (as the worldly wise so construe it), but as a symbolic or figurative picture if you will.
A parable is defined as “a short narrative in which some important truth is veiled,” or hidden.
Now in order for us to prove that this is a parable, it is necessary to show that if interpreted as a literal statement, it would be an absurdity and anything that would be an absurdity to interpret literally; we would be bound to look upon as a parable and seek to find some parabolic interpretation. And so we shall take this a bit at a time.
First let us consider what the implication of this parable would be IF we were to take what was stated here as LITERAL. After which we will follow up with the parabolic interpretation. Let us begin with the first four verses.
Luke 16 (NKJV)
Verse 19-22 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.”
Here a comparison is made between two individuals, one a rich man who was well clothe and had plenty to eat, and another a poor beggar full of sores who was laid at the gate of the home of the rich man.
Now note it is NOT SAID that the rich man was a bad man (an immoral man, or a blasphemer of God); the fact is there is no mention at all of any wickedness on his part, nor is it said that the poor man was a good man; (Many tend to jump to unwarranted conclusions and attempt to read something into the text not stated.)
To be rich is not necessarily an evil. There have been good rich men. Abraham was very rich. Our heavenly Father is very rich.
It is not poverty, merely that makes goodness, is it?
Our Lord likewise is rich and for our sake became poor. So we are not to think that riches merely, mean wickedness. We do not read that this rich man was a bad man, or profane, or anything of the kind, but merely that he was rich and fared sumptuously every day--ate three or four good square meals each day, and that he wore purple and fine linen.
THAT WAS HIS CRIME; whatever it was, it was connected with that matter somehow. Now to say that any man would have to be roasted to all eternity simply because he wore purple or because he wore fine linen, and had plenty to eat, and because he was rich, would not be rational.
Continued with next post.
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Highlight the parts of Jesus' teaching OF HIS DOCTRINE, "YOU" claim are NOT Factual Truths
As we had stated it is our contention that this is a parable and that the Lord deliberately chose to use metaphors, i.e. figurative language so as to hide its true meaning from the worldly wise. Thus the things said are NOT the things meant, it is NOT to be taken as literal statement of facts (as the worldly wise so construe it), but as a symbolic or figurative picture if you will.
A parable is defined as “a short narrative in which some important truth is veiled,” or hidden.
Now in order for us to prove that this is a parable, it is necessary to show that if interpreted as a literal statement, it would be an absurdity and anything that would be an absurdity to interpret literally; we would be bound to look upon as a parable and seek to find some parabolic interpretation. And so we shall take this a bit at a time.
First let us consider what the implication of this parable would be IF we were to take what was stated here as LITERAL. After which we will follow up with the parabolic interpretation. Let us begin with the first four verses.
Luke 16 (NKJV)
Verse 19-22 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.”
Here a comparison is made between two individuals, one a rich man who was well clothe and had plenty to eat, and another a poor beggar full of sores who was laid at the gate of the home of the rich man.
Now note it is NOT SAID that the rich man was a bad man (an immoral man, or a blasphemer of God); the fact is there is no mention at all of any wickedness on his part, nor is it said that the poor man was a good man; (Many tend to jump to unwarranted conclusions and attempt to read something into the text not stated.)
To be rich is not necessarily an evil. There have been good rich men. Abraham was very rich. Our heavenly Father is very rich.
It is not poverty, merely that makes goodness, is it?
Our Lord likewise is rich and for our sake became poor. So we are not to think that riches merely, mean wickedness. We do not read that this rich man was a bad man, or profane, or anything of the kind, but merely that he was rich and fared sumptuously every day--ate three or four good square meals each day, and that he wore purple and fine linen.
THAT WAS HIS CRIME; whatever it was, it was connected with that matter somehow. Now to say that any man would have to be roasted to all eternity simply because he wore purple or because he wore fine linen, and had plenty to eat, and because he was rich, would not be rational.
Continued with next post.
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