Mistranslation/Misinterpretation of the"Rich Man and the Beggar" Parable

The Rich Man and the Beggar Parable Luke 16: 19-31  

This parable is often used by those who believe in eternal conscious suffering as another justification of their position.  But looking at historical mistranslation and misinterpretation  compared to more accurate translation and interpretation reveals completely different meanings.

Context: From Luke 14:1 – 16:31, Jesus gives a number of teachings, many as parables, and most directed to the lawyers and Pharisees.  To give more perspective on the context of these teachings, I’m going to address them below in the order in which they occur, which hopefully will shed more light on the context of the “Rich man and the beggar” parable in Luke 16: 19-31. This parable is also discussed in order of its appearance in Luke below. 

Beginning with Luke 14: 1, Jesus goes to the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat with those present (lawyers and Pharisees).  He proceeds with a number of teachings, some in parables, to challenge the lawyers and Pharisees about their priorities compared to God’s priorities and the consequences of those priorities and again in Luke 15: 1-16:31 – teachings include that they had left their “wife”, the covenant relationship that they were given by God with Himself, and had been adulterous with the world.  The parable of Lazarus and the beggar occurs toward the end of this section and should be taken along with the other teachings as challenging the lawyers and Pharisees about their spiritual condition, rather than as a teaching about God eternally punishing all those who do not meet His standards.

Jesus teaching Luke 14: 2-6: There was a man present at the meal who had dropsy (an old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water) and Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees if it were lawful to heal on the Sabbath and they were silent. Jesus said, “Which one of you would not lift up his ox from a pit on the Sabbath?” He then healed the man and proceeded with a number of additional teachings including some in parables.

Jesus teaching (in parable form) Luke 14: 7-11:   Many people were invited to a wedding feast and were taking the places of honor when they came in, but then but then were asked by the host to move to lower places, challenging their pride and encouraging humility and awareness that there may be others more deserving of honor than they.  “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.”  Focus of Jesus teaching: The lawyers and Pharisees had become proud and cared about men’s evaluation of them rather than about how God evaluated them or caring about or understanding God’s priorities.

Jesus teaching Luke 14: 12-14:  Jesus told them that the correct standard would be to invite the poor, crippled, lame, blind to dinner rather than friends or brothers (who can repay you).   Focus of Jesus teaching:  The lawyers and Pharisees had become so involved with the material world and material gain that they were not practicing God’s priorities

Jesus teaching (in parable form) Luke 14: 16-23: A master invited many to a great supper.  All were too involved with the things of the world and did not accept the invitation.  So the master sent a servant into the streets to invite the lame, maimed, poor and blind first, then any others who were willing – to fill the feast so that not one of the men who declined could come.  Focus of Jesus teaching: The lawyers and Pharisees had become so busy with worldly gains/pursuits that they were not interested in God’s work through Jesus - the good news of God’s kingdom having come and reconciliation to God for all mankind.

As opposed to the other teachings in Luke 14:1-16:31, this next teaching appears to be a change of scene following the meal with the lawyers and Pharisees.  Unlike the other teachings in Luke 14:1-16:31 that appear to specifically be directed to the lawyers and Pharisees, this next teaching is directed to the large crowds that were traveling with Jesus.

Jesus teaching Luke 14:25-34:    “Anyone who comes to me and does not hate (Gr – in New Testament: to regard with less affection, love less, esteem less) his father and his mother, and wife and children and brothers and his sisters -yes and even his own life (Gr – soul, i.e. mind/personhood) – cannot be my disciple…any of you who does not give up everything cannot be my disciple.” Focus of Jesus teaching seems to be to show the large crowds that had begun to travel with him that his ministry would exact a price (from him and his followers) that they were likely not ready to pay. It appears that the word “hate” is not the best translation as the statement translated in this way would go against many other scriptural principles.  It seems consistent with other biblical principles that Jesus would tell them that to be one of his followers, one must be able and willing to put that first above all other allegiances/priorities.

Luke 15:1 Another change of Scene after the teaching to the crowds in Luke 14:25-34.   Now both the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around to hear him as well as the lawyers and Pharisees, who began muttering, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus follows with three teachings, Luke 15: 4-32: 1) the parable of the lost sheep, Luke 15: 4-7, 2) the parable of the lost coin, Luke 15: 8-10, 3) the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15: 11-32   Focus of Jesus teaching: That the lawyers and the Pharisees do not understand that God values all of mankind, to the last one equally and will save ALL, including those that the lawyers and Pharisees see as unworthy of God’s love/care

Luke 16: 1-31 The passage starts with the comment that Jesus told his disciples these things, but in verse 14, states, “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and began sneering at Jesus.”  So, the focus is again, primarily confronting the Pharisees which Jesus does in several places very scathingly and directly.

Jesus gives three teachings in this section:

1) Luke 16: 1-13, the parable of the rich man (I believe this is God) whose manager (the Jews who had been given the covenant with God to “administer”) was accused of wasting the rich man’s possessions. “You cannot serve God and mammon (money) Addressing the sneering Pharisees directly, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts.  What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Focus of Jesus teaching: that the Jews (particularly the teachers of the law and the Pharisees) had been entrusted with the riches of God and had wasted them by becoming involved with money and worldly recognition.  Jesus advises them that they are wise in making friends with the world, since they will have nothing else, having abandoned what they had been given by God.  The lawyers and Pharisees, rather than being other than sinners (Gr: Missing the mark of God’s perfection) are detestable in God’s sight.

 2) Jesus teaching Luke 16: 16-18: “The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John.  Since that time the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached.” Jesus dares to say to the Pharisees that the law and prophets have been replaced by the good news of the kingdom of God –the law and the prophets being the lawyers and Pharisees livelihood.  But he then goes on to show them how they stand, even in relation to the law (if they are unwilling to accept the “good news of the kingdom of God”) “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the law.”  And then shows them their relationship to the law in light of their immersion in money and material pursuits – that they have left their “wife” ie the covenant relationship that they were given by God – and married a divorced woman (the love of money and worldly recognition), thus being in a state of “adultery” with God. Focus of Jesus teaching: This is NOT a teaching on adultery as it is commonly used. Jesus accuses the lawyers and Pharisees, who were “wedded” to God via the Old Testament Covenant, of being adulterers with the world, and leaving their spouse (God).  (Doesn’t seem like the lawyers and Pharisees got this tremendous insult or it is likely they would have tried to stone Jesus right then…but Jesus goes on quickly to a final parable: The Rich man and the Beggar)

3) Luke 16: 19-31, the parable of the rich man and the beggar:

This passage is used by many who believe in eternal conscious suffering as giving support to that concept, but given both the context of ongoing challenges to the lawyers and Pharisees being Jesus focus, and other scriptures that support Universal Salvation, the parable can be correctly interpreted quite differently than supporting eternal suffering.

The parable describing a “rich man” and the beggar continues Jesus confrontation of the lawyers and Pharisees that they have been entrusted with God’s riches, but have squandered/wasted God’s gifts to them by spending their lives in the pursuit of money, the world’s esteem, while leaving those they could have helped with nothing. The beggar “covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table” is reminiscent of Jesus encounter with the Canaanite woman who asked that he heal her daughter from demon possession, Matthew 15: 21-27.  When Jesus replies to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”, and “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs (pets).”  The woman says, “Yes, Lord (Gr – master, owner, lord), but even the dogs (pets) eat the crumbs from that fall from their master’s table.”

Jesus equates the beggar as someone who could have benefited from the covenant gifts that God gave to the Jews (most specifically represented by the teachers of the law and Pharisees), but they had indulged themselves rather than helping those who could have been helped by God through them.

Luke 16: 22 “… the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.” My interpretation: God will care for those Himself who were not helped through the Jews (who had become embroiled with the things of the world rather than with the things of God) with whom God had covenanted or the law (which was only given to convict Adam’s race of sin (Greek: missing the mark of God’s perfection; Latin – without)

One of many traditional translations of Luke 16: 23 “In hell, where he [the rich man] was in torment…”

Greek for the word commonly translated as “Torment”  - Greek: Basanois – a type of stone thought to indicate/reveal any alloy which might be mixed with a substance; examination of a person; scrutinize to know what a substance is made of; also, pain associated with birth pangs”.  World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary for: Alloy – a metal made by melting together two or more metals or a metal and some other substance; something bad mixed with something better; to make bad by mixing with something worse; lighten, harden, or make less valuable by mixing with an inferior metal.  It can be seen that the word used in most translations has many other possible translations, and hence is quite supportive of a place where the “rich man” may have been being put through a purification process rather than what is generally assumed due to the use of the word, “Torment” in most common translations.

Translation of the word “Hades/Hell” (Greek: Haida – The invisible abode or mansion of the dead; the place of punishment (discipline/training/purification?); the lowest place or condition) (this parable is the only time the word (Haida) was used in New Testament) Only “traditional” interpretation , rather than specific translation, would lead one to believe that the state of the “rich man” was “eternal” rather than temporary and remedial (to remedy his state of something bad having been mixed/combined with something good.)

Luke 16: 24 “So he [the “rich man”] called to him, “Father (showing his descendant relationship to Abraham – yet another indication that this refers to the “rich man” as a Jew) Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water (are we also seeing a reference to John’s baptism of repentance here?) and cool my tongue, because I am suffering (Greek: in physical or mental pain; interestingly also used for pain of the birth process as in Galatians 4: 19 "My dear children, I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.") in this flame. (Also many references to the purifying, transforming nature of fire AND ‘our God is a consuming fire’”

Luke 16: 25-26 “But Abraham replied, “Son (Abraham addresses the rich man as “Son”, again likely indicating that the “rich man” is a descendant of Abraham) you remember that in your lifetime you received your good things (the law, the prophets, and the covenant) and Lazarus received bad (Greek – kukos – worthless, of poor quality) things.  And between us (the Jews and the Gentiles and the Jews blindness which is given by God until the Gentiles are brought in?) a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.

Luke 16: 27-28 He (the “rich man”) answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers (Five brothers –If you add the “rich man” as the sixth of the brothers, this would total the tribes of Israel born to Jacob’s first wife, Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulon, and Judah from whom was descended David, from whom was descended Jesus Christ).  Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment (again, likely better translated as “purification”).

Luke 16: 29-31 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’”

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’”

“He said to them, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Focus of Jesus teaching: That the Jews, particularly represented by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees had become so involved with the world, and so “wasted” the gifts of God given through their covenant relationship with God, that (Jesus additional prophetic utterance related to his death and resurrection) …”even if someone rises from the dead [they are so hardened AND BLINDED FOR GOD’S PURPOSES AND PLAN] that they will not be convinced.”

Post Script by June: I think this paper may give you significant assistance in refuting the position of those who believe in eternal suffering: that the parable of the rich man and the beggar supports their position.  I am sure there is more study into these passages, particularly the Luke 16: 19-31 portion that will provide further light.

Note: There are many interpretations of this passage by Christian Universalists other than myself (see Hope Beyond Hell by Gerry Beauchemin, pg 203).  Understanding that we ALL now “see through a mirror darkly but then face to face”, I trust that the Holy Spirit gives light to each of us according to God’s individual plan for us, so I offer my current “light” on this passage in that trust.

Rejoicing for All,
June