Parables #13: The spectacular is not an “CDO” Controlled Designation of Origin

Passage : Luke 16. 19-31 ( Bible S21 Geneva Bible Society & The House of the Bible )

Evangelical Church Biblical Action Lausanne Renens , August 6, 2023 Preacher: Patrice Berger

Context

After having shown that the Kingdom of God is accessible to the neglected of the society of the time, and even that the latter showed more eagerness to enter it, whereas the religious thinking elite of the time was more concerned with appearing just before men than before God, to take care of their money and to interpret the law in the way that suited them (especially on divorce).

Faced with this, Jesus emphasizes that what God has given through his written Word will remain.

Luke 16

15 Jesus said to them:

“You seek to appear righteous before men,

but God knows your heart.

Fact,

what is highly esteemed among men is abominable before God.

16 The law and the prophets remained until John;

since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been announced and everyone is trying hard to enter it.

17 Heaven and earth will disappear more easily than a single stroke of the law will fall.

18 Any man who sends his wife away and marries another commits adultery, and any man who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

To illustrate the importance of the message of the written Word, Jesus will use a parable.

Comparison

The life of the Pharisees that looks good in the eyes of men, even if they manage with the written law, when God does not approve of their attitude is compared

to a man who has socially succeeded in his life but who is eternally lost. The latter would dream of a resurrection to prevent his family, but the written Word of God already given is sufficient and much more relevant.

Text

Luke 16

19 There was a rich man, who wore purple and fine linen, and who lived a joyous and brilliant life every day.

20 A poor man named Lazarus was lying in front of his gate, covered with ulcers.

21 He would have liked to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table, but even the dogs came to lick his sores.

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried.

23 In Hades, in great pain, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, with Lazarus by his side.

24 He cried out:

‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water to cool my tongue, for I am suffering sorely in this flame.’

25 Abraham answered:

‘My child, remember

that you received your goods during your life and

that Lazarus experienced evils during his;

now he is comforted here and you are suffering.

26 In addition,

there is a great chasm between us and you, so that those who would pass from here to you,

or from you to us, cannot do so.’

27 The rich man says:

‘I beg you then, father, to send Lazarus to my father, for I have five brothers.

28 It is to warn them, lest they also end up in this place of suffering.’

29Abraham answered [him],

‘They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them.’

30 The rich man says:

‘No, father Abraham,

but if someone comes from among the dead to them, they will change their attitude.’

31 Abraham then said to him:

‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded, even if someone is resurrected.’”

Truth

The spectacular is not God’s tool to convince hearts to turn to God. Indeed, He chose His Word to be written and transmitted for this. It alone is decisive, necessary and sufficient.

Purpose of the miracles of Jesus: to prove His divinity (creator, sovereign, goodness, judgment, …) and to take care of his neighbour.

All people healed or resurrected by Jesus had to position themselves for or against Him.

Example

And Jesus keeps reminding us…

Matthew 12.38

38 Then some of the scholars and Pharisees answered and said,

“Master, we would like to see a miraculous sign from you.”

39 He answered them:

“A wicked and adulterous generation is crying out for a miraculous sign; no other sign will be given to them than that of the prophet Jonah.

40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the earth.

41 At the judgment, the inhabitants of Nineveh will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because they have changed their attitude to the preaching of Jonah. Now, there’s more than Jonah here.

The written word is enough

The recorded Word of God suffices. Jesus recalls what is recorded in the Word of God written, in the Old Testament, in the book of the prophet Jonas.

He does not submit to these requests

And most certainly Jesus does not obey this request just as He did not obey Satan’s requests.

Besides, how did Jesus respond to Satan?

By the written Word of God.

The spectacular, a tool against God

Matthew 7. 21-23

21 Those who say to me:

‘Lord, Lord!’ not all will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my heavenly Father.

22 Many will say to me on that day:

‘Lord, Lord,

have we not prophesied in your name?
Haven’t we cast out demons in your name?
Haven’t we done many miracles in your name?’
23 Then I will say to them openly:

‘I never knew you.

Get away from me, you evildoers!’

Very strong

Miracles can be a bad deed, while the Word of God stands and remains perfect!

In the times preceding the return of Christ, it is said:

Matthew 24

22 And if those days were not shortened, no one would be saved;

but because of those who have been chosen, those days will be shortened.

23 If someone then says to you:

‘The Messiah is here’, or: ‘He is there’, don’t believe it,

24 for pretended messiahs and pretended prophets shall arise;

they will do great wonders and miraculous signs to the point of deceiving,

if it was possible,

even those who have been chosen.

The spectacular is not an “AOC”

The Bible is necessary and totally sufficient

Persuasion not guaranteed by the spectacular

The spectacular is not an “AOC: Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée”

Wonders are not tools of guaranteed persuasion.

Example: Pharaoh was the privileged witness of extraordinary signs which the history of humanity remembers, yet his heart was insensitive.

The resurrection wouldn’t change anything

Even a resurrection in today’s text would change absolutely nothing, would bring nothing more to what God left for humanity through his Word for

become known
and so that we can answer Him validly.
His Word, The Bible, is necessary and totally sufficient.

The only resurrection

A new resurrection would bring us nothing more

The only resurrection we need to pay attention to,

it is that of Christ.####

near-death experiences

Near-death and return-to-life experiences have very limited credit.

I heard a testimony that spoke of a patient at his cardiologist who made several massive stops repeated in consultation and who between two said:

“It’s horrible, save me!” »

And afterwards, he testified that he had seen a white light and that he was serene!

It is perhaps more likely that our brain “switches off” in these unbearable situations.

Even so, the Word is of proven reliability over the centuries and for eternity.

The Nature of the Word

Only the Word; it is certainly due to its nature completely written by men with their personalities and completely inspired by God.

Just as Jesus was 100% man and 100% God, the Word of God is 100% man and 100% God.

2 Timothy 3. 16-17

All Scripture is inspired of God and useful for teaching, for convicting , for correcting, for instructing in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be trained and equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 1

20 Know above all that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of personal interpretation, 21 for it is never by the will of man that a prophecy was brought, but it is prompted by the Holy Spirit that men spoke from God.

The Bible is guaranteed to be of divine origin; His Word, the Bible is necessary and totally sufficient for knowing God and for us to model our lives according to Him.

The temptation to add to the Word

The temptation to add to the Word

Israel

In the history of the people of Israel, there has always been the temptation to add to the Word.

Does current Judaism really rely

on the Word of God or
on the multiple comments accumulated over time?

Christianity

In the history of Christianity, there has always been the temptation to add to what God says:

tradition, dogma,
the theology and morality of the moment,
the writings of the founders of spiritual movements,
the spectacular or the enigmatic (which concerns more evangelical movements)
or the reputation of a preacher.
As if the Word of God wasn’t enough…

But what Jesus tells us today, His Word, the Bible is necessary and totally sufficient.

Challenge

It’s up to us to read it:

This is the challenge of our connected generation videos & social networks.

A reading challenge for the 15 days ahead of us.

1 whole book…