by Doreen Kajulu | 1 July 2025 08:46 pm07
Luke 16:19–31 (ESV)
“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.’”
— Luke 16:24, ESV
Jesus tells this story not as a parable in the traditional sense (since He names specific people like Lazarus and Abraham), but as a theological window into the afterlife. It’s a powerful picture of two eternal destinies one of comfort and the other of torment.
The rich man lived in luxury, ignoring the suffering of Lazarus, who sat at his gate. But after death, their positions were reversed. Lazarus was comforted in “Abraham’s side” (a Jewish term for paradise), and the rich man was tormented in Hades.
At first glance, the rich man seems to ask for just a drop of physical water to cool his tongue. But this request reveals something deeper: he is expressing a spiritual thirst, an eternal regret, and a desperate longing for relief and grace that he rejected during his life.
This isn’t just physical thirst it’s symbolic of the absence of God’s presence.
Throughout the Bible, water is a strong symbol for life, refreshment, and the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her:
“…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
— John 4:14, ESV
This “living water” is the Holy Spirit, given to those who believe in Christ. It satisfies the deepest thirst of the soul something no riches, relationships, or earthly pleasures can do.
Before Christ, all humanity was spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). Even the Old Testament saints like Moses and Elijah were saved by faith in the coming Messiah, as shown in:
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar…”
— Hebrews 11:13, ESV
Their hope was in the future fulfillment found in Christ’s death and resurrection.
But for those who reject Christ now like the rich man did there is no second chance after death. He longed for even a drop of grace, but it was too late.
Abraham responds to the rich man:
“…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.”
— Luke 16:26, ESV
This signifies the finality of eternal separation from God. In this life, grace is available freely through Jesus. But after death, that offer is closed.
Jesus often spoke about hell (Greek: Gehenna) as a place of eternal separation from God, marked by conscious suffering:
“…where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
— Mark 9:48, ESV
This aligns with what the rich man experiences. He is aware, he remembers his life, and he feels pain both emotional and spiritual.
Even now, a heart without Christ is described as “dry” or empty a dwelling place for evil:
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest…”
— Matthew 12:43, ESV
Without the Holy Spirit (the water of life), people become spiritually barren open to confusion, sin, and darkness.
We’re living in the last days, and Jesus is still offering living water to all who will come to Him:
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me… ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
— John 7:37–38, ESV
Jesus doesn’t just give a cup of water He gives an eternal spring.
Like the rich man, many realize the truth after death when no remedy remains. Today, grace is available. Don’t wait for a crisis or tragedy.
“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
— 2 Corinthians 6:2, ESV
The rich man didn’t go to hell because he was rich but because he lived without God. He ignored the chance to receive living water while alive.
Right now, Jesus is offering you eternal life, peace, and satisfaction for your soul.
Be blessed
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2025/07/01/send-lazarus-to-dip-the-tip-of-his-finger-in-water-and-cool-my-tongue-what-did-the-rich-man-really-mean/
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