One Sunday school teacher told his class about the story of the rich man and Lazarus. He highlighted the good end of Lazarus and the bad end of the rich man.
He pointed out how one man went to hell and the other man went to heaven. He also pointed out how rich one man was and how poor the other man was. After the teacher taught his lesson he said to the class, “Now which would you rather be, the rich man or Lazarus?”
One boy raised his hand and said, “Well, I’d like to be the rich man while I’m alive, and Lazarus when I’m dead.”
Well, that’s what we all wish, but you have to decide which kingdom you are going to be a part of on this earth. You’ve got to decide what you are going to surrender your life to on this earth. You’ve got to decide before you leave this earth where you are going to spend eternity after you leave this earth. Whatever decision you make, when you die you will live with for all eternity.
Thanks to James Merritt
Does the boy’s response, “Well, I’d like to the rich man while I’m alive, and Lazarus when I’m dead,” ever cross YOUR thoughts?
GOD LOVES WITH A GREAT LOVE THE PERSON WHOSE HEART IS BURSTING WITH A PASSION FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE!
My Commentary:
The Sunday School teacher’s lesson about the rich man and Lazarus is one of the most sobering parables in Scripture (Luke 16:19–31). It reminds us that earthly circumstances—whether wealth or poverty—are temporary, but the state of our soul before God has eternal consequences.
The teacher highlighted the contrast between the men: one clothed in fine linen and living in luxury, the other destitute and covered with sores. Yet when death came, the roles were reversed. Lazarus was carried to comfort, while the rich man found himself in torment.
The little boy’s answer—wanting to be the rich man in life and Lazarus after death—captures a tension most of us feel. We desire comfort, success, and plenty now, while also longing for heaven later. But life does not allow us to “have it both ways.” The choices we make in this life—about whom we serve, what we treasure, and where we place our trust—shape our eternal destiny. Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, but to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21).
The heart of the lesson is not that wealth itself condemns, or poverty itself saves. Rather, it is about the orientation of the soul: Do we cling to possessions, status, and self, or do we cling to God? The rich man ignored the suffering at his doorstep. Lazarus, despite his earthly poverty, was rich in faith. Eternity revealed what was hidden on earth.
The boy’s answer is honest, but it invites us to reflect on a deeper truth: we cannot live as if this world is ultimate and still expect to inherit the Kingdom of God. At some point, we must decide whose kingdom we will live in. Will it be the fleeting kingdom of self-indulgence, or the everlasting Kingdom of God?
Once death comes, the time for deciding is over. As the story says, “Whatever decision you make, when you die you will live with for all eternity.”
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