They Won't Be Persuaded Even If Someone Rises

Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. The rich man dies and goes to hell. And from hell, the rich man begs Abraham to send someone back from the dead to warn his family. Abraham says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:31)."

Scripture Focus: Luke 16:19-31; John 11:45-57

In Luke 16, the rich man in hell cries out: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers, in order that he may warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment."

Abraham responds: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them."

But the rich man pleads: "No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent."

And Abraham delivers the devastating verdict: "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:31)."

Now, think with me - you would imagine that if someone went to an unbelieving Jew from the dead and gave testimony to the work and identity of Christ, that would be significant, that would be compelling testimony, right?

Well, in John 11, someone did rise from the dead and functioned as a witness to the identity and credibility of the claims of Jesus Christ.

And instead of bowing on their faces, they hardened their hearts.

John 11:45: "Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what He had done believed in Him." But verse 46: "But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done."

You would have thought when Lazarus walks out of the tomb, every head would have bowed and declared, "We're not worthy." After all, when the disciples can't catch a fish and Jesus says, "Throw the net on the other side," and they catch a full swarm, Peter says, "Get away from me, Lord; I'm an unworthy sinner (Luke 5:8f." And that's a story about fish.

But in this story, Jesus just raised a dead man. And you have people going, "We need to kill Him."

It's scary. You can have a heart so hardened that you watch God raise the dead and you go, "I'm not having it."

Verse 47-48: "Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and were saying, 'What are we doing? This man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.'"

Sin makes you stupid. Their hearts were so hard. They loved their sin. They were blinded by sin. They were deceived by sin. And they wanted nothing to do with the Savior.

Verse 53: "So from that day on they planned together to kill Him."

Are you waiting for a miracle to convince you that God is true? Well, out of the mouth of Jesus: If you don't believe His Word, you're not going to believe even if a dead man rose from the grave.

However, He did give life to the dead. He's furnished all the proof He will ever need to furnish. He raised Lazarus and He raised Himself from the grave. He gave new life to Lazarus. And here's the good news: He can give new life to you. All you have to do is believe.

But tragically, unbelief always finds what it seeks.

Stay dialed in