New Testament · Gospel

Luke 16:26

Money and Eternity

And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’ Luke 16:26 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Luke 16:26, in plain English

And there's more: Abraham says a great chasm has been set between them that no one can cross — from either side. The separation is permanent.

Why it's here

This is one of the most sobering statements in Scripture. After death, the opportunity to change is gone. The time to respond is now.

Who's speaking

Abraham delivers the hardest truth in the parable: this is permanent.

Where it sits in the story

No do-overs, no second chances, no crossing over. The chasm is fixed. What you do with your life on this side matters forever.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

Abraham reveals a 'great chasm' (chasma mega) permanently fixed (estēriktai) between the two realms, making passage impossible in either direction. This imagery establishes the finality of post-mortem judgment.

Language and setting

The fixed chasm eliminates any possibility of post-mortem migration or intercession, underscoring the urgency of responding to God's call during one's lifetime.

Voice

Abraham explains the cosmological reality of the afterlife: the separation is not just spatial but ontologically permanent.

Significance

Abraham adds a devastating detail: a great, uncrossable chasm separates them permanently. There's no bridge, no passage — the divide is fixed forever.

In context

Luke 16:24–28

24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

25But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.

26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

27‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house,

28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’

Read all of Luke 16 — A shrewd manager, a rich man in torment, and Lazarus at his gate. Jesus draws a straight line between how you handle money and where you end up.

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