The Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees, who loved money and sneered at His teaching about serving God rather than money. He described a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. Purple clothing was extremely expensive, made from rare dye, and was a status symbol of wealth and power. Fine linen was soft, comfortable, imported fabric. This man's daily life was characterized by extravagant consumption and self-indulgence. He had everything this world could offer.

At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores. While the rich man feasted daily, Lazarus longed to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores, adding to his misery and ceremonial uncleanness. The contrast was stark: inside the gate was luxury and excess, outside was poverty and suffering. The two lived in completely different worlds, yet they were separated by only a gate. The rich man passed Lazarus daily but apparently never noticed his need or offered help.

The beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. In Jewish thought, being at Abraham's side (literally 'Abraham's bosom') was the highest honor, representing fellowship with the father of faith in paradise. Lazarus, who had nothing in this life—not even a name meaning 'God is my help' to most people—was honored in death. The rich man also died and was buried. No mention is made of angels or honor, just the bare fact of his death and burial. His expensive clothes, luxurious house, and lavish feasts did him no good now.

In Hades, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. He was fully conscious and aware in his torment—death had not brought oblivion or soul sleep. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' Even in torment, he maintained his sense of entitlement, ordering Lazarus around like a servant. He who had ignored Lazarus's greater need now expected Lazarus to alleviate his lesser discomfort.

Abraham's response was gentle but firm: 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.' The rich man had received all his rewards in his earthly life; Lazarus was now receiving his. Abraham explained that a great chasm had been fixed between them, so that those who want to go from Abraham's side to the torment cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there. The separation was permanent and unbridgeable. Death fixes our eternal state; there is no second chance, no crossing over, no purgatory where we can work off our sins.

Realizing his situation was hopeless, the rich man thought of his five brothers who were still alive and presumably living as he had lived. 'I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' Even in hell, the rich man showed some compassion for his family, not wanting them to share his fate. He thought surely if someone rose from the dead and warned them, they would repent and change their ways.

Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' God's written Word—the Scriptures—provide sufficient warning and instruction for salvation. If people won't believe what God has already revealed, they won't believe additional revelation. The rich man protested, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He assumed the problem was lack of dramatic evidence, not lack of willingness to believe.

Abraham's final words were sobering: 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' This proved prophetic—when Jesus Himself rose from the dead, many still refused to believe. The problem isn't lack of evidence but hard hearts. People who ignore Scripture won't be persuaded by miracles. This parable teaches several crucial truths: earthly wealth and poverty are temporary; eternal destinies are fixed at death; the afterlife involves conscious existence in either blessing or torment; Scripture provides sufficient revelation for salvation; and how we respond to human need reveals our spiritual state.

The rich man's sin wasn't that he was wealthy, but that he lived for himself, ignored the poor at his gate, and never sought God. Lazarus's virtue wasn't his poverty but his faith (he was at Abraham's side). The parable warns against living for this life alone and challenges us to respond to human need and to God's Word while we still have opportunity.