The Prophetic Truth in the Parable of Lazarus and The

Rich Man
(Luke 16:19 - 31)
Elder Kenneth Miller, D.D.

Introduction

There is a story in the Bible which many people, whether lay-men, Ministers, or Learners
make constant referrals to when teaching the morality of giving or the state of a person
when he or she dies.

Today’s topic by no means is intended to diminish the importance of anyone’s teachings.

Nor is it my intent to discuss the state of the dead. The purpose of this lesson is only to
analyze the parable spoken by Jesus in Luke 16 verses 19-31.

Read with me:

“There was a certain rich man

Who was clothed in purple and fine
Linen and fared sumptuously every
Day.

But there was a certain beggar

Named Lazarus, full of sores,
Who was laid at his gate,

Desiring to be fed with the

Crumbs which fell from the rich
Man’s table. Moreover the dogs
Came and licked his sores.

So it was that the beggar died,

And was carried by the angels to
Abraham’s bosom. The rich man
Also died and was buried.

And being in torments in Hades,

He lifted up his eyes and saw
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his
Bosom.

Then he cried and said, ‘Father

Abraham, have mercy on me, and
Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip
Of his finger in water and cool my
 Tongue; for I am tormented in this
Flame.’

But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember

That in your lifetime
you received your good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things; but now he
Is comforted and you are tormented.

And besides all this, between us

And you there is a great gulf fixed, so
That those who would want to pass from
Here to you cannot, nor can those
From there pass to us.’

Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore,

Father, that you would send
Him to my father’s house,

For I have five brothers, that he

may testify to them, lest they also
come to this place of torment.’

Abraham said to him, ‘They

Have Moses and the prophets; let
Them hear them.’

And he said, ‘No, father Abraham;

but if one goes to them from
the dead, they will repent.’

But he said to him, ‘If they do

Not hear Moses and the prophets,
Neither will they be persuaded
Though one rise from the dead.’”

Here we can see an example of two men’s lives with a twist in fates after death. And the
appearance of a two-way conversation between Abraham and someone who is being
tormented in the everlasting lake of fire, specifically, the rich man.

A problem arising from this is the thinking that it is a true story. Something to consider
when reading the Gospels and the acts of Jesus while on this earth, “Who was the
audience standing before Jesus while He was speaking?” The answer: Common,
ordinary, everyday people in some instances, or His disciples alone. Depending on who
His audience was determined the context. Parable or Plain Speech.
Read with me now from the Book of Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 34:

“All these things Jesus spoke to

The multitude in Parables; and
Without a parable He did not
Speak to them.”

Webster defines a parable as, “A simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson.”

If we use this definition, and combine it with our studies of scripture, it would stand to
reason, that we are to obtain a moral or religious understanding from “The Parable of the
Rich Man and Lazarus.” So, together, let’s read it, analyze it, and learn from it.

Body

Our story begins by contrasting the two main characters, a rich man and a poor man. The
rich man is not given a name, but the poor man Jesus calls Lazarus.

The rich man is described as being clothed in purple and fine linen. This is to illustrate
not only great wealth, but also a great deal of importance, since purple and fine linen
often represents royalty.

Deuteronomy 7:6 describes the mind-set of the Jews in the days of Jesus.

“For you are a holy people to the

Lord your God; the Lord your God
Has chosen you to be a people for
Himself, a special treasure above all
the peoples on the face of the earth.”

Here we have a people who are known, especially among themselves, as God’s chosen
people. To use a word more effectively, they were God’s “royalty” here on earth. And
because they were His chosen people, they were expected to keep His commandments
and all of the moral laws. For this obedience, God would bless them among all of the
other nations. And through them, He would send the Messiah to redeem the world from
sin. Of course, we can see from Jewish history their many ups and downs on the
historical timeline. While they were obedient, they “fared sumptuously.” When they
became disobedient, they came under the rule of other nations.
So, the mindset of the Jews of Jesus’ day, even while under the rule of Rome, they knew
that in the end God would send His Messiah to conquer the Romans and set them free.
This in turn would surely put them above every nation. The amazing fact of this period is
that the Jewish nation knew it was time for the coming of their Messiah; through the
studies of prophesy by the Chief Priests and the Scribes; see Matthew 2:1-5. This
explains why they believed His coming was to overcome the Roman Empire for them.
You can imagine their disappointment to find that Jesus, the Messiah, had come to
prepare the way for the heavenly kingdom, not a continued existence on a sin-infested
earthly kingdom.

So, in this parable, we can distinguish the Rich Man represented Israel, or the Jews. So,
who is represented by Lazarus?

All that we know of Lazarus is that he is a beggar who is full of sores. In traditional
Jewish thinking, a person with leprosy, or a body full of sores, represented someone who
was “unclean” (See also Leviticus 13). Compare this also to their animal sacrifices.
These creatures had to be free from any blemish to be an acceptable sacrifice to God.

To add an additional insult to the minds of His listeners, Lazarus is represented as a

person who is so low on the Hebrew social ladder that Jesus stated, “…the dogs came and
licked his sores.” This could also represent a solitary source of available social comfort
or acceptance for Lazarus. So the question to be answered here is, “Who is represented
by Lazarus?”

To find out, we have to go to another area of the New Testament (Acts 10:9-17, 28).

We read about Simon Peter who had a vision. In the vision he saw a great sheet bound on
four corners descending to him down to the earth. On this sheet were all sorts of “four
footed animals of the earth, creeping things, and birds of the air.” And a voice
commanded him to “kill and eat.” Peter’s response was, “Not so Lord! For I have never
eaten anything common or unclean.” The voice answered, “What God has cleansed you
must not call common.”
The misconception here is that many Bible scholars and ministers teach that God has
cleansed all animals to be used as food. This leads people to a diet contrary to that taught
in the Book of Deuteronomy. So what is the interpretation of the vision? We find that in
verse 28. Read with me:

Then he (Simon Peter) said to them, “You

Know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man
To keep company with or to go to one of
Another nation. But God has shown me
That I should not call any man
Common or Unclean.”

Jewish law, in the days of Jesus, referred to any person who was not a Jew to be
“Unclean.” So, to answer the question, “Who is represented by Lazarus?” We have the
answer, “The Gentiles.” It was also this state of being “Unclean” by Jewish Law that
would not allow Gentiles to enter into any Synagogue or Jewish place of worship.

This leads us to the next segment of the parable.

“…who was laid at his gate, desiring

to be fed with the crumbs which fell
from the rich man’s table.”

Let’s read now from Acts 13:42.

“So when the Jews went out of

the synagogue, the Gentiles begged
that these words might be preached
to them the next Sabbath.”

Here we read that the Gentiles were waiting outside of the Synagogue and when Paul and
Barnabas came out, begged them to preach to them the next Sabbath. In verse 44, we
read that the next Sabbath came, and what happened? The whole city practically turned
out to hear the Word of God. Evidently, this presented a problem. Could it be because
Jewish Synagogues of that day were having a problem with attendance as we do today,
because as we read in verse 45, the Jews were “filled with envy.” The gathering to hear
the preaching of God’s Word to the Gentiles must have been immense. I don’t know
what the population of Jerusalem was in the first century, estimated to be anywhere
between 500,000 to 1.1 million Jews. There is really no real way to determine the
population of Gentiles living there at the time. If it is comparable to the City of Dallas,
Texas, we can guess that the turn out could have been easily several thousand Gentiles.

Imagine the envy that filled the hearts of those Jewish Leaders to have that many non-
Jewish people show up at a Sabbath gathering, compared to the numbers of their own
congregations not being present at their Sabbath services. So filled with anger; these
Jewish Leaders lifted their voices up against Paul and Barnabas attempting to bring
contradiction in their words, and blaspheming them. The response of Paul and Barnabas
was,

“It was necessary that the word of

God should first have been spoken
to you (the Jews): but seeing ye put
it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we
turn to the Gentiles.” (verse 46).

These words were an indication of the fulfillment of the command given by Jesus, from
Matthew 10:5,6.

“These twelve disciples Jesus sent forth

And commanded them, saying: Go not
Into the way of the Gentiles, and into any
City of the Samaritans enter ye not:

But go rather to the lost sheep of the

House of Israel.”

Some have interpreted this as a command from Jesus, that the twelve disciples were to go
and preach to the Jews only, and never to the Gentiles. This is not so. The command was
to go preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the Jews first, because the seventy-
week prophecy of Daniel, chapter 9 had not come to its end. The Jews still a little time to
fulfill their side of the covenant made between God and Abraham. After all, the Jews
were still the chosen people of God, right? If the command were true as stated, then
Simon Peter, who was one of the original disciples, would not have gone to the home of
Cornelius, a Centurion of Rome.

When that Seventy-Week prophecy ended with the stoning of Stephen, the covenant
between God and the Jews was ended through their own rejection. God then
commissioned Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, to take the Word of God to
the Gentiles.

With this knowledge, we can now continue with our study of the Parable of the Rich man
and Lazarus.

Let’s continue with verse 22.

“And it came to pass, that the

Beggar died, and was carried by
The angels into Abraham’s
Bosom: the rich man also died
And was buried.”

Notice here the paradox. It was Lazarus, representing the Gentiles, being carried up to
the bosom of Abraham, not the Rich Man, representing the Jews. You can imagine the
quandary filling the minds of Jesus’ listeners. To hear of a person so low on the social
ladder being carried up by angels, while the one who fared so well would simply be
buried, end of sentence.

The next few verses are critical, and are the basis for false teaching in regards to the state
of the dead. Remember, I stated earlier that the intent of this study was not to discuss the
state of the dead; however, I will touch on it briefly to enhance the point of this study.

Verse 23.

“And in hell he lifted up his eyes,

Being in torments, and seeing Abraham
Afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

Here, the word “hell,” comes from the Greek word “hades.” This is not the burning fires
everyone connects in their minds when they think of the place called Hell. This is the
place in Greek Mythology where the dead went. And “being in torments,” not from any
flames licking at his flesh, but the same torments many people will feel when they find
themselves left out of the Kingdom of God and Paradise, as prophesied in the Book of
Matthew: (Matthew 7:21-23)

“Not everyone that saith unto me,

Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven; but he that
 Doeth the will of my Father which
Is in Heaven.

Many will say to me in that day,

Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
In thy name? and in thy name have cast
Out devils? And in thy name done
Many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them,

I never knew you: depart from me,
Ye that work iniquity.”

This is the torments referred to in the parable, the reality of waking up from death to find
out that you have been left out of the “promised” land. That everything you believed,
based on your heritage, and false teachings, have put you contrary to the will of God the
Father. While we are alive, our probation is on going. Changes can be made to prepare
us for death and the coming judgment. After we have exhaled our final breath, that’s the
end of it. Probation has ended and we are left with our judgment – Will we awaken to
Paradise? Or Destruction by the fire sent down by God in Heaven? While we are
breathing, we have that chance for salvation by the Grace of God through His Son, Jesus.

I would like, now, to skip down to verses 27 - 28.

“Then he said, I pray thee therefore,

Father, that you wouldest send him
(Lazarus) to my father’s house:

For I have five brethren; that he may

Testify unto them, lest they also come
To this place of torment.”

Something amazing to me here is the reference to five brothers. Considering we have

five races on our big blue planet. And the number five is also the reference number for
“man.”

You’ve heard the children’s bible song:

“Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in his sight.
Jesus loves the little children of
 The world.”

Notice, the song only mentions four colors. However, we must not forget the color
Brown, right?

Was Jesus was telling his listeners that there were five races on the planet, not just the
two or three they were accustomed to seeing in their lifetimes?
Here is the comeback from Abraham: (verse 29)

“…they have Moses and the prophets:

Let them hear them.”

Jesus is saying here, “Everything they need for their salvation, and means to avoid your
predicament, is already being preached in the Synagogues every Sabbath and holy days
of worship. All they need to do is attend, pay attention…and learn.”

Verses 30 and 31.

“And he (the rich man) said, Nay, father

Abraham: but if one went unto them
From the dead, they will repent.

And he (Abraham) said unto him (the rich man),

If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither
Will they be persuaded though one rose from
The dead.”

Let me pose this question to you now. Do you think that a person who had died (and
everybody around knew that this person had died), and after being miraculously
resurrected, could persuade the people to repent?

As it is recorded in John, Chapter 11, someone did die and was buried for four days. Isn’t
it coincidental that Jesus did resurrect that someone who had died? And his name was
Lazarus? (John 11:43, 44) A point to make here is that the Lazarus of Luke, Chapter 16,
is not the same Lazarus from John, chapters 11 and 12. The Bible uses the two Lazarus’
to illustrate two separate points. The Parable Lazarus is to teach an object lesson, to be
discussed in the conclusion. The Lazarus of John, chapter 11, was to make a direct
statement to the world, that He is the Son of God, with power over death and the grave.

“I am the resurrection, and the life:

He that believeth in me, though they
were dead, yet shall he live again.” (John 10:25)
The resurrection of Lazarus from the grave did not result in any instantaneous repentance
from anyone. Lazarus didn’t recall ever going to heaven or hell. He had no stories to tell
of his trip into the grave experience. After all, didn’t Jesus make the simple statement
“Our friend Lazarus sleepeth….” (John 11:11). Besides, if I was Lazarus and had made a
journey to heaven, just to be called back to a continued life of hardship and pain on earth,
I’d have some very unpleasant words to say to Jesus. “Jesus, why did you bring me
back? I was happy! I was finally in paradise! My arthritis and bunions had finally
stopped bothering me! I was eating from the tree of life! How could you do such a thing
to someone you said you loved?” However, something did happen with that resurrection
of Lazarus. The numbers of Jesus’ followers increased exponentially. So much so, that
the chief priests within a week to ten days before the crucifixion, began conspiring to not
only kill Jesus, but to also kill Lazarus (John 12:9-11). Was this a prophetic statement
from Jesus? When He said:
“…neither will they be persuaded
though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:31, last half)

Conclusion:

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus carries with it some paralleling object lessons.

We can obtain from it a lesson on the treatment of the poor, since even during the days of
Jesus, there was an over-abundance of poor people, overlooked by the well-to-do. People
who believed they were rich in God’s blessings because they had lived their lives
following His law so precisely that God had blessed them exceedingly. They did, by all
intents and purposes follow the law, especially in their tithes and offerings, but had
forgotten their other responsibilities (or obligations) in the laws of discipleship and
stewardship. Jesus’ own statement, “…It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24; Mark
10:25) proves this true because of the greed that generally fills the heart of any person
having wealth. Where is their loyalty? Are their tithes and offerings based on scriptural
obligation or love? Do they give their tithes and offerings willingly or begrudgingly?
God knows their hearts and will judge them accordingly.
Another lesson obtained is that which was discussed here. The Jews had lived so well
with their knowledge of the promise made by God to Abraham. They were God’s chosen
people, unique in the whole world. So much so, that God would use them as an example
to the rest of the world as an example of His goodness and love. All the Jews had to do
was “keep His commandments” and share the good news of the promise of salvation and
eternal life to the non-Jews. Sharing His love and salvation was a significant part of the
covenant not kept by the Jews.

It was to Daniel that the revelation of the seventy-week prophecy was explained.
Through Daniel, the Jews were informed that unless they kept their side of the covenant,
God would end the covenant and promote another people to take the word of God to the
rest of the world. Even in our own time, today, there is no evangelical work being
performed by the Jews. However, if you drive a car into the Orthodox neighborhoods of
Jerusalem, the people there will hurl rocks at you. Their perceptions of the Mosaic laws
are still very legalistic, as they were in Jesus’ day.

In our study, Jesus was giving the Jews warning that they were leaving out a significant
piece of the covenant. He was telling them that their self-centered belief system, as
God’s chosen people, was leading them to destruction. At the end of time, they will wake
up from the grave and find that they are shut out of the Kingdom of God.

The object lesson as it pertains to us today is to hold vigilant to our faith and share it
wherever we can. God always offers opportunities for sharing. If you are sincere in your
service to God, He will put people in your path, and the Holy Spirit will put the words in
your mouth.

(A dear friend of mine in California wrote to me. He told me of a fascinating outreach

program being conducted very successfully there among the modern day Jews and Muslims.
The end of time is at hand and God is opening the doors. All we have to do is go through
them.)