He wasn’t wicked to Lazarus he was indifferent. If there is any sin here, it’s the fact that the rich man ignored Lazarus. Abraham merely points out that the rich man lived in comfort while Lazarus was tormented and now the roles are reversed. The rich man’s sin: There’s never any indication of any abuse or mistreatment aimed at Lazarus.It’s essential that we draw our attention to a couple of elements of this story: It makes sense that Jesus would invoke this imagery for His listeners. First-century Hebrews thought of him in the same way we talk about Peter being heaven’s sentry. Some others say “the bosom of Abraham.” As the patriarch of Israel, the Jews saw Abraham as the gatekeeper to the afterlife. The New International Version (NIV) tells us that the beggar was carried to Abraham’s side. If it were, we’d have to assume that those in heaven can watch and interact with sufferers in Hades-which doesn’t make it sound much like paradise. The point of this story isn’t necessarily to describe particulars about the afterlife. But we have to be very careful-it’s incredibly easy to get lost in the details. Now we’re introduced to the conflict in this story. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment” (Luke 16:22-28). He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” So he called to him, “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.”īut Abraham replied, “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. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The setting of the Lazarus and rich man parable When all is said and done, this rich man is nameless, and it’s Lazarus whose name is remembered. Jesus wants to give us a solid understanding of the great reversal. But in the afterlife, the first has become last. To the rich man, Lazarus is just another face in the crowd, an invisible poor person that disappears into the background of his comfortable, lavish life. It has only been God who has supported and cared for him. First of all, He calls the man Lazarus-the Greek version of the Hebrew name Eleazar-a name which means “God supports” or “God helps.” Throughout this beggar’s life, he has received no care or support from anyone else.

It’s likely that Jesus named the beggar to make a specific point. Because of this, there’s a tendency to attach greater significance and meaning to this parable than to others.

Interpreters have often gotten caught up in the fact that this is the only parable where Jesus names any of the central characters.

Jesus begins by introducing us to two characters: an extremely wealthy man and a beggar named Lazarus. Even the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 16:19-21). At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. It’s this tense exchange that sets the stage for Jesus’ story about Lazarus and the rich man. When He gets to the last parable which touches on how we use our money and resources, Luke tells us that the “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus” (Luke 16:14). The parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-13).The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10).The parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7).Jesus responds by launching into a number of parables: They instantly start criticizing Him over the fact that He is known to spend time with sinners. Luke 15 begins with some Pharisees and lawyers mingling into the crowd where Jesus has been teaching. The context for the Rich man and Lazarus Parable Let’s take a look at this challenging parable. As Jesus frequently does, He uses the parable of Lazarus and the rich man to communicate valuable truths about judgment and remorse. It’s a parable about a rich man’s life of luxury and the poor beggar at his gate. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is an excellent example of a teaching that has generated a lot of discussions, head-scratching, and interpretations.

The story of lazarus bible