Lazarus and the Rich Man Jacopo Bassano
(Italian, c. 1510–1592)

In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells us a story about two men. One is rich, the other is poor. If this is a parable (some say it is, some say it’s not), then this is the only parable where Jesus uses a person’s name (Lazarus). Regardless as to whether it is a parable or a true story, this text tells us what Jesus believed about life and death.

Physical death is not the end of life, but the entrance into another life. Your next life can be a great life, or a miserable life. The decisions you make in this life will effect what happens in your next chapter!

Let’s read the parable:

(Luke 16:19-23 KJV) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: [20] And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, [21] And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. [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; [23] And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Everyone Must Die, But Not All Go To Heaven

Who goes to Heaven? Not everybody. We see that clearly in this parable. There are two characters, the rich man and Lazarus. Both die. When Lazarus dies we read, “he was carried by the angels into ABRAHAM’S BOSOM”. Abraham is the father of faith, the one that God made His Covenant with. God asked Abraham to follow Him, and promised:

(Genesis 12:2-3 KJV) And I will MAKE OF THEE A GREAT NATION, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: [3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.

Abraham is the first person that the Bible says

(Genesis 15:6 KJV) And ABRAHAM BELIEVED IN THE LORD; and THE LORD COUNTED IT TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

God imputed or credited righteousness to Abraham because he believed the Lord, and walked with the Lord in faith. Every person who is saved is saved after the pattern of Abraham. God makes a promise. We believe the promise. We walk daily with God according to that promise.

When a believer in Christ dies, that believer goes to the same place father Abraham is. Abraham believed God (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23) and God credited him with righteousness. When Abraham left this life, he did not sleep in the grave. Because Abraham believed God, Abraham went to where God is. When a believer dies in this life, our bodies sleep on this earth awaiting the resurrection, but our souls are transported to where God is. Let’s look at some texts:

(2 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV) So we are always of good courage. We know that WHILE WE ARE AT HOME IN THE BODY we are AWAY FROM THE LORD, [7] for we walk by faith, not by sight. [8] Yes, we are of good courage, and we would RATHER BE AWAY FROM THE BODY AND AT HOME WITH THE LORD.

Now it is certain that Jesus said “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus is the “good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14), and He stays with us through this life if we are His. But while you are in this body, you are not in the direct presence of God. Every Christian should feel as Paul did, saying “I would RATHER BE AWAY FROM THE BODY AND AT HOME WITH THE LORD”. Home is where the Lord is. Christian, Heaven is your home. While we who are saved are on this earth, we should, as all God’s children want, produce fruit for the Master. We are to do good, not evil. The Apostle wrote:

(Philippians 1:22-25 ESV) If I am to LIVE IN THE FLESH, that means FRUITFUL LABOR FOR ME. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. [23] I am hard pressed between the two. MY DESIRE IS TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST, for that is far better. [24] But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, FOR YOUR PROGRESS AND JOY IN THE FAITH

While on this earth the Christian should want to follow Jesus, to produce “FRUITFUL LABOR” for the glory of God. Paul wanted to do that. But he also said that he “DESIRED TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST”. To leave this body, and be where father Abraham is. Oh what a joy that will be when we get to Heaven!

When we all get to Heaven,
what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory

At the Second Coming of Christ, those who have gone on to be with Jesus will return with Him to receive their glorified bodies.

(1 Thessalonians 4:14 ESV) For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, GOD WILL BRING WITH HIM THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP.

When a Christian leaves this life, the Bible calls this “FALLING ASLEEP”. The body sleeps in the dust of the earth (see Daniel 12:2),, but the soul goes to where Abraham’s children gather, where Jesus is. “Do you not know that THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH LIKE ABRAHAM, THE SAME ARE THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM?” (Galatians 3:7). When that good Christian Stephen was stoned to death, the Bible says “He FELL ASLEEP” (Acts 7:60). In Acts 13:36 we see that King David “FELL ASLEEP and was laid with his fathers and SAW CORRUPTION” (Acts 13:36). The body “sleeps” and decays, returning to the dust that God made it from. But the soul that loves Jesus goes to be with Jesus, with Abraham, with those who love the Lord.

Illustrate: I was at my bank the other day when I got in a conversation with a teller there about Jesus. This dear woman said she was driving with her young daughter in the back seat about a year ago. The little girl was singing, then she said “Mama, I’m not afraid to die.” Startled, she asked her daughter what she meant. The little girl said “I’m not afraid to die, because I’m going to Heaven. Mama, are YOU going to Heaven?” The woman said she examined her life, and realized that no, she wasn’t going to Heaven. She had gotten far away from Jesus, away from His Church. She told me that last year not long after that she was baptized – along with her daughter – and is following the Lord Jesus. She’s going to Heaven. Heaven is the home of those who love Jesus. Jesus said,

John 12:26 … where I AM, THERE shall also My servant be …

Those who are saved are servants of Christ. You may be in a low spot. You may be going through a trial. But if you are saved by faith in Christ, Jesus is with you, and …

Jesus Knows Your Name If You Are His

Luke 16:19-21 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and FARED SUMPTUOUSLY every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And DESIRING TO BE FED with the CRUMBS which FELL FROM THE RICH MAN’S TABLE: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Does Jesus know your name? The first man mentioned in this story is the rich man. Look at his outfit. He was “clothed in PURPLE and FINE LINEN”. Linen is very durable, stronger than cotton. It stays cool in hot weather, and as it’s fibers are hollow, it helps moisture evaporate quickly. The linen was PURPLE, which was harvested from a tiny snail from the city of Tyre. It’s a very rare color, and very costly. This rich man “FARED SUMPTUOUSLY” every day. He had the best of everything. He had the best home. He had a full belly. He had the finest clothing money could buy. But …

The man didn’t have Jesus. God didn’t know his name. The rich man didn’t know Lazarus’ name. To him, Lazarus was a human dog. He was nothing.

When I hear these people on television and social media gleefully wishing that our President die, I know these people are lost. When I hear women who get on Facebook or TikTok who joyfully report their abortions, or brag about the number of men they have slept with, I know these people are lost. Lost people care nothing for others. Lazarus is a man that God created. Every person has value because of that. No person is garbage. All people are sinners who will one day die. After death, we will be judged by God. That judgment is instantaneous. The Bible says:

Hebrews 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto men once TO DIE, but AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT: 28 So CHRIST WAS ONCE OFFERED TO BEAR THE SINS OF MAN

Jesus came to make payment for our sins. God blesses us with life. This rich man had the very best life. What did he do? He worshiped himself. He mistreated Lazarus. The rich man sold his soul, and lost it, to demonic gods. There are people on Facebook and YouTube and TikTok and Instagram selling their souls so they can be known as a “social influencer”. They are exchanging a glorious eternity with God for something diabolical (Matthew 16:26).

But what of Lazarus? It looks like God doesn’t know who he is. God knows who he is. Jesus knows his name. Look at Lazarus’ life. He was laid at the rich man’s gate, “FULL OF SORES”. When I was on mission in Southern Belize, I found out the greatest need of the poor people was not necessarily food, but SOAP. Lack of soap and access to clean water causes so many diseases. Lazarus ate the CRUMBS from the rich man’s table. And the only medical plan Lazarus had was dogs licking his sores.

The rich man had ample opportunity to help poor Lazarus. The Bible says:

Proverbs 19:17 He that hath PITY UPON THE POOR LENDETH UNTO THE LORD; and that which he hath given will THE LORD pay him again.

Those who are Christ’s children should love. We are called to LOVE GOD with all our hearts, and to LOVE OTHERS as we would be loved. To see someone suffering like Lazarus, and yet do nothing to alleviate it, is horrible!

The way you treat people is an outward show of your inward spiritual condition. In Matthew 25:35-46 in the Parable of the Final Judgment, those who are cast into hell are those who did as the rich man. Those who loved others and treated them accordingly were called “blessed by My Father”, and inheritors of the Kingdom of God. But those who hardened their hearts were told to “GO AWAY INTO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT”.

If God knows your name, when you die in this life you go to be with Abraham and the other children of faith.

Luke 16:22-23 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; 23 And IN HELL HE LIFTED UP HIS EYES, being in TORMENTS, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Both men died. The rich man had everything. When he died, he went unaccompanied to hell. He had no one around him, not even the so called “Grim Reaper”. He just died. But Lazarus, oh, how things changed for Lazarus. Lazarus was not welcomed at the table of the rich man. But Lazarus dies, and is carried by angels into Abraham’s bosom. Lazarus is embraced by God. He is cradled. He is comforted. The Bible says:

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD IS THE MAKER OF THEM ALL

God makes everybody. He made the rich man. He made Lazarus. God makes everybody to walk with Him. Those who walk with God are ultimately rich. Those who admit their brokenness, and give their lives to Jesus, are genuinely rich. We may go through bad moments. We may be in a Lazarus state. Ask yourself, “Why would the God Who loves us so, let us be in a Lazarus state?” The Bible says:

(Romans 8:28 ESV) And we know that for THOSE WHO LOVE GOD ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD, for those who are CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

If that is true (and I believe it is), why let Lazarus suffer on earth like he did? Because Lazarus laid at the rich man’s gate. Lazarus was a witness to this man. Lazarus was an opportunity for this man to repent, to turn his faith from money and power, to loving God by loving others. God uses us as His children to try and reach others.

The rich man never repented. He never sought God.
God was his money, and pleasure his mistress.

And “IN HELL, HE LIFTED UP HIS EYES, BEING IN TORMENTS”.

Keep Rejecting Jesus, And See What Happens

Oh my friend, there is a hell. Jesus believed in Hell. Our Jesus is no liar, no deceiver. What did Jesus say about Hell?

Matthew 5:29-30 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that THY WHOLE BODY should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that THY WHOLE BODY should be cast into hell.

Our Lord Jesus saw hell as a horrible, torturous place. The final destination of the lost, the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-14), is called “the second death”. Oh, how horrible that place! “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they HAVE NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT” (Revelation 14:10-11). It is a place that Jesus said “it is outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus warned that Hell is a place where the fire never stops, and the soul does not die:

(Mark 9:47-48 ESV) And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with TWO EYES TO BE THROWN INTO HELL, [48] ‘where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE and THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.’

Not everybody goes to Heaven. Only those who love Jesus. Only those who cherish God’s creation. How does the rich man respond in the midst of suffering?

Luke 16:24 the rich man … 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.

The rich man doesn’t repent. When people leave this life and go to hell, they don’t repent. Their souls are hardened to sin. The rich man doesn’t call out to Jesus. He doesn’t call out to God. He calls out to Abraham, asking Abraham to “SEND LAZARUS, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue”. The rich man’s not sorry for the life he lived. He just wants to use Lazarus once more. Send that dog Lazarus. Let him cool my tongue!

This is the problem of sin. When sin enters a life, if it is not repented of it becomes more persistent, harder to eradicate. Abraham tries to reason with the rich man:

Luke 16:25-26 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but NOW HE IS COMFORTED, and THOU ART TORMENTED. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a GREAT GULF FIXED: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

What you do in THIS life will echo into eternity. There is a gulf between Heaven and Hell. There is no purgatory, no second chance. And if the lost were given a second chance, they wouldn’t take it. They would curse God and demand. The rich man lived a life devoid of God on this earth. Now he will live a life devoid of God in eternity.

But there is a tiny speck of compassion for the rich man. It’s for his family. He says:

Luke 16:27-29 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest SEND LAZARUS TO MY FATHER’S HOUSE: 28 for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, THEY HAVE MOSES AND THE PROPHETS; let them hear them.

There is no second chance after you leave this life. God has given us ample evidence for us to believe in “MOSES AND THE PROPHETS”, a term Jesus used for the Bible. The Bible tells us that “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS” (1 Corinthians 15:3). The rich man said:

(Luke 16:30-31 KJV) … Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, THEY WILL REPENT. [31] And he said unto him, IF THEY WILL NOT HEAR MOSES AND THE PROPHETS, NEITHER WILL THEY BE PERSUADED, though one rose from the dead.

Moses wrote of Jesus (John 5:46). Abraham saw Jesus and His coming (John 8:56). The Old Testament Prophets foretold the coming of Christ (Luke 24:27; Deuteronomy 18:15; 1 Peter 1:10-11). If you won’t believe the Book, the Bible, you wouldn’t believe a resurrected Lazarus. You must receive Jesus NOW.

2 Corinthians 6:2 NOW is the accepted time. LOOK. TODAY is the day of salvation.

Do you know Him? Have you given your life to Jesus? If you have, you need not fear death. When you die in this life, you’re just going home. But if you have not received Jesus as Lord and Savior, today is the day to give your life to Him.

(John 3:16-18 KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Oh, please come! Do not delay! If you are Christ’s, love. If you are not, come to His love. In Jesus’ name I ask, amen.