Jesus told this story: There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who wanted to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. And he cried: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame." But Abraham answered: "Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us." And the man said: "Then I beg you father to send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment."
But Abraham said: "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them."
The man replied: "No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." Abraham then said to him: "If they do not hear Moses and the
Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."
(Luk 16:19–31).
See the definitions of Abraham’s bosom, Paradise, Hades, Torments (Hell),
etcetera, in What Does the Bible Say about Hell? Hades is the place where the spirits of the dead went. It contains two sections: Paradise and Hell.
Abraham’s bosom is the same place as Paradise. The incredible thing is that Paradise and Hell are within some kind of visual range of each other. It's even possible for the inhabitants of each location to talk to each other, although it's impossible to move from one place to another. See also Listen to Jesus.
This story isn't a parable, it's a real event. The reason is as follows: No parable
has a name in itself. This story has three names; Moses, Lazarus, and Abraham. Lazarus must not be confused with the man whom Jesus raised
from the dead, who is another person. The second reason is that Jesus says what Abraham says to the rich man, which then must have happened.
The Pharisees believed that the the presence of wealth was evidence that they had the approval of God. Jesus exposed this as a common mistake, see the last part of
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager. In this story, the rich man ended up in Hell.
The point of this story isn't to explain how you get to God's Heaven or why you might end up in Hell. The rich man wasn't lost because he was rich and had good things, and the poor man didn't go to Paradise because he was poor and had very little. People are lost because they reject Jesus, see Salvation.
The rich man knew that his family wouldn't listen to God's word, but believed that they would be convinced if Lazarus came back from the dead and warned them
(Luk 16:27–30). But Abraham answered: "If they do not hear Moses and the
Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."
(Luk 16:31). It's exactly like that. Jesus spoke of himself. Jesus would rise from the dead, see The Resurrection of Jesus, but that isn't enough for many people to believe in him.
See also the following explanations at the following times:
- 24:04–25:03 in 1 Peter 4.
- 30:15–32:36 in Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │ May 2023.
- 34:09–35:30 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │ October 2023.
- 20:23–22:02 in Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │April 2024 |.
For information on parables, see Jesus' Parables.
