16:19-31 Is this a true story or a parable?

Most Bible commentators call this a parable - the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Many others believe it is a true story; that Jesus is referring to real people here. But whether it is a true story or a parable is not relevant. What it teaches is more important. Jesus told this story after the Pharisees derided Him for teaching the parable of the unjust steward in Lk 16:1-13 (cp Lk 16:1-15).

The Pharisees were not interested in using their personal wealth to benefit others with eternal life, as Jesus taught in the parable of the unjust steward. They were only concerned with their own self-indulgent lifestyle, portrayed here by the rich man "…which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day."

This is not teaching though that the rich man went to hell because he was rich and Lazarus went to paradise - Abraham's bosom - because he was poor. Neither affluence nor poverty determines our eternal state, but the life we live on earth. The rich man went to hell because his life was filled with self-centred living, not caring about others of God's children worse off than himself. In his self-indulgent lifestyle the rich man violated God's two greatest commandments (cp Mt 22:34-40).

The narrative of the rich man and Lazarus teaches above all else that men cannot profess reverence for God while at the same time living only for the fulfillment of their own self-gratifying desires. God says that it is only our love for others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ, that proves our love for Him, and we cannot honestly say we love them if we are not prepared to give of our material possessions to them (cp Jas 2:13-17, 1Jn 3:16-19).

Anyone claiming to be a born again believer who at the same time consciously sows to their flesh, is guilty of mocking and despising God, and will forfeit their place in His eternal kingdom (cp Pr 19:17; 21:13; 22:9; Ga 6:7-10). We also learn from the narrative of the rich man and Lazarus, which is confirmed by many other scriptures as well, that the souls and spirits of the righteous go straight to heaven when they die (cp Lk 20:38; 23:42-43; Jn 11:25-26; Ac 7:59-60; 2Cor 5:1-9; Php 1:21-24; Rev 6:9-11).

Lazarus went straight to paradise, where all the righteous dead went before Christ ascended to Heaven, not because he was poor, but because he found his help in God. Lazarus' name depicted his relationship with God. Lazarus means God has helped or God the helper. The significance of his name suggests that Jesus meant Lazarus to symbolise all the outcasts of society who had no other help but God (cp Mt 5:3; Lk 4:17-18).

Another lesson we learn from this narrative is that there is no light beyond the revelation of God in scripture (cp Lk 16:27-31). Nothing supernatural or miraculous can have any effect on anyone's lifestyle if the word of God is not believed and obeyed.

The rich man thought that if someone came back from the dead to warn his brothers of their impending doom that it would appeal to their consciences to alter their lifestyles and so be saved, but Abraham said that nothing could prevent them sharing the same fate as their brother even if someone came back from the dead if they did not believe and obey God's word, which they already had.

Jesus Himself came back from the dead but most people still do not believe on Him. Summing up here, the lessons we learn are that man cannot serve two masters - he cannot serve God and mammon.

If a man gains the world but loses his soul, his loss will be eternal - there is no further opportunity to repent after death. Heaven and hell are realities, and personality - feeling, knowing, seeing, reasoning, and remembering - continues in eternity, whether it be in Heaven or hell. It depends entirely upon how we spend our life on earth whether these faculties will aid our bliss in Heaven or add to our torment in hell