Imagine discovering that you had spent your entire life preparing for the wrong thing. You had built your career, protected your reputation, accumulated your possessions, and worried about what everyone else thought of you—only to realize that you had neglected the one relationship that mattered eternally. But by the time you realized your mistake, it was too late to change your destiny. That is the unsettling possibility Jesus places before us in His parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.”
A lot of doctrinal hubbub surrounds this story, leaving many readers obsessed with its possible implications for arguments about heaven and hell. But that’s not why Jesus told this parable. At its core, this fascinating story is an invitation to look honestly at your heart while there is still time to change. Are you preparing for the Second Coming? Are you ready for eternity?
The good news is that if the answer is no, Jesus is still knocking, encouraging you to abide with Him.
What Is a Parable and Why Did Jesus Use Them?
Mark 4:34 tells us that Jesus “did not say anything to them [His followers] without using a parable” (NIV). But what is a parable?
New Testament students and literature enthusiasts alike often answer that question with some version of this straightforward definition: “a short and simple story that teaches a moral lesson.” In a biblical context, then, a parable is a short and simple story that teaches a spiritual lesson; it is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”
However, when we dig into the New Testament’s original language, the word “parable,” parabolḗ in Greek, takes on an even greater meaning. Parabolḗ is made up of para, meaning “beside,” and ballo, meaning to “cast” or “throw.”
Jesus’ parables, including “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” cast a familiar principle beside a deeper truth in order to illuminate that truth.
So why not simply state that deeper truth? That’s the big question, and it’s more than ok to ask it. In fact, if you’ve ever wondered why Jesus used parables instead of spreading His messages with more clarity, you’re actually following in the footsteps of His own disciples.
In Matthew 13, they asked their Teacher: “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (verse 10). He answered:
“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive.’ ” (verses 11–14)
Jesus did not wish to hide the life-saving truths of the Gospel from anyone; He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Rather, Jesus spoke in parables to challenge, inspire, and encourage His listeners to turn away from lukewarm spirituality. His parables “bless” those who have “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” (Matthew 13:16) because they encourage those people to continue chasing truth. His parables serve as “spiritual mirrors”; they reveal the spiritual condition of those who read and hear them.
In summary, Jesus used parables because:
1. Parables reveal the true character of the listener/reader and, at the time He told them, gave the enemies of God nothing with which to condemn Him.
Ellen G. White wrote this about Jesus:
“One reason why he taught so much in parables was that the spies of the Jews were ever watching to find cause for complaint against him. Jesus designed to expose their hypocrisy and evil deeds without laying himself liable to the danger of being arrested and imprisoned by them, and thus cut off from the work which he came to do among the people. He could speak cutting truths in parables, reveal the iniquity that it was necessary to expose, without any fear of their laws. They could make the application, for they could not fail to recognize his meaning, yet they were powerless to condemn him for using a simple illustration in his discourse.” (Redemption: or the Teachings of Christ, the Anointed One, p. 81)
2. Parables invite further study and encourage the listener/reader to pursue a relationship with Jesus.
Those who genuinely desire answers will stay with Jesus in order to find them, just as the disciples did (Luke 8:9–15).
3. Parables awaken critical thinking and imagination.
Christian writer and speaker Josh Porter wrote:
“Jesus is an artist and, at times, a mysterious artist willing to provoke his audience. . . . The parables of Jesus operate within a well-known paradox in artistic expression. You can water down the creativity of an artistic message so that it becomes comprehensible for a wide audience, but there’s a catch. The more watered down the message, the weaker it becomes for those who have ‘ears to hear.’ ”
Moving Past the Debate Over Heaven and Hell
The purposes of Jesus’ parables described above likely ring true for most Bible readers, yet when these same readers study the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” ideas of deeper truth, relationship, critical thinking, and imagination fly out the window! Suddenly, Jesus’ parables become all about doctrine, and this parable, specifically, becomes an unsteady pawn in the debate over heaven and hell, the battle between eternal conscious torment and annihilation.
In making his argument for the artistry of Jesus’ parables, Porter added:
“As we read parables, we shouldn’t focus on mining the text for doctrine or sifting for one-liner life lessons. Jesus is concerned with the power of creative imagery, symbolism, and beauty, and we should be too.”
He’s right. Using “The Rich Man and Lazarus” as a footnote in the argument for an afterlife doctrine insults Jesus’ creativity, His knowledge, and the strong messages He wished to convey about how we are to prepare for the Second Coming!
In telling this story, Jesus was not laying out a literal map of heaven and hell. He was retelling a well-known folk story to describe the separate destinies of those who depend on God and those who don’t. He was providing comfort, teaching spiritual truth, and encouraging listeners to focus on their relationship with God.
What’s more, a deeper study of the parable reveals a complete absence of both heaven and hell. Concerning the language of this parable, Bible scholar Ángel Manuel Rodríguez wrote:
“The place of rest for the saved is not God’s presence but Abraham’s bosom, a place of felicity in Jewish literature; obviously not a literal place. The phrase was used among Jews to refer to the high privilege of sitting at the right hand of Abraham. . . . The term hades (hell) is not used anywhere else in the New Testament as a place of eternal torment, but simply as the tomb or realm of the dead.”
“The Rich Man and Lazarus” isn’t about heaven or hell at all. It’s about how our decisions in this life become irrevocable when we die. It’s about how we are preparing (or not preparing) for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Are You Ready for the Lessons in the Rich Man and Lazarus?
Remember, a biblical parable is a short and simple story that teaches a spiritual lesson, illuminates deeper truth, reveals character, nudges us toward Christ, encourages critical thinking, and grows admiration for Jesus’ artistry. Jesus designed His parables to be deeply personal, cutting right to the heart and forcing each of us to confront our beliefs, actions, and priorities.
Found in Luke 16:19–31, Jesus’ parable “The Rich Man and Lazarus” tells the short and simple story of a prideful rich man who closed his heart to God’s transforming Word, “Moses and the prophets,” and a humble beggar named Lazarus who laid at the rich man’s gate, desiring to eat his crumbs—demonstrating that the rich man did not care for him. When both men die, Lazarus receives “good things,” while the rich man receives “evil things.” The parable reveals that mercy is real, but it cannot extend to those who have already died; thus, the rich man cannot cross “the gulf” into “Abraham’s bosom.” His destiny is set. When he asks about visiting his brothers who are still alive, he receives this reply: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”
Wow. Those who have turned their hearts against God’s truth, revealed to us through His Holy Spirit and the Bible, would not be persuaded to turn to God by even the resurrection of a dead relative! No, the only way to salvation is Jesus, the “Word who became flesh” (John 1:14; 14:6), and “The Rich Man and Lazarus” urges you to open the door of your heart to Him. Through this parable, Jesus is saying to you:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:20, 21)
The parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” is challenging you to ask yourself:
- Am I depending fully on God?
- Am I seeking worldly success or “the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)?
- Do I care more about what others think of me or what God thinks of me?
- Do I love others the way Jesus would?
- Am I opening my heart to God’s Word in order to be transformed by it?
- Am I living in daily preparation to meet my Savior at the Second Coming?
- Am I ready for eternity?
The Urgent Need for Preparation for the Second Coming
Describing the Second Coming, Jesus said:
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (Matthew 25:31–33)
If Jesus returned today, where would you stand, on His right hand or on His left? If you aren’t sure but desire to stand on His right hand, the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” reveals where you can start to look for answers: the Word of God.
And His Word tells us something awesome: salvation is a gift, bought by the blood of Jesus on the cross and offered to you freely. You cannot earn heaven. You cannot prepare for the Second Coming by yourself. It is the grace of God through faith that saves you, and it is His Word that allows you to grow spiritually.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
As you grow spiritually, God’s infinite grace will spill into your life as “works of faith,” demonstrating to others the eternal value of abiding in Christ. You will be able to say:
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
And on the day when the Son of God who died for you returns to Earth in glory, He will say to you:
“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. . . . Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:34b–39)
Related Articles:
Preparing the Heart for the Second Coming of Jesus
When Will Jesus Return? And How Can I Be Ready?
Sitting in Heavenly Places in Christ: Living the Reality of God’s Transforming Love
Want to know more about your Savior? Check out our study guides, videos, podcasts, and more!
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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The Rich Man and Lazarus: Are You Personally Ready for Eternity?
Imagine discovering that you had spent your entire life preparing for the wrong thing. You had built your career, protected your reputation, accumulated your possessions, and worried about what everyone else thought of you—only to realize that you had neglected the one relationship that mattered eternally. But by the time you realized your mistake, it was too late to change your destiny. That is the unsettling possibility Jesus places before us in His parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.”
A lot of doctrinal hubbub surrounds this story, leaving many readers obsessed with its possible implications for arguments about heaven and hell. But that’s not why Jesus told this parable. At its core, this fascinating story is an invitation to look honestly at your heart while there is still time to change. Are you preparing for the Second Coming? Are you ready for eternity?
The good news is that if the answer is no, Jesus is still knocking, encouraging you to abide with Him.
What Is a Parable and Why Did Jesus Use Them?
Mark 4:34 tells us that Jesus “did not say anything to them [His followers] without using a parable” (NIV). But what is a parable?
New Testament students and literature enthusiasts alike often answer that question with some version of this straightforward definition: “a short and simple story that teaches a moral lesson.” In a biblical context, then, a parable is a short and simple story that teaches a spiritual lesson; it is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”
However, when we dig into the New Testament’s original language, the word “parable,” parabolḗ in Greek, takes on an even greater meaning. Parabolḗ is made up of para, meaning “beside,” and ballo, meaning to “cast” or “throw.”
Jesus’ parables, including “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” cast a familiar principle beside a deeper truth in order to illuminate that truth.
So why not simply state that deeper truth? That’s the big question, and it’s more than ok to ask it. In fact, if you’ve ever wondered why Jesus used parables instead of spreading His messages with more clarity, you’re actually following in the footsteps of His own disciples.
In Matthew 13, they asked their Teacher: “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (verse 10). He answered:
Jesus did not wish to hide the life-saving truths of the Gospel from anyone; He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Rather, Jesus spoke in parables to challenge, inspire, and encourage His listeners to turn away from lukewarm spirituality. His parables “bless” those who have “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” (Matthew 13:16) because they encourage those people to continue chasing truth. His parables serve as “spiritual mirrors”; they reveal the spiritual condition of those who read and hear them.
In summary, Jesus used parables because:
1. Parables reveal the true character of the listener/reader and, at the time He told them, gave the enemies of God nothing with which to condemn Him.
Ellen G. White wrote this about Jesus:
2. Parables invite further study and encourage the listener/reader to pursue a relationship with Jesus.
Those who genuinely desire answers will stay with Jesus in order to find them, just as the disciples did (Luke 8:9–15).
3. Parables awaken critical thinking and imagination.
Christian writer and speaker Josh Porter wrote:
Moving Past the Debate Over Heaven and Hell
The purposes of Jesus’ parables described above likely ring true for most Bible readers, yet when these same readers study the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” ideas of deeper truth, relationship, critical thinking, and imagination fly out the window! Suddenly, Jesus’ parables become all about doctrine, and this parable, specifically, becomes an unsteady pawn in the debate over heaven and hell, the battle between eternal conscious torment and annihilation.
In making his argument for the artistry of Jesus’ parables, Porter added:
He’s right. Using “The Rich Man and Lazarus” as a footnote in the argument for an afterlife doctrine insults Jesus’ creativity, His knowledge, and the strong messages He wished to convey about how we are to prepare for the Second Coming!
In telling this story, Jesus was not laying out a literal map of heaven and hell. He was retelling a well-known folk story to describe the separate destinies of those who depend on God and those who don’t. He was providing comfort, teaching spiritual truth, and encouraging listeners to focus on their relationship with God.
What’s more, a deeper study of the parable reveals a complete absence of both heaven and hell. Concerning the language of this parable, Bible scholar Ángel Manuel Rodríguez wrote:
“The Rich Man and Lazarus” isn’t about heaven or hell at all. It’s about how our decisions in this life become irrevocable when we die. It’s about how we are preparing (or not preparing) for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Are You Ready for the Lessons in the Rich Man and Lazarus?
Remember, a biblical parable is a short and simple story that teaches a spiritual lesson, illuminates deeper truth, reveals character, nudges us toward Christ, encourages critical thinking, and grows admiration for Jesus’ artistry. Jesus designed His parables to be deeply personal, cutting right to the heart and forcing each of us to confront our beliefs, actions, and priorities.
Found in Luke 16:19–31, Jesus’ parable “The Rich Man and Lazarus” tells the short and simple story of a prideful rich man who closed his heart to God’s transforming Word, “Moses and the prophets,” and a humble beggar named Lazarus who laid at the rich man’s gate, desiring to eat his crumbs—demonstrating that the rich man did not care for him. When both men die, Lazarus receives “good things,” while the rich man receives “evil things.” The parable reveals that mercy is real, but it cannot extend to those who have already died; thus, the rich man cannot cross “the gulf” into “Abraham’s bosom.” His destiny is set. When he asks about visiting his brothers who are still alive, he receives this reply: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”
Wow. Those who have turned their hearts against God’s truth, revealed to us through His Holy Spirit and the Bible, would not be persuaded to turn to God by even the resurrection of a dead relative! No, the only way to salvation is Jesus, the “Word who became flesh” (John 1:14; 14:6), and “The Rich Man and Lazarus” urges you to open the door of your heart to Him. Through this parable, Jesus is saying to you:
The parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” is challenging you to ask yourself:
The Urgent Need for Preparation for the Second Coming
Describing the Second Coming, Jesus said:
If Jesus returned today, where would you stand, on His right hand or on His left? If you aren’t sure but desire to stand on His right hand, the parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus” reveals where you can start to look for answers: the Word of God.
And His Word tells us something awesome: salvation is a gift, bought by the blood of Jesus on the cross and offered to you freely. You cannot earn heaven. You cannot prepare for the Second Coming by yourself. It is the grace of God through faith that saves you, and it is His Word that allows you to grow spiritually.
As you grow spiritually, God’s infinite grace will spill into your life as “works of faith,” demonstrating to others the eternal value of abiding in Christ. You will be able to say:
And on the day when the Son of God who died for you returns to Earth in glory, He will say to you:
Related Articles:
Preparing the Heart for the Second Coming of Jesus
When Will Jesus Return? And How Can I Be Ready?
Sitting in Heavenly Places in Christ: Living the Reality of God’s Transforming Love
Want to know more about your Savior? Check out our study guides, videos, podcasts, and more!
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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