Jesus continued teaching on the subject of riches for before him were Pharisees who loved money and were sneering at him (14) and his poor disciples who gave up everything to follow him (15:1, 3; 16:1). He told them “The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus”. The parable contrasts the life results of an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. The rich man lived in luxury and Lazarus longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table (21).
Both men died, for whose body can sustain itself forever (22)? Hebrews 9:27 states, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Though physical bodies die, the soul continues. The two men’s souls had different destinies. Jesus did not directly state what determined their destination. He does go into great detail about the reasons the soul goes to one of two destinies many times elsewhere (Matthew 23:33; John 5:29, 6:51, 57-58, 11:25-26, 14:19).
The angels carried the poor man to “Abraham’s side”. The original Greek word translated as “side” is “kolpos” which refers to the fold of a Greek garment near the hips where valuables are kept safe. The rich man ended up in hell for the angels did not lift him up. “Hell” is the noun “Hades” in the original Greek. Jesus describes it well in this parable (23-24).
The lack of compassion for the poor man Lazarus shows his soul’s state. He lived in luxury and ignored Lazurus. Being rich does not determine a person’s destiny. However, being rich and keeping the wealth to one’s own well-being shows that the love of God does not dwell in a person’s heart. The rich man failed the test of wealth. He was given, but did not share.
Jesus is not teaching to take from the rich and give to the poor for that is akin to stealing. Rather, he is teaching the destiny of the stingy. He is also giving hope the those who are unable to find all the means necessary to support themselves.
