What does Jesus say about unbelief? In The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus calls us to question where our heart trusts about eternal life. Delve into this biblical narrative’s societal, spiritual, and eternal implications that will challenge our conventional beliefs about faith, wealth, and salvation.

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

One scholar commented on this parable, “This is a fascinating story of contrasts and role reversals.” So, how do the Rich Man and Lazarus contrast?

The Rich Man:

• Clothed in fine linen.

• Has everything and desires nothing.

• Never hungers.

• Honored by many.

• Dies and goes to Hell.

The Poor Man:

• Clothed with sores.

• Desires everything but has nothing.

• Desires to be fed.

• Despised by many.

• Dies and goes to Heaven.

Despite their contrasts, the Rich Man and Lazarus share one commonality: Death. It’s been said that death is the great equalizer among men. Death always seems so far away in most people’s thinking, but it’s imminent for all of us.

Verses 14 and 15 tell us that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees. He’s sharing this parable with them to challenge their conventional thinking.

JESUS: “There was a Rich Man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the Rich Man’s table. Moreover, even the gods came and licked his sores.” Luke 16:19-20

A part of the Pharisees’ conventional thinking, and what Jesus is approaching, is making it clear that being rich does not equal righteousness. These were religious people who were self-satisfied and self-indulgent. This parable also indicates that they despised those that society deemed as outcasts. This is relevant because the Pharisees were the prosperity preachers of the day. We see this addressed in verse 14, which says they were lovers of money. Jesus is using this parable to call them out.

Let’s also be clear: Being poor doesn’t equal righteousness, either. Lazarus wasn’t righteous because he was poor. Rather, he was righteous because he depended on God. In fact, the name Lazarus means God the helper or the one whom God helps. The very meaning of Lazarus’ name is what’s happening in the story and what’s being revealed. There is no righteousness apart from God’s help (Romans 5:19).

In this parable, when Lazarus died, he went to Abraham’s side, which is a reference to Heaven. But Jesus’s reference to this is also a reason for the Pharisees to indict Him. They felt they were righteous because, as Israelites, they were children of Abraham. As children of Abraham, they believed they were destined to go to Heaven. The reality is that the Bible doesn’t teach that.

So, we see that the Rich Man was buried and went to Hell. Jesus said a lot about Heaven, but He said more about Hell than he did about Heaven. When we study these two afterlife destinations, we see some shocking facts. Notably, Hell is filled with mostly religious people, and most people in the world are religious, making Hell a place for religious people.

In Jesus’ day, the majority of the populace consisted of Pharisees. The Pharisees were confident they would never go to Hell, yet Jesus was talking about them in this parable. The Rich Man is the embodiment of the Pharisees.

JESUS: “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The Rich Man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.” Luke 16:22-23

The significance of this passage can’t be understated.

The Rich Man can converse with Lazarus. A great chasm separates them, but the Rich Man begs Lazarus to be sent to warn his brothers. Stop and think about life after death for a second. If a person is in Hell, they may not have life, but they’re alive. The Rich Man in Hell is pictured as self-conscious and aware. He’s able to see, feel, and remember.

Many people believe that death is an unconscious state. Life just ends. Jesus wouldn’t share this parable if He didn’t want us to understand something. There is no biblical notion that death is an unconscious state. We’re learning much about the afterlife from this passage. The human personality, fully conscious and aware, does outlast physical death!

JESUS: “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets (The Scriptures), let them hear them. And he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Luke 16:29-31 (notation added)

While the Rich Man requests permission to warn his brothers, Jesus reminds us that they already have access to the message. He illustrates that they have God’s Word through the prophets. Just because someone from the dead comes to them with a warning won’t make a difference. The prophets can’t convince them, so why would the dead inspire them?

How convicting is it to hear someone calling out from Hell, begging someone on Earth to share the truth with their loved ones? Do you know what that tells us? Hell has something the church needs; There is more concern for the lost in Hell than in many churches.

This parable also addresses the fact that the Pharisees did not believe the Scriptures. They said they believed the Scriptures, but they did not believe the Scriptures. I recognize that sounds like doublespeak, but in John 5:39, Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me…” The Scriptures spoke plainly of Jesus, but the Pharisees did not believe what the Scriptures said about Jesus. Thus, they did not believe the Scriptures.

The Pharisees believed that they could be saved through knowledge of Scripture and being good people. That knowledge will not save; only Jesus can. Only the Son has the power to save you. You can be saved only by turning to the Son, by faith in Christ alone and in His grace.

Because they didn’t believe in Scripture, they began to demand signs. So, Jesus meets their request. Shortly after sharing this parable, Jesus raised a name named Lazarus (a different man than the Lazarus in this story) from the dead. But how did the Pharisees react? They plot to kill Jesus. Even when Jesus raised someone from the dead, they chose not to believe. That was their last straw, the act that pushed them over the threshold. They knew everyone would follow Him after, so they said we have to kill Him.

Jesus Speaks About the Severity of Hell

The word torment is used four times in this parable. A place described in this manner is not a pleasant place. People ask, “How can a loving God even permit such a place as Hell to exist, let alone send people there?” But in asking that, we reveal that they do not understand God or the love of God. They also misunderstand the wickedness and seriousness of sin.

God’s love is holy (“God is light,” 1 John 1:5). The basis of the revelation of Scripture, or another way to say that is the understanding of God, is not a shallow sentiment. Sin is a rebellion against a holy and loving God. God does not send people to Hell; They send themselves there by refusing to heed His call and believe in His Son.

“‘But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’” Revelation 21:8

The “unbelieving” is named second on the list of the people who go to Hell, even before the murderers and the liars (see also John 3:18–21, 36). Let that sink in. Jesus is describing murderers and liars in the same category as unbelief.

Now, let’s look at the severity of Hell per this parable.

The rich man called out for the sake of his brothers (Luke 16:27–31). He didn’t say, “I’m glad my brothers will also come here. We’ll have a wonderful time together!” He also didn’t say, and sometimes people say, “Well, I don’t mind if I go to Hell, I’ll have lots of company.” There’s no friendship in Hell. It is a place of torment and loneliness. Nor is it an eternal New Year’s Eve party at which sinners have a good time doing what they used to do on Earth.

Ponder that the Rich Man calls out for the sake of his brothers. As we mentioned, people in Hades are concerned about the lost but cannot do anything about it.

Abraham explained that only one thing could prevent the five men from eventually joining their brother: they needed to hear the Word of God and respond to it by faith (v. 28-31). Moses and the Prophets tell sinners how to repent and be saved, and the Jews heard them read every Sabbath in the synagogue.

However, even though he was in torment in Hades, the Rich Man did not change; he was still self-centered. He prayed, but it was for his comfort and his family’s safety. He was not concerned about other lost sinners. His only concern was his five brothers. He argued with God instead of submitting to His will. The punishment of lost sinners is not remedial; it does not improve them. Hell isn’t a hospital for the sick; it’s a prison for the condemned.

The Rich Man never showed Lazarus mercy while they were on Earth. He never demonstrated compassion for the poor, which reflected the sad state of his spirituality. Interestingly, the merciless one now wants mercy, which he never gave, but now he craves it.

Even though he is now in Hell and Lazarus is in Heaven, he thinks Lazarus is still his servant and that he is beneath him. This parable teaches that Hell is not remedial. It does not heal or fix you. Hell confirms that your self-centeredness put you in Hell, and self-centered you will remain in Hell. Hell is punitive and miserable.

There’s Only One Substitution

As we’ve seen in this parable, Jesus taught that the basis for salvation is not based on status, prosperity, or comfort. It’s clear that the unregenerate can die filthy rich, and the regenerate can die desperately poor. One can go for self-indulgence, or one can go to faith in God. If the Pharisees had believed the Old Testament, they would have understood that substitution was how God dealt with sin. If they genuinely believed Moses and the Prophets, they would have believed that Jesus was the substitution for sin that the Old Testament pointed to.

Beloved reader, only the rescuing work of Jesus Christ can save us from Hell. We are like that beggar, destitute, wretched, and full of sores in our souls. Remember the words of the famous John Newton hymn, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” As John Wesley asked, “Do you desire to flee the coming wrath and be saved from your sins?” Ephesians 2 tells us that we are all born dead in our trespasses and sins, but there is nothing that can justify us before God other than Jesus Christ.

You are saved by Christ alone, through faith alone, by God’s grace alone. If you’ve made a profession of faith when you joined a church, I thank God for that profession. I also want to submit that because we’re prone to wander, if you have strayed, come home to Christ. Your Lord and Savior, Jesus, is eagerly waiting.

If you’ve never trusted Him as Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so today based on what Jesus shared in this parable. These stories weren’t shared to entertain but to equip us to know what it means to be people of God.

TL;DR

1. The “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus” in Luke 16 contrasts the rich man’s luxury with Lazarus’ destitution, revealing deeper spiritual truths.

2. Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ belief that wealth equals righteousness and addresses their self-indulgence.

3. Hell’s severity is emphasized, showing it as a place of torment and loneliness where selfishness persists.

4. The parable underscores that salvation isn’t based on status but on faith in God, exemplified in Jesus Christ.

Related Reading

Embracing Eternity by Rev. Paul Lawler

What Does It Cost to Follow Jesus? by Jacky Gatliff

How Does Jesus Pursue Us? by Rev. Paul Lawler