Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form [. . .]
(Philippians 2:7)
Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19–31 NLT)
This is one of Jesus’s most interesting parables. Every other parable is set within the agrarian society of the first century audience. In stark contrast, this parable takes place mostly in the afterlife from the perspective of a rich man in hades.
Another reason this parable is interesting is how differently people understand it. For some, this is a glimpse into what the afterlife will look like. For others, the only truth being illustrated is the meaning of the parable, not the experiential reality of heaven and hell. This is also one of the few parables that doesn’t include Jesus ending with a one-line synopsis or explaining the meaning to his disciples, leaving it a bit more open to interpretation than others.
What is particularly poignant about this parable is how well it points ahead to the days and weeks after the resurrection, while also calling out the religious leaders in the moment of its telling.
After all Jesus had done – all the teachings, miracles, healings, and proclamations – the Pharisees and Sadducees still refused to listen to the truths of Jesus’s words. Instead, they seemed to double down on their shallow, hollow religiosity rather than embracing the new life found in following the way of Jesus. No signs from on high would change their minds. Even the raising of the dead – whether Lazarus, a young girl, or Jesus himself – would not change the closed minds of the religious elite.
To them, the idea of God becoming man to show us the way to salvation – to BE the road to salvation and redemption – was not just unthinkable, it was blasphemy. To them, God is above and man is below, and to claim the divine would become mortal would be to defame God and make him lesser.
And yet, that is exactly what he did. The divine became mortal, even as he kept his divinity. The unthinkable became reality.
Michael Benson is the communications director for the North American Baptist Conference.