This parable one of five in a series dealing with the harvest of the Jewish age:

The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7)
The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
The Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-15)
The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

The age of favor to the Jewish nation was ending, and the age of the gospel message going forth to the Gentiles was about to begin.

At first reading, the text seems to say that this rich man was being tormented in hell simply because he was rich. It seems a man named Lazarus was pictured in Abraham’s bosom, which some interpret to mean heaven, because he was poor and sick. If we take this all literally, it sounds absurd and doesn’t agree with other scriptures.  

The rich man died just like Lazarus. We are told he was buried (verse 22) and Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s bosom. But Abraham is not in heaven. Jesus said, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” John 3:13 (ESV).

The King James Version says the rich man was in “hell,” (Greek: hades) Hades is the place or state of the dead.  If you are dead, you are not hurting, nor are you having a conversation, etc.  Ecclesiastes 9:5, “For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.” It’s important to remember Jeremiah 19:5 and 32:35 teach that God never thought of burning anyone. 

This parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is symbolic of a dispensational change for Israel. Jesus recognized that the Jewish people were failing to recognize and accept him as their Messiah. The rich man represented the Jewish nation. For 1,845 years, the nation “fared sumptuously every day”—they were the special recipients of God’s favors. The promises to Abraham and David invested this people with “royalty” (purple). The ritual and typical sacrifices of the Law gave them, in a typical sense, a holy nation status – righteous – as represented by the rich man’s fine linen (Revelation 19:8).

Lazarus represented the Gentiles—all other nations. During the first advent, the nations of the world were without the blessings which Israel enjoyed. However, they all witnessed the favorable status of the Jews. In effect, they laid at the gate of the rich man hoping for even a few crumbs of favor from God.  

Eventually, the rich man died—the Jewish nation rejected Jesus and lost all its riches (favor). They were scattered abroad among all nations where they have suffered persecution and trouble for centuries (John 1:11-13). Lazarus also died. This means the condition of the Gentiles also changed. Many Gentiles were “carried by the angels” (messengers, apostles) to “Abraham’s bosom” (enjoyed being in a relationship with God because of faith, as Abraham had been).  Abraham is represented as the father of the faithful. In symbol, he receives to his bosom all the children of faith—who are recognized as the heirs to all the promises made to Abraham. “The children of the flesh are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed” (Romans 9:8), “which seed is Christ,” and “if ye be Christ’s then are ye (believers) Abraham’s seed (children) and heirs according to the (Abrahamic) promise” (Galatians 3:16,29).

After the Babylonian captivity of Israel, the Jews who returned to their homeland were principally from just two tribes—Judah and Benjamin. Hence comes the phrase, “the ten lost tribes of Israel.” If the two tribes living in Judea were represented by one rich man, then the five brethren represented the remaining ten tribes who had “Moses and the Prophets” as their instructors. All special favor of God ceased to the ten tribes, as well as to the two to whom Jesus directly addressed this parable. 

This parable teaches what Paul explained in Romans 11:19-31. Because of unbelief, the natural branches were broken off and the wild branches grafted into the Abrahamic promises. In the parable, Jesus leaves us hanging as to the outcome, but the Apostle Paul does not. He assures us that when the fullness of the Gentiles—”the bride,” Jesus’ faithful followers—come in “they (the Israelites) shall obtain mercy through your (the church’s) mercy” (verse 31). Paul assures us that this is God’s covenant with fleshly Israel. They lost the higher, spiritual, promises, but are still the possessors of earthly promises. Israel will become the chief nation on earth in God’s coming kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-4).

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1346: “How Do We Understand the Rich Man and Lazarus? (Hellfire Series Part III)”
Understanding the torment and agony of this dramatic story
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

PDF Booklet: “The Truth About Hell”