The Rich Man and Lazarus – What Jesus Wants You to Know About Eternity

Jesus talked about hell more than He talked about heaven. Not because He enjoyed the topic, but because He loved people enough to warn them. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 is one of the most sobering stories in all of Scripture, and it forces every one of us to ask a serious question: what are we truly living for?

What Is the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus About?

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the story of two men whose lives could not look more different. One is a wealthy man dressed in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every single day. The other is a poor man named Lazarus, covered in sores, lying at the rich man’s gate, hoping for scraps from the table. Even the dogs came and licked his wounds.

Both men die. Lazarus is carried by angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man finds himself in Hades, in torment, begging for just one drop of water to cool his tongue. A great chasm separates them, and no one can cross it. This is not a comfortable story. But it is a necessary one.

Is the Rich Man in Hell Because He Was Wealthy?

No. And Lazarus is not in heaven simply because he was poor. Money is not the issue here. The condition of the heart is the issue. What they loved, what they trusted, and what they worshiped is what made all the difference.

The sobering truth at the center of this parable is this: you can be successful in this life and still be spiritually bankrupt. You can climb the corporate ladder, build wealth, and have everything the world says matters, and still lose everything that actually matters.

Why Does Jesus Talk About Money Before Telling This Story?

Luke 16 opens with Jesus teaching about money. Right before this parable, He says in verse 13, “No servant can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” The Pharisees, who loved money, ridiculed Him for it.

Jesus was not saying wealth is evil. He was exposing something deeper. Money reveals what we worship. It provides access to comfort, status, approval, and identity. When we chase those things above God, money becomes a master instead of a servant.

As Mark 8:36 puts it, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

The Greatest Danger Is Not Having Wealth. It Is Worshiping It.

The rich man in this parable never harms Lazarus. He does not steal from him or curse him. His sin is far more subtle. He simply does not care. He is indifferent.

Indifference is often how spiritual deadness shows itself. It is worth asking honestly: are we indifferent to those who are hurting? Are we indifferent to the people around us who are lost and broken and do not know Jesus? If so, that indifference is worth paying attention to.

As John Calvin wrote, “we are not owners of our wealth but stewards entrusted by God.” Everything we have has been given to us by Him. The breath in our lungs, the gifts we carry, the opportunities we have been given, none of it originated with us.

What Does the Name “Lazarus” Mean and Why Does It Matter?

Lazarus is the only character in any of Jesus’ parables who is given a name. Every other parable refers to a farmer, a Father, a son, a servant. But this man has a name.

The name Lazarus means “God is my help.” God knew Him. He was known by name.

The rich man has no name in the story. He is simply called “the rich man.” If you make riches your help, your salvation, your identity, then that is all you are. But if God is your help, you are known by Him.

The world evaluates people by their net worth. God evaluates people by what they worship.

Eternity Comes for Everyone. Are You Ready?

Death is the great equalizer. The rich man’s wealth could not stop it. His status could not stop it. His success could not stop it. And for the first time in the story, the man who had everything is desperate, begging for a single drop of water.

Jesus is teaching that eternity reverses earthly assumptions. The people everyone envies on earth are not necessarily the people heaven will celebrate. And the people everyone overlooks will not be overlooked by God.

As R.C. Sproul put it, “every person is one breath away from eternity.” Life is not promised to any of us beyond this moment. The only question that matters is whether Jesus is your help, or whether something else has taken that place.

What Sends a Person to Hell?

It is not being rich. What separates a person from God is making anything other than God their help, their salvation, their identity. If you have sin, and all of us do, and God is your help, that sin is removed through Jesus. That is the gospel.

The invitation was the same for both men in this parable. One accepted it. The other did not. And that is still the invitation being extended today.

Why Did the Rich Man Want Someone Sent Back from the Dead?

From Hades, the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers. Abraham’s response is direct: they have Moses and the prophets. They have the Word of God. That is enough.

The rich man pushes back, saying that if someone rises from the dead, surely they will repent. And Abraham says, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31)

Here is the stunning reality. God has done exactly what the rich man asked for. Jesus died and rose from the dead. The resurrection is one of the most historically documented events of the ancient world. Scholars across centuries, believers and skeptics alike, cannot deny the existence of Jesus. The question is not whether He existed. The question is who He is, and what we will do with Him.

Jesus Became Poor So That We Could Become Rich

Second Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.”

Jesus became the poor man outside the gate. He was broken, scourged, and crucified outside the city walls. He suffered so that you and I could be rich in Him. That is the heart of this parable. It is not about worldly wealth. It is about spiritual wealth. It is about whose you are.

The great chasm between God and sinners cannot be crossed by human effort. But Jesus crossed it for us. The invitation is open. The warning has been given. And unlike the rich man, you are hearing it now, before it is too late.

Life Application

This week, take an honest look at what your daily life actually reflects about what you worship. Not what you say you believe, but where your time, your money, and your attention actually go. That is where your heart is.

The challenge this week is simple but not easy: identify one thing that has been functioning as your “help” more than God has. It might be your finances, your career, your reputation, your comfort, or even your family. Then take a concrete step to reorder that area under His lordship. That might mean opening your Bible before your phone in the morning. It might mean giving in a way that stretches your faith. It might mean having an honest conversation with God about what you have been holding back.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

• If someone looked at my bank account, my calendar, and my phone screen time, what would they say I worship?
• Am I known by God, or am I simply attending church and going through the motions?
• Is there someone in my life, or in my community, that I have been indifferent toward because I have been too focused on my own comfort?
• What is the one thing I get most rattled about when I lose it, and what does that reveal about where my help truly comes from?

Do not waste your one and only life on yourself. The warning has been given. The invitation is open. And the Savior who rose from the dead is calling you by name.