The Rich Man and Lazarus

Story Snapshot

A rich man feasts daily while a beggar named Lazarus starves at his gate. Both die. Lazarus is carried to Abraham's side; the rich man is in torment. He begs for relief and then for a warning to his brothers, but is told they already have Moses and the prophets.

Main Characters

Story Summary

There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate lay a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores, longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table, while dogs licked his sores. The beggar died and was carried by angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out for Lazarus to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. But Abraham replied that in his lifetime the rich man received good things and Lazarus bad things, and now Lazarus was comforted and he was in agony. Besides, a great chasm was fixed between them that none could cross. The rich man begged that Lazarus be sent to warn his five brothers. Abraham answered, They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them. The rich man protested that if someone rose from the dead, they would repent. Abraham said, If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

Timeline

• The ContrastA rich man feasts while Lazarus starves at his gate.
• The DeathsBoth die; Lazarus is comforted, the rich man tormented.
• The PleaThe rich man begs for relief across a fixed gulf.
• The WarningHe asks that his brothers be warned.
• The AnswerAbraham says they have Moses and the prophets.

Themes

What This Story Means

This is the only parable in which Jesus names a character, and it turns on a reversal. In life, the rich man enjoyed every comfort while Lazarus suffered at his very gate, ignored. In death, their positions are reversed, and the reversal is permanent. The rich man's sin was not merely wealth but indifference: Lazarus lay close enough to see, yet the rich man never lifted a finger. Jesus teaches that how we treat the poor before us is not a small matter but one with eternal weight. The closing exchange is pointed: the rich man wants a miraculous warning sent to his brothers, but Abraham says they already have Moses and the prophets. Those who will not heed God's word already given will not be persuaded even by someone rising from the dead, a solemn hint at Jesus' own coming resurrection.

Bringing It Home

• Indifference to the suffering poor is a sin with eternal weight.
• Wealth is a trust to be used for others, not hoarded for self.
• The choices of this life carry consequences beyond it.
• We already have God's word; we do not need a further sign to obey.
• Notice the Lazarus who lies at your own gate.

Key Verse

Did You Know?

• This is the only parable in which Jesus gives a character a name.
• Lazarus means God has helped.
• Jesus told it to Pharisees described as lovers of money.
• The closing line hints at the coming resurrection and its rejection.

Read Next

What This Shows Us About God

• God sees the poor whom the world ignores.
• God will reverse the injustices of this life.
• God has already spoken clearly enough to be heeded.

What This Shows Us About People

• We can grow blind to suffering right at our gate.
• We treat wealth as ours to spend only on ourselves.
• We demand more signs when we have not obeyed what we already know.

A Question to Sit With

Who is the Lazarus at my gate that I have learned not to see?

Prayer

Lord, open my eyes to the suffering close to me that I have stopped noticing. Keep me from the indifference of wealth, and give me a heart that acts on the word You have already spoken. Amen.