Scriptural
Studies
The Spiritual Meaning
of the Parable of
the Rich Man and Lazarus
False Interpretation had Confused Many about this Parable!
Nab B.
April 9, 2022
(updated Sep 6, 2025)
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"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.
"And in hell [Hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
"But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
"Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
(Luke 16:19-31) ESV
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A parable isn't a literal story,
and neither is the rich man and Lazarus parable!
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Cultures often reflected their traits in the gods they worshipped. A cruel culture had cruel gods. If overindulgent, their gods also. It's true that “those who make them [gods] become like them.” (Psalms 115:8)
Some Christians make God cruel. Others make Him soft. The truth is neither! Sadly, a torturous God is widely believed in Christianity; one wonders if it is a reflection of a cruel Christian culture at heart. I hope to be wrong!
Let's set a few guidelines to help us see the spiritual depth of Jesus’ parable and dispel the false idea of hellfire after death:
Here are three guidelines to realize the parable's spiritual depth and to dispel the idea of hellfire after death:
Death is a condition (a state) and not a place we go to!
The Scriptures speak of aionian (age-long) punish-ment, rather than continual (endless) punish-ing!
A literal interpretation is unreasonable:
The rich go to hell, but the poor go to heaven (unjust);
The poor in heaven feel superior to the rich (unloving).
A drop of water relieves hell’s agony (impossible).
Who did the Parable Target?
Context will help a great deal in knowing why Jesus gave this parable and who it targeted. Just a few verses before our parable, it reads,
"The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16:14-15) ESV
Jesus targeted this parable to the ecclesiastical religious class in his day and today, who ridiculed and scorned him continually. They are described as lovers of money, ridiculers, self-righteous, and haughty. In short, "an abomination" to God. This was one of Jesus' most condemning parables. He did so in their hearing.
The Rich Man and Lazarus?
Who Are They?
Basically, this is a parable, a story presenting spiritual truth. The fictitious characters represent certain groups of people in real life.
The Rich Man:
Represents the disobedient religious class (Pharisees and Scribes) who considered themselves the children of Abraham. Of them, Jesus said,
“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.” (Luke 16:14)
These religious groups possessed spiritual riches (the Law, the scriptures, training) but always looked down on the unlearned poor.
Lazarus:
Lazarus was mentioned by name for a reason. His name means ‘God will help’. So, Lazarus represents all those “poor in spirit,” “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” and believe "God will help". (Matt 5:3,5)
Lazarus desired to be fed ( spiritually ), even if it was crumbs (so little) from the rich man’s table (religious leaders were versed in the scriptures of the law and the prophets, see v. 31) (compare Romans 3:2).
All along, Jesus was aware of the people's spiritual poverty created by the religious groups:
“He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
The Meaning of their Death!
Their death is metaphorical!
The rich man was spiritually dead in the eyes of God and Christ because of his pride, self-righteousness, and love of money.
The poor man also died spiritually because of the spiritual deprivation imposed by the rich man. Note the spiritual declining health of the poor man:
Begged for food (spiritual bankruptcy)
Full of sores (spiritual sickness)
Laid at the gate (spiritual disability)
Fed crumbs (spiritual famine)
Licked by dogs (spiritual abuse by predators. (Compare Phil 3:2)
This paints a picture of the human condition when Jesus came to bring us to God's light.
Where Did Both Go After Death?
After his death, Lazarus was revived spiritually and given close comfort by God because he desired to be filled.
After his death, the rich man remained dead spiritually without God's comfort. Such a terrible condition produced his soul's agony and torment because he was self-righteous.
Those in the Lazarus group receive celestial blessings in this age and after, as Jesus promised,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matt 5:3,5,6)
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And the one hearing, let him say, 'Come!' And the one thirsting let him come; the one desiring, let him take freely the water of life." (Rev 22:17) BLB
How was the Rich Man Tormented?
All forms of the word “TORMENT” convey mental anguish, deep sorrow, and mourning. Nowhere do we find any type of physical torment or suffering associated with the word.
Word Study:
The word torment is the (Greek word, odunaó), translated as torment, meaning to "grieve," "suffer," "be anxious," or "to be in agony".
If the rich man suffered literal flames, the word "Flame of fire" (Gk., 'phloga pyros') could have been easily used instead. But it wasn't because there was no literal fire. His suffering was mental and emotional anguish from being abandoned by God.
What About the Great Gulf or Chasm?
God's light came into the world through Christ. Through him, "the poor and hungry in the spirit" are always nourished.
The "chasm," or "great gulf," was because of the light of Christ, creating a separation between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. The "chasm" is unchangeable ("fixed") between the two spiritual conditions, portrayed by the two men, as expressed by the apostle Paul,
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?
What fellowship has light with darkness?
What accord has Christ with Belial?
What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"
(2 Cor 6:14-16) ESV
The roles are reversed: the rich group is now spiritually impoverished, while the poor group is spiritually rich. "But now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish." (Luke 16:25)
The proud and self-righteous are prevented from crossing over. They have no place in Christ's kingdom.
"Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed . . . those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us." (Luke 16:26)
The Meaning of
the "Cooling of his Tongue"!
The problem with the rich man's group is in their tongue. If he were in fiery hell, why did he only ask to cool his tongue? Because it's an allegory!
The tongue represents man's outer expression of his inner thoughts and desires. The “tongue” is man's inner heart, his old nature, which prevents him from seeing the light of Christ.
“What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behaviour, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Matt 7:20-23)
“The tongue also is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, defiling all the body, and setting on fire the course of nature, and itself being set on fire by Gehenna.” (James 3:6)
What About Torture?
There is no torture in eternal flames. God is loving, merciful, and just. He is a consuming fire (i.e. pure and holy) who cleanses and purifies all unrighteousness and wickedness.
Surely, there will be divine punishment, in this age and after, for those who disregard God and His Son, but not an endless physical suffering in a burning hell as taught in Christendom!
God desires all to repent. Each human has a lifetime to do so. God will judge the wicked on Judgment Day. His wrath, then, will be measured since it says, "He will render to each one according to his deeds". It won't be an endless, fiery, torturous hell.
“God’s kindness leads to repentance. Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"
"But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds.” (Rom 2:4-6)
In Summary
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows vividly God's salvation through Jesus Christ for all who desire to satisfy their spiritual hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Christ condemns the ruling ecclesiastical powers, the false church system that keeps many spiritually impoverished and sick, leading to spiritual death!
The parable reveals the human condition. We are either in the poor man’s group or the rich man’s group. It has nothing to do with physical torment in literal fire in an abode called hell that burns forever!
Let's not distort Jesus’ words to mean something other than what He really meant. The parable teaches us that our only hope out of spiritual poverty and sickness is to go to Christ, who alone can give us "comfort" and "rest".