The only details we know about the rich man—whose story Jesus told in Luke 16—are what Jesus revealed. And Jesus revealed all that He felt was necessary to make His point.
For example, Jesus gave us no idea how the rich man gained his wealth. It is possible that he gained it legitimately, providing value to willing customers. But we don’t know, and Jesus didn’t say. Jesus did reveal, however, that the rich man was self-indulgent and self-absorbed. He dressed in very expensive clothing, “joyously living in splendor every day” (Luke 16:19).
Jesus also revealed that the rich man had no concern for a very poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus was “laid at the rich man’s gate,” so Lazarus was apparently disabled. He was also “covered with sores” that dogs licked, which would seem to indicate that he was so sick and weak that he could not chase those dogs away. He was obviously very close to death.
All of that is to say, Lazarus was not an underserving, lazy beggar who “should not eat because he was unwilling to work” (2 Thes. 3:1). Rather, he had no alternative but to beg. And apparently, some compassionate friends strategically placed him at the gate of a man who could easily relieve him of his hunger.
Both men in Jesus’ story soon died. Lazarus’ death was not surprising, but it would seem safe to assume that the rich man was caught off guard.
Lazarus found himself in “Abraham’s bosom” with Abraham (who had died about 2,000 years earlier), whereas the rich man found himself in “Hades.” Lazarus was quite comfortable while the rich man was in “agony in flames” and parched with thirst. The rich man, of course, realized he was being punished.
Surprisingly, the rich man could see both Abraham and Lazarus. So, his punishment consisted not only of the agony of being in flames and being desperately thirsty, but also included his ability to see Lazarus enjoying himself.
Surely he figured out that he was reaping exactly what he had sown—just as God has promised everyone (see Gal. 6:7). Previously, Lazarus had “longed to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:21). Now, the rich man longed for just a single drop of water from Lazarus to cool off his tongue. Their circumstances had been reversed. And on earth, the rich man had not extended even the smallest mercy towards suffering Lazarus, and now, in Hades, he did not receive the smallest mercy from Abraham or Lazarus. God was “repaying him according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:5-6), just as He has promised repeatedly in Scripture to do to everyone.
Even more significant, we learn that God had designed their contrasting habitations so that it was impossible to travel from one to the other. Abraham said: “Between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26).
The first part of what Abraham said to the rich man contains an important point that many readers overlook. That God-designed chasm served a two-fold purpose. Not only would it prevent those suffering in Hades from escaping to Abraham’s bosom, but it would prevent those in Abraham’s bosom from crossing the divide to relieve the sufferings of those whom they could see in Hades. And that tells us something significant about the difference between those who ultimately found themselves in Hades and those who ultimately found themselves in Abraham’s bosom. The former were merciless at heart, while the latter were merciful at heart. Had it been possible, Lazarus would have relieved the rich man’s sufferings.
And that should remind us of Jesus’ solemn declaration: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” (Matt. 5:7), as well as James’ antithetical declaration: “Judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy” (Jas. 2:13). The rich man certainly realized those sobering truths when he was denied the minuscule mercy of a single drop of water.
Having lost all hope of gaining any mercy for himself, the rich man entreated Abraham to have mercy on his five brothers by sending Lazarus to warn them, lest they join him in his torment. That request was also denied because, as Abraham explained, the rich man’s brothers had already been warned many times when they heard Moses and prophets read in the synagogue. They all knew that God expected them to “love their neighbors as themselves” (Lev. 19:18). No doubt the rich man had also heard that commandment.
Tragically, those six brothers are analogous to so many professing Christians who have repeatedly heard and ignored two clear New Testament’s warnings that (1) no greedy person will inherit God’s kingdom (Eph. 5:3-5), (2) there is coming a judgment of sheep and goats at which the eternal fates of both the merciful and the merciless will be decided (Matt.25:31-46).
It is important to note that Jesus originally told this story to a crowd that consisted, at least in part, of some Pharisees who were “lovers of money” and who, seconds earlier, were “scoffing” (Luke 16:14) at His warning that, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Luke 16:13). Had anyone asked those Pharisees, “Do you love God?,” all would have affirmed that they did. In their hearts, however, they actually loved and served money, which proved that they didn’t actually love God since “no one can serve two masters.” They were fooling themselves, but not Jesus. Still, He mercifully warned them by telling them a story about a rich man who represented all of them.
I once heard a very famous evangelist preach to the approving roar of his large audience: “The rich man didn’t go to Hades because he was rich any more than Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom because he was poor.” That is certainly true, but Jesus could not have made it more clear why the rich man found himself in Hades. He was a merciless goat (Matt. 25:31-46). He showed no mercy, and so he received no mercy, just as God promised him.
Caring for the “least of these” should be a component of every Christian’s spiritual life (with the exception of those who are the “least of these”). That’s why we founded Heaven’s Family more than 20 years ago, and why I’ve never stopped teaching from the many Bible passages, like Luke 16:19-31, that reiterate the same message. And with the help of thousands of followers of Jesus in more than forty nations, together we’ve invested tens of millions of dollars providing basic necessities for extremely poor believers around the world, and today are helping thousands lift themselves from extreme poverty through agricultural education. If you are moved, visit HeavensFamily.org. Because “blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7).
