The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is found at the end of a discourse that Jesus began back in Luke 15 in response to the Scribes and Pharisees grumbling because Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.
He responds with five parables: The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin, The Parable of the Lost Son, and Parable of the Unjust Steward and now the Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus.
All of these parables are indictments against those who have been given the responsibility of shepherding God’s people but have used their position for their own ends instead of God’s.
In addition to giving us some very specific information about the afterlife, the parable is a warning to the Scribes and Pharisees, and an invitation to repent and enter the Kingdom of God.
The Good Shepherd has come to seek and save those who are lost, both those lost in their badness and those lost in their goodness.
