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It is a fundamental principle of biblical interpretation that any text should be read in light of its context, and nowhere is that more true than in the case of this story told by Jesus. Notice the verses which set the stage for this parable.
1. The text says that when Jesus had finished his teaching on riches and stewardship, "the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, . . . were scoffing at Him" (v. 14). The rich man and his brothers in the parable also were lovers of money. By his behavior regarding Lazarus, the rich man scoffed at all the Old Testament teaching about care of the poor and the proper use of wealth.
2. Jesus warns the Pharisees that they justify themselves in the sight of men, but that God knows their hearts. What men esteem highly is detestable in God's sight (v. 15). In the parable following, the rich man was highly esteemed in man's eyes (traditional Jewish piety regarded wealth as a sign of God's favor) and Lazarus was despised. But both men die, in the parable, and God's estimation of them prevails as the tables are turned.
3. Jesus stresses the urgency of the times. These are critical days, he emphasizes, and people need to heed God's word while they can (v. 16-17). This, of course, is the focal point of the parable. The rich man did not listen to God's word while he had opportunity, and his brothers who survive him make the same mistake. He learns by experience the folly of such a course, after it is too late.
4. The saying about divorce seems out of place here in verse 18. Some think it was a "floating" saying that became attached to this text erroneously. I find it fascinating, however, that Jesus/Luke follow the same topical order found in Deuteronomy 23:21--24:22, one of the texts in "Moses" which the Rich Man's family regularly ignored (v. 29, 31). There, as here, the order of topics is (a) Selfishness, (b) Divorce, and (c) Rich and Poor.
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Some argue that this story cannot be a parable because Jesus says "there was a certain rich man" and "a certain poor man." However, Jesus also introduces the story of the Unrighteous Judge by saying "there was in a certain city a judge," yet Luke tells us that story is a parable (Lk. 18:1-2). Similarly, the story of the Pharisee and the Publican begins with "two men went up into the temple to pray," and that story, too, is a parable (Lk. 18:9-10). Not only is the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus a parable, scholars of first-century Jewish literature have found it in a dozen forms. Jesus simply borrows a well-known tale and changes the details to make his own points.
Some insist that every detail in this story must be literal, for "Jesus would not mislead by teaching what is not real." These well-meaning interpreters confuse form with substance and mistake incidentals for the point. Parables usually contain one or two intended truths, communicated by an imaginary story. No one really believes that Jesus endorsed all the details here. A drop of water on the tongue would not stop the pains of fiery torture! We need not take this parable literally in order to take it seriously.
This story has long been misused to teach about the final punishment of the wicked in hell. Yet all the scenes in this story occur before the Judgment -- while earthly life goes on, while Moses and the Prophets are the "last word" for the story's all-Jewish characters. Whatever this parable portrays, it is not final punishment. Others use this story to teach about an intermediate state between death and resurrection, although the context (see the previous gracEmail) has nothing to do with that subject at all. Even scholars who believe that hell will involve unending conscious torture are now beginning to admit both these points.
This is a powerful parable to which we should listen, in context, for its own truths. Only God's estimation of us finally matters, not that of other humans. It is perilous to ignore God's Word and to trust in the praise of other people. Now is the time to respond to God's Word, including what it says about caring for the poor.
For more on after death, click here.