![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Many accepted the Scriptural message that Jesus taught and benefited from it. The common people-who had long been neglected by their religious leaders-were now experiencing favor. And they were tormented by the message that Jesus and his followers preached.- Matthew 23:29, 30 Acts 5:29-33. But they experienced death, as it were, when God rejected them and their form of worship because they did not accept Jesus’ message. The Jewish religious leaders thought that they enjoyed God’s favor. The change in circumstances was drastic for both groups. Lazarus symbolized the common people who accepted Jesus’ message and who were despised by the Jewish religious leaders. These religious leaders looked down on the common people.- John 7:49. The rich man evidently symbolized the Jewish religious leaders, “who were money lovers.” ( Luke 16:14) They listened as Jesus spoke, but they opposed his message. The story shows that two groups of people were about to experience a great change in circumstances. How could Abraham be alive in heaven, since Jesus clearly stated that up to the time Jesus related the parable, no one had gone to heaven?- John 3:13. If the rich man were in a literal place of burning torment, would not the fire evaporate the water on Lazarus’ fingertip?Įven if it were not evaporated, would a single drop of water bring the rich man lasting relief from his suffering in a literal fire? Was Jesus teaching lessons about life after death? Did he mean that some people suffer in a hellfire when they die and that Abraham and Lazarus were in heaven? Several facts show that this could not be the case. And the Catholic Jerusalem Bible, in a footnote, states that this is a “parable in story form without reference to any historical personage.” For example, a subheading in the 1912 edition of Luther’s Bible states that this is a parable. The fact that this is a parable is acknowledged by scholars. ![]() This is a parable that Jesus related in order to teach a lesson. ![]()
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