Luc 16:19-31
19Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day: 20and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried. 23And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And 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 in anguish in this flame. 25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. 26And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they which would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us. 27And he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house; 28for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.
What happens in the parable?
In this parable Jesus tells the story of two men, one very rich and the other with a miserable life. In the first verse Jesus describes how the rich man's life was extremely good. The situation of the poor man, Lazarus, is described in the next two verses, explaining how bad and tragic his life was, starving, begging, hoping for access to the rich man's crumbs, and, with wounds on his body, a life so miserable that the pain relief was the dogs licking their wounds. Both died, first Lazarus, who was taken into Abraham's bosom, and then the rich man, who was taken into Hades.
What does this parable reveal about the Kingdom of God?
As we have already mentioned in previous posts, the parables focus on the Kingdom of God, and we have two important points to emphasize: first, that there is no point in having late repentance, and second, that it is clear that Lazarus was saved, but did not access the Kingdom, after all the Kingdom of God is conquered in effort, doing what God puts in your heart.
The unnamed rich man shows someone who has his heart set on things and money and not purified and aligned with God. This man only regretted the life he led after he saw that he was in hell, and first, he asked Abraham for relief, then he asked to warn his family about what would happen if they did not repent. But Abraham explained that he had every comfort in life and that the living have prophets and the word of God to warn them of how they should live. In conclusion, God's mercy is renewed every day, we have to ask God for forgiveness and change course, do things differently.
Lazarus, who had a life of torment and disgrace, was saved and was close to Abraham's bosom (the cradle of all civilizations) and was saved, but did not access the Kingdom of God, because he did not rule on Earth, and did not do what what he should do to get out of the situation he was in. Unfortunately, many times we blame the situation we are in and we are paralyzed, but we have to move and act to get out of where we are and go to the next level. God guides us, speaking to us in our heart, we have to align our spirit with His, listen and test the infinite possibilities that we will surely find a way out.