Questions and Answers  What about the rich man and Lazarus?
Text in question: Luke 16:19–31   There has been much debate in
the Christian world over the true meaning of the story of “the
rich man and Lazarus,” spoken by Jesus. The various arguments
tend to boil down to a single issue: Is the story a true tale of
the characters involved, or is it a parable?  Those who
understand the story literally tend to argue two main points:
that life continues immediately after death, either in heaven or
hell, before the return of Jesus Christ; and that hell is a
place of eternal torment. Those who consider the story as a
parable tend to look for the spiritual meaning rather than the
literal one. Why is there such confusion?  The story follows a
long line of parables told by Jesus in the book of Luke. In
chapter 14, we find the parable regarding prominent places at
the dinner table, the parable of the great banquet, and several
parables about the cost of following Christ. In chapter 15, we
find the parable of the lost sh