The rich man enjoyed all the good things this earth has to offer, Lazarus on the other hand enjoyed none of them. The Talmud refers to ‘paradise’ or ‘Abraham’s bosom’ as the home of the righteous; Hades or Sheol is the place to which the unrighteous are sent. Lazarus (the poor man) goes to heaven/paradise, the rich man to the other place.
A recurring theme in Luke’s Gospel is the dangers of wealth. The rich man wasn’t in hell simply because he was wealthy but because of his selfish attitude towards the good things he had. He simply didn’t care about the poor – he cared only about himself. It was his selfishness that sent him to hell.
Rather amusingly, so entrenched in his own thinking and so wedded to his own class system that, even when he can see Lazarus enjoying the blessings of heaven, he still regards the former beggar as his errand boy, asking first that he bring him a drop of water to cool his tongue and then that he forewarn his brothers of the fate that awaits them. His conceit, arrogance and lack of compassion for the poor man continue into eternity.
There is a tragedy running through the parable, and the tragedy is this: after death he begins to experience a change of heart. He wants to warn his nearest and dearest so that they can avoid his fate, but it is too late. His request is denied because the Law and the Prophets have already made clear what God requires. God wants us to love our fellow human beings. After death there is no opportunity for repentance and conversion because today is the day of salvation, today is the time of repentance, today is the day to believe that Jesus is the Resurrection, the Way the Truth and the Life.
