The story of the rich man and Lazarus told by Jesus is fascinating on many levels. Some scholars believe this is a real event—as evidenced by Jesus using the name of a specific person, Lazarus. He didn’t use a person’s name in any other parable. Others believe it is fictional account. In either case, though, the lesson holds more than an illustration of eternal destination. The Apostle Luke records the tale:
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 16:19-31
How should we take this story and apply it? First, if we trust that Jesus is God, and God never lies, then we must assume that every element of Jesus’ stories that can be true are indeed true. That is, if Jesus says, “A rich man had two sons…” even if those men are made up characters, every other element is true—a man can exist, a man can be rich, a man can have sons, a man can have more than one son, etc. If Jesus says, “A man dies and goes to heaven,” then this too, must be true—a man can die, a man can go to heaven, etc. Jesus never indicates concepts like heaven, hell, death, the afterlife, are fictional in any way. In fact the Bible as a whole is a narrative about the reality of these concepts.
A parable is a fictional account with a moral truth. If this story is not more than a parable, then the truths it holds are a powerful motivator for developing in personal and spiritual leadership. If it is a true story, then doubly-meaningful is the lesson. The story of the rich man and Lazarus answers the questions, “Why is your influence so very important?” and ”How might you use a leadership role to make a purposeful difference in the lives of those around you?” Think about these facets of this fascinating parable/account…
Heaven and hell are real places. The rich man and Lazarus die, and the first is taken to hell, the second to heaven. These destinations are presented factually as places that exist. The New Testament mentions heaven some 350 times, and hell about 150 times. We’re told specifics about each location. Heaven is described as paradise, full of light, devoid of tears or pain, and a place where God resides. Hell is described as a place of death, destruction, torment, confinement and torture. Most importantly in this particular story, hell is a place away from the presence of God. A key element of the Bible is its teaching that our soul or spirit doesn’t die with our physical death, but we end up in one of two destinations based on our beliefs and actions in life. If heaven and hell are real places, and every person will go to one or the other, any reasonable leader will want to influence those around him toward heaven.
Eternal destinations are permanent. One of the major points Jesus makes through this parable is that where we spend eternity is determined during our lifetimes, and there is no going back—eternal destinations are permanent and irreversible. In leadership we’d like to think that nothing is permanent, and indeed we spend educational energy helping men re-learn and change throughout life and work to better themselves and undo poor decision-making. Spiritually, though, the choices we make now determine our eternal destiny. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…”
When Jesus tells this story, He is talking to the Pharisees, the high religious leaders of His day. Before the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus is focusing on the Pharisees’ love of money, and cautioning them that the gold they treasure on earth is not permanent and undeserving of their love. Their reaction? “The Pharisees… heard all this and were sneering at Jesus” (Luke 16:14). Jesus then reminds these leaders of the great eternal choice they are making now by giving their allegiance to power, prosperity and possessions. He warns them not to attach themselves to anything that will eventually lead them to an eternity apart from God. The story is a stark warning on what we should value in life.
Relationships outlast death. In the story, the rich man can see and recognize people he knew during his lifetime, as well as the beggar Lazarus in paradise. He recognizes and speaks to Abraham in heaven. What did not follow the rich man or Lazarus into the afterlife were their physical ailments on earth, nor their wealth (or lack thereof). In Jesus’ account the only thing that outlasted death were the relationships formed before death. And this is the most poignant lesson of the story: our greatest asset on earth are the relationships we build while we are here, because they are the only things that we carry forward into heaven or hell.
The most important of relationships we have is with Jesus Christ. No accomplishment, amount of money, or level of church involvement is a substitute for knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. We cannot take our homes to heaven. Or our 401Ks. Or our cars. Or our trophies. But we can take our spouse. And we can take our children and grandchildren. And we can take our friends, and business associates, and neighbors. The story of the rich man and Lazarus is a pointed lesson in what is important to the life of a leader: his relationships.
The rich man and regret. After hearing the story of the rich man and Lazarus, most leaders would put themselves in the position of Lazarus, the one who suffered on earth but now is in paradise. But if we’re honest, the story Jesus told has us as the rich man, who put all of his effort into making a life for himself on earth, and missed his greatest eternal opportunity. The story isn’t really so much about heaven and hell and eternal destiny. Rather it is about the rich man’s regret, as he realizes he chose poorly in life, but now can no longer go back and change anything. Upon his death, everything becomes immediately clear—God is in charge, the earth’s riches mean nothing, and the opportunity for heaven is lost.
The lesson Jesus gives the leader in this story is clear. Don’t live for yourself. Don’t die regretting you did not focus on people over possessions. Famous leadership teacher Dr. Stephen R. Covey wrote, “Begin with the end in mind.”[1] On this principle he comments, “People are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope with all of their might.” This is more than a business teaching, it’s something a leader should apply to all areas of life. Are the people you love the most and lead daily headed for an eternity in heaven, or in hell? Are you today in a position to influence them to Christ? And if Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus is true, at least on a spiritual level, then is your investment of time, effort and energy well spent today on those people that matter the very most?
[1] https://asana.com/resources/begin-with-the-end-in-mind#
A parable is a fictional account with a moral truth. If this story is not more than a parable, then the truths it holds are a powerful motivator for developing in personal and spiritual leadership.