Parables Of Jesus Christ

The parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
"There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side.The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house- for I have five brothers-so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"
When i started looking at the parables of jesus i didnt go through the scriptures to find the parables. I cheated and looked up google which gave me 51 parables. This being one of them. I did notice unusually it didnt say parable of the rich man and lazarus. Looking deeper into it i now know why. This passage has been the focus of much controversy. Is it historical account of actual events or is it a parable? This took loads of thought, research and prayer. Lets look at the passage closer .
People who interpet this narrative as a true incident have several reasons for doing so. The story is never called a parable. Many other of Jesus's stories are designated as parables, such as the parable of sower and the seed (Luke 8:4). Also,the story of the rich man and Lazarus uses the actual name of a person. Such specificity would set it apart from ordinary parables, in which the characters are not named. Looking at this it doesnt seem to fit the definition of a parable, ie presentation of a spiritual truth using an earthly illustration. The story of the rich man and Lazarus presents spiritual truth directly, with no earthly metaphor. The setting for most of the story is the afterlife, as opposed to the parables, which unfold in earthly contexts.Opposite to that others maintain that this story is a parable and not an actual incident that occurred. What they point out that Jesus's standard practice of teaching was to use parables . They dont consider that the points above really shows it isnt a parable. Also,there are some aspects of the account that do not seem to agree with the rest of Scripture. For example, can people in hell and people in heaven see each other and speak to each other?
To be honest it isnt important if the story is a true incident or a parable, the teaching behind it remains the same. Even if it is not a "real" story, it is realistic. Parable or not, Jesus plainly used this story to teach that after death the unrighteous are eternally separated from God, that they remember their rejection of the Gospel, that they are in torment, and that their condition cannot be remedied. In Luke 16:19-31, whether parable or literal account, Jesus clearly taught the existence of heaven and hell as well as the deceitfulness of riches to those who trust in material wealth.
What comes to mind her is the mystery of god. "the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people". Colossians 1:26
God is the one who knows all things, even that which the human mind could never know or finds incomprehensible. So is it a parable or true events i let you decide.