Does the story of Lazarus prove hellfire?

In the previous columns in this series we’ve done our best to ‘turn the hose on hell’, as an old expression goes.

The Bible is very clear that the dead are asleep, that their thought processes have ended, that they know nothing. (Eccl. 9:5, 10; Ps. 146:4) That is incontrovertible – the dead are asleep and will continue to sleep until they are raised from the grave.

But we haven’t convinced everyone. Those whose sense of justice demands that bad people be eternally tormented in fire still have one card up their sleeve: Jesus’ parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. So let’s take a close look at that. 

[Just in case anyone is confused, the Lazarus Jesus resurrected, brother of Martha and Mary, was a real person. The 'Lazarus' in this parable, or illustration, is an unrelated fictitious character.] 

Here's how the parable starts: 

“Now the Pharisees, who were money lovers, were listening.”(Luke 16:14-31)

Who is the parable addressed to? The Pharisees. Which of their qualities does the introduction emphasize? Their greed.

 But that isn’t the only descriptor. It next says, “They began to sneer at him.” This highlights their contempt for others. Is that important? Let’s look at another account where they sneered:

“The officers replied: “Never has any man spoken like this.” In turn the Pharisees answered: “You have not been misled also, have you? Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he? But this crowd who do not know the Law are accursed people.”” (John 7:46-49)

What was the relationship between the Pharisees and “this crowd” supposed to be? The Pharisees were their teachers. What kind of teachers sneer at, insult, their students?

“The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these [complimentary] things about [Jesus], and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize him.” (John 7:32)

“. . .the crowd went to meet him, because they heard he had performed this sign. So the Pharisees said among themselves: “You see that you are not getting anywhere. Look! The whole world has gone after him.”” (John 12:18, 19)

The Pharisees called the uneducated masses by the Hebrew term ʽam ha·ʼaʹrets. Politely, that translates as “people of the land.” Less politely, it was their way of calling them ‘dirt people’. They regarded the common people as ignorant of the Mosaic Law, who didn’t observe or even know the minutiae of Jewish traditions their leaders tried to burden them with.

So Jesus scathing remarks to the Pharisees make more sense as he continues:

“You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is considered exalted by men is a disgusting thing in God’s sight.”

Again, highlighting their second negative trait: pride. He went on:

 “The Law and the Prophets were until John. From then on, the Kingdom of God is being declared as good news, and every sort of person is pressing forward toward it. Indeed, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to go unfulfilled.”

Jesus’ words here focus on the change that began with John the Baptist’s ministry. 'The Law was until John.' Jesus is not insulting the Law; he is emphasizing the significant change the Pharisees failed to notice. When John’s ministry began preparing the nation for the messiah, that change began. When Jesus completed his ministry, that change would be complete. Next he says:

 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

Some commentators suggest that Luke or copyists here inserted words that belong somewhere else, but there is no reason to believe that. Jesus is still talking about the Law, and the changed circumstance he introduced in the previous sentence. The relationship between the people and the Law, represented by religious leaders, was much like a marriage. If the people left the Law to begin following his teachings would be tantamount to adultery. The appropriate end of the former relationship had to be more like a death - a complete break. (Paul made exactly the same argument in Romans 7:2-6.)

And now we are better positioned to understand Jesus’ illustration of the Rich man and Lazarus.

“There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and linen, enjoying himself day after day with magnificence. But a beggar named Lazarus used to be put at his gate, covered with ulcers and desiring to be filled with the things dropping from the table of the rich man. Yes, even the dogs would come and lick his ulcers. Now in the course of time, the beggar died and was carried off by the angels to Abraham’s side. Also, the rich man died and was buried. And in the Grave he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and he saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus by his side. So he called and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this blazing fire.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you had your fill of good things in your lifetime, but Lazarus for his part received bad things. Now, however, he is being comforted here, but you are in anguish. And besides all these things, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to go over from here to you cannot, neither may people cross over from there to us.’ Then he said, ‘That being so, I ask you, father, to send him to the house of my father, for I have five brothers, in order that he may give them a thorough witness so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these.’ Then he said, ‘No, indeed, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

The last line was an arrow into the heart of Pharisaical thinking: If they were not persuaded by their clear understanding of the pronouncements of Moses and other prophets that he, Jesus, was the messiah, they were not going to be persuaded even when he rose from the dead.

Now, let’s tear the story down further. What sins did the rich man commit that got him consigned to ‘hell’? None. Just being rich. But surely that isn’t enough to send someone to hell, is it? We are told that Lazarus ‘desired’ to eat what fell from the rich man’s table… does Jesus say the rich man prevented Lazarus from eat the scraps? No.

While we’re on that subject: what did the beggar Lazarus do to gain the great privilege of going to ‘heaven’ to lie in Abraham’s bosom? (Ignoring the fact that Jesus had already told the Pharisee Nicodemus that Abraham wasn't in heaven. John 3:13)What faith or deeds did Lazarus display? If we take Jesus’ words literally then all rich people go to hell, just for being rich; and all poor beggars go to heaven, just for being poor! 

Jesus was not teaching hellfire. He was simply describing the change, how the 'dirt people' were now being comforted by his ministry, at the same time that the Pharisees were being tormented by it.

According to Josephus, the Pharisees believed in immortality of the soul. They also believed that the “souls of bad men are subject to eternal punishment.” Does that mean that we should believe that, or that Jesus believed that? Certainly not. 

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told the people, “You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” Who had the people “heard” this said by? Their religious teachers, including the Pharisees. But Jesus wasn’t teaching that. Neither was he teaching that the poor go to heaven and the rich go to hell. Nor was he teaching that a dead person could be tormented, nor that Abraham was alive somewhere – How could Jesus teach things that contradict clear statements in the scriptures? (Eccl. 3:20; Ps. 104:29)

No real ‘rich men’ were harmed in the making of this illustration. And there is no biblical basis for believing in hellfire. 

 Please feel free to leave a comment. To go to the previous column in this series click here. 

 Bill K. Underwood is a columnist and author of several books. You can help support this channel by clicking on this link to purchase one of his books at Amazon.com.