Is the Story of Lazarus and the Rich Man a Parable—and Is It About Hell?

What Jesus was—and was not—teaching about the afterlife in Luke 16

*This is part 5 in a series of articles examining the Bible’s teaching on hell. If you have not read parts 1 and 2, I strongly suggest you do. There is important background information presented there, especially in part 1, regarding the various Hebrew and Greek words translated as “hell” in most English Bibles.*

Luke 16:19–31—the story of Lazarus and the rich man—is one of the most frequently cited passages in debates about hell. For many readers, it seems to offer a vivid, almost cinematic description of conscious torment after death, fixed destinies, and a literal geography of the afterlife. But before we build doctrine on it, we need to slow down and ask two foundational questions: Is this story a parable? And is it actually about hell?

There are strong reasons to conclude that this story is in fact a parable. First, it sits in the middle of a series of parables Jesus tells directly to the Pharisees, whom Luke explicitly identifies as “lovers of money” (Luke 16:14). The themes are consistent: wealth, reversal of fortune, accountability, and, most importantly, whether people are truly listening to Moses and the Prophets.

Second, the story begins exactly like many of Jesus’ parables: “There was a rich man…” It employs exaggerated imagery, symbolic reversals, and dramatic dialogue—hallmarks of parabolic teaching. While it is true that Lazarus is named (a rarity in Jesus’ parables), naming does not require historicity. “Lazarus” is simply the Greek form of Eleazar, meaning “God has helped”—a theologically loaded name that functions rhetorically to shame the unnamed rich man.

Finally, Jesus gives no indication that he is recounting an actual event. As with his other parables, the point is not to provide a literal report, but to confront his audience with a warning they cannot easily dismiss.

So, is this story about hell? Likely not. At least, not in the way Jesus usually talks about it, and not in the way that most people think.

The key detail many readers miss is that Jesus does not use the term Gehenna, the word he consistently employs when discussing the place people will be sent after final judgment. Instead, the parable takes place in Hades, a word associated with the intermediate state—the realm of the dead prior to resurrection and final judgment. This alone should give us pause when considering whether or not this story is about hell.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus’ warnings about hell focus on final judgment and the last day. When our Lord discusses hell, he is consistently focused on the place where the unsaved will be cast after the final judgment. Luke 16 contains none of this imagery. There is no final judgment, no resurrection, and no lake of fire—only a dramatic scene about the intermediate state meant to press home a moral and prophetic warning.

And that warning is unmistakable: those who ignore Moses and the Prophets, who harden themselves against God’s revealed will, are in grave danger, no matter how much they perceive God’s blessings in this life. The climax of the story makes this explicit: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” That line is not accidental. It is Jesus preparing his hearers for what is coming and indicting their refusal to listen. No amount of earthly blessing, such as riches and power, should convince the Pharisees that they are in favor with God if they fail to honor Jesus as Lord.

The parable is not a map of hell. It is a prophetic confrontation. The rich man had everything he needed to repent and enter the Kingdom—Scripture, covenant, the opportunity to care for others—but he ignored it all. Lazarus, the overlooked and afflicted one, is vindicated. The reversal is the shock. The tragedy is not the torment the rich man experienced once he arrived in Hades; it is his refusal to listen while he had the chance.

Jesus’ warnings about judgment are serious and real. But Luke 16 is not meant to settle debates about the nature of hell. It is meant to expose the danger of religious privilege without repentance, wealth without mercy, and Scripture without obedience. The real question the parable leaves us with is not, “What is hell like?” It is this: Are we hearing Jesus now, while we still can?

Is the Story of Lazarus and the Rich Man a Parable—and Is It About Hell? - What the Bible Actually Says About Hell, Part 5

Blake Barbera is the founder and Lead Teaching Minister at That You May Know Him. He has been teaching the Bible for more than two decades, and has served the Church in various capacities during that time, including as a missionary and pastor.

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