ABRAHAM’S BOSOM – LUKE 16.19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Based on an original study by J. Preston Eby

https://www.godfire.net/eby/abrahams.html

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is one of the most misunderstood stories in the Bible. In order to correctly understand it we must understand our Hebrew foundation and to whom Yeshua was speaking when he told this parable.

Yeshua continually spoke in parables to the Jewish people of his day. A parable is an analogy—a short allegorical story designed to convey a truth or moral lesson: Random House College Dictionary—which could even be a fable, so long as it is told to illustrate essential points of truth. Allegory: a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another: Random House College Dictionary.

Yeshua was not speaking about heaven or hell—he was speaking in condemnation to the leadership of the nation. Yeshua spoke in parables “because it is given unto you (disciples) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given”, Matt 13.10-11

The rich man represents the Jewish nation, and the hypocritical Pharisees, scribes, and doctors of the law, which at that time enjoyed the favor and blessing of God above all nations of the earth. They are clothed in purple (royalty) and linen (righteousness) as they are called to be a nation of kings and priests.

Lazarus represents the people lying at Judah’s gate who were recipients of none of the blessings so lavishly bestowed upon the Jewish nation. He represents the Gentile nations—dog’s in the eyes of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Gentiles were “alien from the commonwealth of Israel, a foreigner from the covenants of promise, without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world.” Ephesians 2.12

This parable is really prophesying about the incredible changing of places between the Jews and the Gentiles! The rich man will be estranged and impoverished while Lazarus is promoted to “Abraham’s bosom”—the place of honor, blessing, and close personal relationship to God.

Think about this for a minute—if this is truly describing heaven and hell then heaven is no place of peace and joy. We see a gulf between the two—both those in heaven and those in hell can see and talk to each other. If you are a mother or father of someone in hell and you see them suffering everyday how can that be heaven? Could anyone enjoy the bliss of heaven when they see their loved ones across the gulf suffering in torment every day? This is a parable. This is not describing heaven and hell—it is about Yeshua being rejected by his own and the grace being given to the Gentile nations!

“Abraham’s bosom” is a place of favor. The Pharisees, when rejecting Yeshua’s claims of Messiahship said, “Abraham is our father.” Yeshua replied, “If Abraham was your father you would know who I was.”

The Jewish people had received the covenants, the promises, the elaborate temple and sacrificial system, the holy law, and blessings of Yahweh. They were blessed among all nations and were to be a light to the nations. They had become sectarian and despisers of all other nations. They wouldn’t even enter a Gentle’s house (Acts 10.28). They were self-righteous, hypocritical, and burdened the people with legalism. Yeshua was telling them that their place of favor in “Abraham’s bosom” was coming to an end.

In this parable the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brethren that he would testify to them. Who are these five brethren? The leadership of Yeshua’s time was the house of Judah—the Jews in our current world. Judah was Leah’s son and he had five other brothers from the same mother; Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Zebulun. These were their blood brothers. The leadership of the day knew exactly what Yeshua was talking about. They were very conscious of their past generations and history.

The book of 1 Chronicles 1 - 9 painstakingly lists the genealogies of the Jewish people. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah also have long genealogies of those who are “Jewish”. Yeshua was explicitly telling them they were going to lose their position of favor by rejecting Him.

This parable has nothing to do with what heaven and hell are—it is about Yeshua being rejected by His own and the grace that would be extended to the Gentiles. The Biblical number of grace is five—the five brethren represent this grace now being given to the Gentile nations.

At the end of this current age the Jewish people will cry out, “Hosanna (save us), blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” and they will once again be grafted back into the olive tree and restored to the place of favor—“Abraham’s bosom.” Ref: Zechariah 12-14.

When we carefully read Yeshua’s parables we see he is speaking to the Jewish nation and warning them not to reject Him. We have forgotten the Hebrew roots of our faith and have been interpreting these parables in a Greco-Roman mind set of understanding rather than in the original Hebraic understanding.

We have been grafted into Israel due to their disobedience. We have not replaced them. The time of the Gentiles is coming to a close and the two houses of Judah and Ephraim are going to be reunited. It will be a glorious day when the two become one new man—Jew and Gentile together in Yeshua!

Yeshua came to save Israel. His ministry was focused on the Jewish people. It was only after his resurrection that the Gentiles were included. Yeshua reluctantly healed Gentiles during his ministry—He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. The commission to go to all nations came after his resurrection. Below are additional scriptures to corroborate this and to give further depth to the above parable:

Matt 15.22-28, Mark 7.24-30, Ephesians 2.11-22, John 4.1-26, Genesis 22.8