Does the story of the rich man and Lazarus teach that when we die, we go directly to heaven or hell?

Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus is either literally true or it is a mere parable.

Here are four reasons why it probably should not be taken literally:

1. The beggar died and was taken by angels to Abraham’s bosom. No one believes that Abraham’s literal bosom is the abode of the righteous dead. It is figurative.

2. Heaven and hell are separated by a gulf, yet the persons depicted here converse with each other. Few theologians believe this could be literally true (Luke 16:26).

3. The rich man was in hell with a body. He had eyes, a tongue, etc. (Luke 16:24). How did his body get into hellfire? No one teaches that the bodies of the wicked go into hell as soon as they die.

4. The request for Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and come through the flames to cool the rich man’s tongue is obviously not literal. How much moisture would be left, and how much relief would it give?

The rich man undoubtedly represented the Jews in this parable because only a Jew would pray to “father Abraham.” The beggar symbolized the Gentiles, who were counted unworthy to receive the truth. In Matthew 15:27, the Canaanite woman acknowledged that her people were beggars at the table of the Jews.

Christ might have chosen the name of Lazarus because later He would actually raise Lazarus from the dead. The main point of the parable is found in verse 31: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” That’s just what happened. The Jewish leaders didn’t believe even when one named Lazarus was raised before them.

Key Bible Texts

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (Luke 16:22 KJV)