We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

Voices in the Gospel – Rich Man and Lazarus

The Parable’s Characters as Voices:

A number of characters, actual and unheard (implied) are part of the Gospel “Rich Man and Lazarus”

The Rich Man:

In life, he is a voice of entitlement and greed, showing no compassion for Lazarus. In the afterlife, he becomes a voice of desperate pleading and suffering.

Lazarus:

In life, he is a silent, suffering voice of the poor, ignored by the rich man. In the afterlife, he is carried by angels to a place of honor, a quiet voice of the redeemed.

Abraham:

He is the authoritative voice in the afterlife, representing the ultimate divine judgment and mercy, yet also the impassable divide between the saved and the tormented. He speaks truth to the rich man, explaining why his requests are denied.

Implicit Voices:

The Pharisees:

The parable is framed by Jesus’s interaction with the Pharisees. Their “voice” is heard through their rejection of Jesus’s teachings, even as their beliefs about the afterlife are used in the story to make a point.

Moses and the Prophets:

Abraham references the “Moses and the prophets” as the true source of instruction for his brothers. This is a voice of already-available Scripture that the rich man (and by extension, his brothers) failed to heed.

The Unheard Voices:

The parable can be interpreted as calling attention to the poor, sick, and outcast who are often not heard in society. Lazarus embodies this unheard voice, making a significant impact only after death.

Contemporary views of the Gospel

The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31): Five Scholarly Views

Author

Thesis / Main Argument

Short Quote

Pastoral Implication

Richard Bauckham (The Rich Man and Lazarus: The Parable and the Parallels)

Luke creatively reshapes common folkloric motifs (reversal after death, dead messenger) for theological effect, stressing justice and sufficiency of Scripture.

“The parable makes use of two major narrative motifs…”

Don’t read as folklore or afterlife map; hear it as a summons to heed Scripture and act justly.

Joel B. Green (The Gospel of Luke, NICNT)

Details (Lazarus named, sores, gate) are rhetorical devices emphasizing neighbor-love, social reversal, and ethical responsibility.

“Jesus gives him a name… the only person to be given a name in any of Jesus’ parables.”

Challenges the comfortable to see the poor at their doorstep; Scripture calls to action now.

Amy-Jill Levine (Short Stories by Jesus)

Parable critiques social indifference and exposes values; God’s justice overturns expectations, and Moses/Prophets remain a sufficient summons.

“The parables’ mystery is that they challenge us to look into the hidden aspects of our own values.”

Calls modern hearers to self-examination: are we blind to suffering while secure in privilege?

N. T. Wright (Luke for Everyone)

Parable uses vivid imagery as a warning, not as literal teaching on the afterlife; emphasizes Scripture’s ethical demands.

“The parable … is to be treated precisely as a parable, not as a literal description of the afterlife.”

Read it as a moral warning: wealth and complacency blind us; Scripture already tells us what to do.

Darrell L. Bock (Luke, IVP/Baker)

Unusual afterlife detail used rhetorically to stress reversal and sufficiency of God’s revelation; the rich man’s indifference seals his fate.

“The post-death setting… is unusual. In the OT, when sheol is mentioned, few details are given.”

Emphasizes urgency of repentance and care for the poor; don’t wait for spectacular signs.