Scripture & Life After Death (AQA GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

• The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) is a story Jesus told about what happens to a rich man and a poor man in the afterlife

• It reveals a lot about the nature of the afterlife

• In the story, a rich man lived a life of luxury and ignored Lazarus, the poor, sick beggar at his gate

• When they died, the rich man went to Hades (hell) and suffered, while Lazarus went to “Abraham’s side” (heaven)

• The rich man begged that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue with a drop of water to lessen his “agony”

• Abraham explained to the man that he had already received good things while Lazarus suffered and that now Lazarus is receiving comfort 

• The rich man asked for a chance to warn his brothers to change their ways so they would never join him there

• Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not believe the Scripture, they would not believe a messenger either, even one from heaven

^{Lazarus and the Rich Man” by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0}

The significance of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

• The parable of the Rich man and Lazarus is a cautionary tale that teaches the importance of compassion and generosity in this life

  • Showing kindness and love to others will lead to rewards in heaven

• It shows the consequences of allowing wealth and riches to become too important in life — people may lose empathy and fail to use their wealth to help others

  • The rich man ended up in hell for refusing to help Lazarus, the beggar

• It shows the nature of hell as a place of torment and agony

  • The rich man ended up “far away” from Abraham, showing that the torment comes from being separated from God

• The rich man was aware of Lazarus’s happiness in heaven

  • This reflects the belief that souls in hell are aware of the happiness of those with God in heaven, which worsens their suffering

• When the rich man pleaded for help, Abraham said that there was no way of passing between heaven and hell; a “great chasm” had been fixed

  • This shows that repenting or apologising in the afterlife is not a means to escape hell 

  • A person’s actions and choices in life determine their fate in the afterlife

  • Jesus teaches that there are no second chances after death and that people must follow God’s law in life

• The rich man asked for someone to warn his brothers that heaven and hell are real, but Abraham explained that they already had the teachings of Moses and the prophets

  • This is significant because it teaches that people already have all the knowledge they need in the scriptures about how to get to heaven

  • According to the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YOUCAT), people freely choose to exclude themselves from God, rather than God condemning them to hell