In | Workbook: The Rich Man and Lazarus

Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

In the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man in Luke 16:19-31, the situations of these two men are reversed in death. The rich man begins as an insider and ends on the outside, while Lazarus goes from a place of want and poverty to security and fulfillment. 

There is a chiastic pattern to this parable with the center located in verse 22 when both men die. The pattern involves three layers on either side of the chiastic center.

[Note: If you need instruction on chiasms or just a refresher, refer to the information above, “Interpretation Stop: Literary Structures.”]

1. In your workbook complete the table below—from A, B, C in chiasm—filling in the verse reference and a brief description.

As we’ve seen, Jesus has a lot to say about the last becoming first, and the least becoming the greatest. “The Rich Man and Lazarus” illustrates the point. Nowhere in this parable does Jesus mention any moral virtues or deficiencies. Lazarus is not said to be righteous; the rich man is not said to be wicked. Jesus wants to make it clear that he’s here to reverse worldly values, and that in his kingdom the status and power of earthly wealth will be undone.