- The rich man is dressed in linen and purple, a color reserved for royalty, and a fabric associated with luxury.
- The rich man’s family has access to “Moses and the prophets,” (v.29), a reference the Hebrew scriptures
- The rich man also calls Abraham "Father Abraham", (v. 24), something that only an Israelite would do.
- The beggar, Lazarus, is an outsider. He lived a miserable existence outside the rich man's house, hoping to glean just a few crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table.
- Lazarus lives with the dogs, a derogatory name used for Gentiles. Look at the story found in Matthew 15:21-28, where a Gentile woman asks Jesus for help. Jesus initially refuses her, indicating that He had come for the “house of Israel.” (v.24) “It is not meet,” Jesus says, “to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs.” Her reply? "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (v.27)
19 “Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, living it up in luxury every day.
20 But a poor man named Lazarus had been laid at his gate, covered with sores
21 and longing to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides, even the dogs were coming to lick his sores.
22 “It happened that the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Then the rich man also died and was buried.
23 And from Sheol, as he was in torment, he raised his eyes. And he sees Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his side.
24 So he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! And send Lazarus so he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, because I am suffering torment in this flame.’
25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your life you received your good things, even as Lazarus received the bad things.
26 Besides all this, between us and you a great chasm is firmly set, so that those who want to cross over to you cannot, nor can those from there cross over to us.
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘I beg you then, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house!
28 For I have five brothers to warn, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham says, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’
30 “But he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!’”