Matthew 13:34 “Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.” NET.

Mark 4:10-11 “When he [Jesus] was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables...” NET

The parable of the Rich man and Lazarus. This story told by Jesus is thought by many to be a revelation of what happens to people after they die. This parable teaches us our duty to the poor and needy. The love of money is a deception that will lead to our eternal ruin. The imagery of the parable is taken from pagan beliefs not from the writings of Moses. There were people in the audience of Jesus who believed in the pagan idea of the immortality of the soul so Jesus crafted this parable around their belief to teach them a moral lesson on our obligation to the poor and the eternal result of selfishness.