Summary: In Luke 16, we hear Jesus tell the story of "the rich man" and Lazarus, a poor beggar who lived in the street outside the rich man's house. The rich man had all he could ever want in this life, whereas Lazarus had nothing... but when both the rich man and Lazarus died, they soon found their roles drastically reversed. Lazarus found himself restored and standing at Abraham's side in Heaven, whereas the rich man was subjected to torment in the flames of Hell. Despite the rich man's requests for Abraham to send Lazarus to bring him water and to warn the rich man's brothers, it became clear that the rich man had received his rewards in life, and that Lazarus was no longer below him... literally or figuratively. Jesus' point in telling the story of the rich man and Lazarus was this: Once life on this earth ends, we may be surprised at that "upside down" kingdom we next encounter. Instead of finding our identity in money and other perishable things that can't transfer anywhere after we die (as the rich man did), Jesus shows that we should look to God for our justification instead. Regardless of the state we find ourselves in during life, we can rest assured that our true reward awaits if we build our identity in Christ.
