Verse 19
Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day.
THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
The Latin word for "rich man" is dives, and this is sometimes used as a proper name; but Jesus left him nameless.
Clothed in purple ... Ancient craftsmen of Tyre discovered a process of making a very expensive and durable purple dye from the murex shell;[37] and, due to its cost, it could be afforded only by royalty and the very rich. From this, "royal purple" has entered into the vocabulary of all nations.
Fine linens ... faring sumptuously ... These are additional touches to show the extravagant luxury in which the rich man lived. It should be noted that there is no hint of any unrighteous acquisition of wealth, nor of any overt, sinful action against Lazarus, nor even any hint that he denied the crumbs desired by the beggar. It is his total indifference to human suffering at his very gate which looms so ominously in the parable.
And is this a parable? It would appear to be certain that it is; the placement of it alone is sufficient grounds for understanding it as a parable. Besides that, the element of Abraham presiding over Paradise forces one to seek an analogy. It is God, not Abraham, who has custody and control of the departed dead.
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