In this parable Jesus pictures the death of two men. One is a rich, self-centered man who had no compassion on the poor, and the other was a beggar named Lazarus. Jesus takes us beyond the grave and lets us see what happens to each as they step into eternity. The passage is meant as a warning against hardening our hearts toward God, thinking that life will go on forever and that we will never have to account for our attitudes. It's also a warning to those who think they can make up excuses for ungodly behavior. We may justify ourselves in our own minds, but we will not fool God at all. 

As we consider the rich man and his hard-hearted family, we will look more closely at the forces that harden a person's heart, and ways in which God is able to soften hearts so a person can be saved before he/she dies. All of us know people who stubbornly resist repenting and turning to God. Understanding why people refuse to turn to God and how God works to win them back to Himself should help us pray for such people and to be more patient while we're waiting. And through it all, we must remember no one loves hard-hearted people more than God (Eze 18:23: Jn 3:16:2Pe 3:9).

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