In every way the parable of Lazarus is one of 'trading places.'
Lazarus was no longer the subject of desiring to eat the crumbs from the rich mans table. The roles were reversed. The rich man not longer having what he thought he had and Lazarus in the blessings of God, literally in Abraham's bosom, our own father of faith.
In many ways this depicts our own turning from the possession of the evil one shown here by the unbelievers:
2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
On the day of the death of Lazarus, the messengers did so carry him to the place of comfort. And also reversed the roles of these parties:
Right here is the messenger of Truth, Paul, of carrying us into death:
Romans 6:4
Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death:
When we eat His Bread, His Words, we are also reminded of this fact:
1 Corinthians 26:
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
This is also a picture of the losing of the place of that one who prior covered our own minds and blinded us, yes us:
Matthew 12:43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man,
he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
This is a picture of dry and thirsty ground, were we as Zion abide, thirsting after His Life. And also of our enemies, seeking a return to that house from which he was dispelled.
And we ought to be therein wary of our own habitations, because they do bring more to enter then what first left.
These are pictures of the rich man, divided from us. It is assuredly 'not' a parable about Lazarus and some other guy.
The 5 brothers of the rich man are also the 5 husbands of the woman at the well.
Touch, Taste, Smell, See and Hear. The operations of the FLESH man.
s