Conversely, Lazarus was covered with sores, was hungry, and had only dogs to lick his sores. In his lifetime, the rich man ostentatiously displayed his wealth with beautiful clothes and lavish feasts. The story begins with a drastic reversal that happens after these two men die (16:19-23).
By contrast, Lazarus is the only name given to anyone in Jesus’ parables it means El-azar, “God has helped.” (There appears to be no connection between this Lazarus and the resuscitated man in John 11:1-44.) The rich man has no name, although he’s been given various names in later history such as Dives, which means “rich” in Latin.
The fates of these two individuals after death are very much tied to their experiences of wealth and poverty in this life. As much as we would like to spiritualize the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, it is very difficult to explain away its central message, especially given what Luke has to say about money and possessions elsewhere in his Gospel.