The first time the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man was told was in a culture very different from ours. It was a world where there were an elite few that held power and wealth over the vast majority. There was no middle class. There was no working your way to the top through hard work. It was a world where you were born into a particular class and that is where you remained. This is often referred as a premodern domination society.
As humanity emerged from horticultural society into an agricultural society, this type of society first developed. As larger and larger farms developed, cities began to develop for the first time in history. With the first cities, the governing class emerged. As did a protector class. This governing and protector class lived off the wealth of the society. Over time, they became increasingly powerful and wealthy.
Justin R. Clark 