Who Is Lazarus?

It is interesting to note that in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, that only Lazarus is named.
In all the parables that Jesus told, no one ever had a name.
Yet in this one, the poor man is named.
This has raised a lot of questions as to whether or not it is a parable or a story.
However, given the context, and the rest of the parable, it remains clear that it is indeed a parable.
The rich man in the parable was dressed in priestly garments, therefore, he represented the Jewish leaders at the time, and in today's world, you could say that he represents the preachers.
Lazarus on the other hand, was poor, but yet, he had a name.
According to some scholars, Lazarus is the same name as Eliezer, who was the top servant of Abraham.
Since Abraham did not have children until he was old, he was worried that when he would die, that his estate would go to Eliezer.
However, God promised Abraham yet once more that he would have a son, and that he would be the heir, and not Eliezer.
What is interesting to note, is that Eliezer was a Gentile.
Therefore, it is safe to say that Lazarus represents the Gentiles.
He was poor, and covered in sins, and laid at the rich man's gate.
This means that Lazarus was poor spiritually, and he was covered in sins.
He longed for righteousness, and would have been satisfied with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table.
The crumbs represent a tiny fraction of the gospel.
But, the rich man was too concerned about himself and allowed Lazarus to suffer.
So, the dogs, came and licked his sores.
Who are the dogs? When the Bible speaks about dogs, it speaks of abomination.
So, in other words, Lazarus was desperately trying to know the gospel, but the rich man would not feed him, and so the worst people of the world (the dogs) came and helped Lazarus.
There are many preachers today, who have many Lazaruses laying at their front gates, but they refuse to help them.
When you ask them sincere questions about the Bible, they feel threatened, and therefore, will either not answer by beating around the bush, or they will just bark at you for asking.
There are many times when I have received more help from people who did not profess to believe in God, than I ever did from religious leaders.