Luke 14
1 One Sabbath Jesus went to have a meal at the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees where they watched him closely.
Then it happened, when He entered the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they were watching Him closely.
2 A man was there whose arms and legs were swollen.
And then, there in front of Him was a man who had dropsy!
3 So Jesus asked the experts in religious law and the Pharisees, “Does the law allow healing on the Sabbath, or not?”
And Jesus reacted by saying to the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
4 But they kept quiet. Jesus touched the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.
But they kept silent. So He took hold of him, healed him, and let him go.
5 Then Jesus said to them, “If your son or your ox happened to fall into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you go and pull him out immediately?”
Then He addressed them saying, “Which of you, if a son or an ox falls into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”
6 They weren't able to give an answer.
And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
7 So he told a story to the guests, noticing how they'd chosen to sit in places of honor.
Then He told a parable to those who were invited, having observed how they kept trying for the best places, saying to them:
8 “When you're invited to a wedding reception, don't take the place of honor, because someone more important than you may have been invited,” he began.
“Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline in the place of honor, in case someone more honorable than you has been invited by him;
9 “Your host who invited you both will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then in embarrassment you'll have to move to whatever place is left.
then he who invited you both will come and say, ‘You, give this man place!’ and then, with shame, you start to take the lowest place.
10 Instead, when you're invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes in, he'll tell you, ‘My friend, please move to a better seat.’ Then you'll be honored before all the guests sitting with you.
Rather, whenever you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor in the presence of your fellow guests.
11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Then he said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don't invite your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or your rich neighbors, for they may invite you back, and then you'd be repaid.
Then He said directly to His host: “Whenever you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.
13 Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
But whenever you make a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14 and you will be blessed, for they have nothing to repay you with, and you'll be rewarded at the resurrection of the good.”
and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you—you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15 When one of them eating at the table with Jesus heard this, he said to Jesus, “How wonderful it will be for those who feast in the kingdom of God!”
Well when one of the fellow-recliners heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who will eat dinner in the Kingdom of God!”
16 “Once there was a man who prepared a great banquet, and invited many guests,” Jesus replied.
So He said to him: “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many.
17 “When it was time to eat he sent his servant out to tell everyone who had been invited, ‘Come, because the banquet's ready.’
And at meal time he sent his slave to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
18 But they all started to make excuses. The first said, ‘I've just bought a field and I have to go and see it. Please excuse me.’
But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him: ‘I bought a field, and I need to go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19 Another said, ‘I've just bought five pairs of oxen and have to go and try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said,
Another said: ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20 ‘I've just got married, so I can't come.’
Yet another said, ‘I have married a wife, and so I cannot come.’
21 The servant returned and told his master what they'd said. The home-owner became angry and told his servant, ‘Quickly, go out into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
So that slave came and reported these things to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
22 Then the servant said, ‘Master, I did what you told me, but there are still empty places.’
And the slave said, ‘Master, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’
23 So the master told the servant, ‘Go out on the country roads and lanes, and make people come—I want my house to be full.
Then the master said to the slave: ‘Go out to the roads and hedges and make people come in, so that my house may be filled.
24 I tell you, not a single one of those people I invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet!’”
25 A large crowd was accompanying Jesus. He turned to them and said,
Now large crowds were traveling with Him, and turning He said to them:
26 “If you want to follow me but you don't hate your father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters—even your own life—you can't be my disciple.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 If you don't carry your cross and follow me, you can't be my disciple.
And whoever does not carry his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 If you planned to build a tower, wouldn't you first work out how much it would cost, and see if you had enough money to complete it?
“Further, which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
29 Otherwise, if after laying the foundation you weren't able to finish it, everyone who saw it would laugh at you, saying,
This so he does not lay a foundation without being able to finish, and all who see it begin to ridicule him,
30 ‘Look at him: he started building but he couldn't finish it.’
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 What king goes to war with another king without first sitting down with his advisors to work out whether he and his ten thousand can defeat the one marching against him with twenty thousand?
“Or what king, going to engage another king in battle, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If he can't, he'll send representatives to ask for peace while the other king is still a long way off.
And if not, while the other is still far away he sends a delegation and asks for terms for peace.
33 In the same way every one of you who doesn't give up everything can't be my disciple.
“So likewise, any of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.
34 Salt is good, but if it loses its taste, how can you make it salty again?
Salt is good; but should the salt become insipid, with what can it be seasoned?
35 It's no good for the soil or for fertilizer—you just toss it out. Whoever has ears, then listen!”
It is fit for neither soil nor fertilizer; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
