Luke
Chapter 14
Overview
At a Sabbath meal in the home of a leading Pharisee—a member of a strict Jewish religious movement—Jesus is being watched as carefully as the seating chart. He heals a suffering man, challenges ideas about rest and compassion, and exposes the quiet contest for status around the table. Then his dinner stories widen the guest list to people usually left out. Later, large crowds hear a harder message: following Jesus requires clear-eyed commitment. The chapter moves from social manners to ultimate loyalties, asking what people value when comfort, reputation, and costly choices meet.
1On a Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest, Jesus went to eat a meal at the home of one of the Pharisees’ leaders. The people there were watching him closely.
2In front of Jesus was a man whose body was swollen with fluid.
3Jesus asked the experts in Jewish law and the Pharisees, “Does the Law permit healing on the Sabbath, or not?”
4They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away.
5Then Jesus said to them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well, which of you would not immediately pull him or it out—even on the Sabbath?”
6They could not answer him.
7Jesus noticed how the invited guests were choosing the places of honor, so he gave them this illustration:
8“When someone invites you to a wedding celebration, do not take the place of greatest honor. The host may have invited someone more honored than you.
9Then the host who invited you both will come and say, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you will have to move to the lowest place.
10Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place. Then when your host comes, he will say, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ You will be honored in front of everyone eating with you.
11Everyone who raises themselves up will be brought low, and whoever makes themselves low will be raised up.”
12Jesus also said to his host, “When you give a lunch or dinner, do not invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors. They may invite you back, and then you will have been repaid.
13Instead, when you hold a banquet, invite poor people, people with disabilities, people who cannot walk, and people who are blind.
14Then you will be truly fortunate. They cannot repay you, but you will be repaid when those who have done what is right rise from the dead.”
15One of the people eating with Jesus heard this and said, “How fortunate is anyone who will eat a meal in God’s kingdom, when God rules as king!”
16Jesus replied, “A man was preparing a great dinner and invited many people.
17When it was time for dinner, he sent his slave to tell the invited guests, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
18But one after another, they all began making excuses. The first said to the slave, ‘I bought a field, and I must go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.’
19Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I am going to test them. Please excuse me.’
20Another said, ‘I have just married, so I cannot come.’
21The slave returned and reported these things to his master. The owner of the house became angry and told him, ‘Go quickly into the city’s public squares and narrow streets. Bring in poor people, people with disabilities, people who are blind, and people who cannot walk.’
22The slave said, ‘Master, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’
23The master told him, ‘Go out to the country roads and paths by the fences. Compel people to come in so that my house will be full.
24I tell all of you, not one of those men I first invited will taste my dinner.’”
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned and said to them,
26“Anyone who comes to me but does not put loyalty to me above loyalty to their father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even their own life cannot be my disciple.
27Whoever will not carry their own cross and follow me—even accepting suffering and death—cannot be my disciple.
28Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Would you not first sit down and calculate the cost to see whether you have enough to finish it?
29Otherwise, you might lay the foundation but be unable to complete the building. Then everyone watching would begin to make fun of you.
30They would say, ‘This person started building but could not finish.’
31Or suppose a king is going to meet another king in battle. Would he not first sit down and consider whether his ten thousand soldiers can face the twenty thousand coming against him?
32If he cannot, he will send representatives while the other king is still far away and ask for terms of peace.
33In the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up everything you have.
34Salt is good. But if even salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again?
35It is useful neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. People throw it away. Anyone able to hear should listen!”