Luke 14

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

1 One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat at the house of a leading Pharisee, and they were watching Him close.

2 Right there in front of Him was a man suffering with swelling.

3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

4 But they stayed quiet. So He took the man, healed him, and sent him away.

5 Then He said to them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath, will you not pull him out right away?”

6 They could not say anything back.

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

7 When He noticed how the guests were picking the best seats, He told them a parable:

8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, do not go sit in the place of honor. Someone more important than you might have been invited,

9 and the host will come and say, ‘Give your seat to this person,’ and then you will be embarrassed, having to take the lowest seat.

10 Instead, when you are invited, go sit in the lowest place. Then when the host comes, he will say, ‘Friend, move up higher,’ and you will be honored in front of everyone.

11 Because everyone who lifts themselves up will be humbled, and the one who humbles themselves will be lifted up.”

12 Then He said to the one who invited Him, “When you give a lunch or dinner, do not just invite your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors, because they can invite you back and repay you.

13 Instead, when you throw a banquet, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, the blind.

14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot pay you back. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Parable of the Great Banquet

15 One of the guests heard this and said, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16 Jesus said, “A man was preparing a big banquet and invited many people.

17 When it was ready, he sent his servant to tell those invited, ‘Come, it is ready now.’

18 But they all started making excuses. One said, ‘I just bought a field, and I need to go check it, please excuse me.’

19 Another said, ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them, please excuse me.’

20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I cannot come.’

21 The servant came back and told his master. Then the owner of the house got upset and said, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in the poor, the disabled, the blind, and the lame.’

22 The servant said, ‘What you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 Then the master said, ‘Go out to the roads and country paths and compel them to come in so my house will be full.

24 I am telling you, none of those who were originally invited will taste my banquet.’”

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them,

26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate their own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, even their own life, they cannot be My disciple.

27 Whoever does not carry their cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.

28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, will you not first sit down and count the cost to see if you have enough to finish it,

29 Otherwise, after you lay the foundation and cannot finish, everyone will start clowning you,

30 saying, ‘This person started building but could not finish.’

31 Or suppose a king is going to war against another king, will he not first sit down and consider whether he can take on the one coming against him with more troops,

32 If not, he sends a delegation while the other is still far off and asks for terms of peace.

33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything they have cannot be My disciple.”

Salt Without Flavor

34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its taste, how can it be made salty again,

35 It is not good for the soil or the manure pile, it gets thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, hear.”