Luke 14

Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy

1 One Sabbath, [Jesus] went to eat in [the] home of a leading Pharisee, and [those in attendance] were watching Him closely. 2 Right there before Him was a man with dropsy. 3 So Jesus asked the experts in the law and [the] Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then [Jesus] took hold [of the man] , healed him, and sent him on his way. 5 And He asked them, “Which of you [whose] son ▼

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or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day {will} not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they were unable to answer these [ questions ] .

The Parable of the Guests

7 When [Jesus] noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, He told them a parable: 8 “When you are invited to a wedding banquet, {do} not sit in the place of honor, in case [someone] more distinguished than you has been invited. 9 Then the host who invited both of you will come [and] tell you, ‘Give this man [your] seat.’ And in humiliation, you will have to take the last place. 10 But when you are invited, go [and] sit in the last place, so that your host will come [and] tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table [with] you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the [one who] humbles himself will be exalted.” 12 Then [Jesus] said to the [man who] had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, {do} not invite your friends [or] brothers [or] relatives [or] rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you {in return} , and you will be repaid. 13 But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, [and] the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Parable of the Banquet

15 When one of those reclining with [Him] heard [this] , he said to [Jesus] , “Blessed [is everyone] who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” 16 But [Jesus] replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many [guests] . 17 [When it was] time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for [everything] is now ready.’ 18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first [one] said, ‘I have bought a field and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to try them [out] . Please excuse me.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’ 21 The servant returned [and] reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry [and] said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, [the] crippled, [the] blind, and [the] lame.’ 22 ‘Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 [So] the master told [his] servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel [them] to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will taste my banquet.’”

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Large crowds were now traveling with [Jesus] , and He turned [and] said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and {does} not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters— yes, even his [own] life— he cannot be My disciple. 27 [And] whoever {does} not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. 28 Which of you, wishing to build a tower, {does} not first sit down [and] count the cost to see if he has [ the resources ] to complete [it] ? 29 Otherwise, if he lays [the] foundation and is unable to finish [the work] , everyone who sees [it] will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’ 31 Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down [and] consider whether he can engage with ten thousand [men] the [one] coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if [he is unable] , he will send a delegation [while the other king] is still far off, to ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.

Good Salt

34 Salt [is] good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned? 35 It is fit neither for [the] soil nor for [the] manure pile, [and] it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”