18
"But they allalike*began to makeexcuses. The firstonesaid to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; pleaseconsider me excused.'
19
"Anotheronesaid, 'I have boughtfiveyoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; pleaseconsider me excused.'
20
"Anotheronesaid, '1I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot*come.'
21
"And the slavecame back and reportedthis to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'
22
"And the slavesaid, 'Master, what you commanded has beendone, and still there is room.'
23
"And the mastersaid to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.
24
'For I tell you, none of thosemen who were invited shall taste of my dinner.' "
Discipleship Tested
25Nowlargecrowds were goingalong with Him; and He turned and said to them,
26
"2Ifanyonecomes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his ownlife, he cannot* be My disciple.
27
"Whoever does not 3carry his owncross and comeafter Me cannot* be My disciple.
28
"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not firstsitdown and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?