Luke 14

A Man Suffering from Edema Healed

1 And it happened that when he came to the house of a certain one of the leaders of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat {a meal}, they were watching him closely.

2 And behold, a certain man was in front of him, suffering from edema.

3 And Jesus answered [and] said to the legal experts and Pharisees, saying, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"

4 But they remained silent. And he took hold of [him] [and] healed him, and sent [him] away.

5 And he said to them, "Who among you, [if your] son or [your] ox falls into a well on the day of the Sabbath, will not immediately pull him out?"

6 And they were not able to make a reply to these [things].

The Parable of the Guests at the Wedding Feast

7 Now he told a parable to those who had been invited [when he] noticed how they were choosing for themselves the places of honor, saying to them,

8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline at the table in the place of honor, lest [someone] more distinguished than you has been invited by him,

9 and the one who invited you {both} will come [and] say to you, 'Give the place to this person,' and then with shame you will begin to take the last place.

10 But when you are invited, go [and] recline at the table in the last place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then it will be an honor to you in the presence of all those who are reclining at the table with you.

11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

The Parable of the Great Banquet

12 And he also said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, lest they also invite you [in return], and repayment come to you.

13 But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

14 and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous."

15 Now [when] one of those reclining at the table with [him] heard these [things], he said to him, "Blessed [is] {everyone who} will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

16 But he said to him, "A certain man was giving a large banquet and invited many.

17 And he sent his slave at the hour of the banquet to say to those who have been invited, 'Come, because now it is ready!'

18 And they all {alike} began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field, and {I must} go out to look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.'

19 And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. I ask you, consider me excused.'

20 And another said, 'I have married a wife, and for this [reason] I am not able to come.'

21 And the slave came [and] reported these [things] to his master. Then the master of the house became angry [and] said to his slave, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame!'

22 And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.'

23 And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and press [them] to come in, so that my house will be filled!

24 For I say to you that none of those persons who were invited will taste my banquet!'"

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now large crowds were going along with him, and he turned around [and] said to them,

26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, {he cannot be} my disciple.

27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and {follow} me {cannot be} my disciple.

28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down [and] calculate the cost [to see] if he has [enough] {to complete it}?

29 {Otherwise} [after] he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish [it], all who see [it] will begin to ridicule him,

30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish!'

31 Or what king, going out to engage another king in battle, does not sit down first [and] deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand.

32 But if not, [while] [the other] is still far away, he sends an ambassador [and] asks {for terms of} peace.

33 In the [same] way, therefore, every [one] of you who does not renounce all his own possessions {cannot be} my disciple.

34 "Now salt [is] good, but if salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be made salty?

35 It is usable neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it out. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Luke 14 Commentary

Chapter 14

Christ heals a man on the sabbath. (1-6) He teaches humility. (7-14) Parable of the great supper. (15-24) The necessity of consideration and self-denial. (25-35)

Verses 1-6 This Pharisee, as well as others, seems to have had an ill design in entertaining Jesus at his house. But our Lord would not be hindered from healing a man, though he knew a clamour would be raised at his doing it on the sabbath. It requires care to understand the proper connexion between piety and charity in observing the sabbath, and the distinction between works of real necessity and habits of self-indulgence. Wisdom from above, teaches patient perseverance in well-doing.

Verses 7-14 Even in the common actions of life, Christ marks what we do, not only in our religious assemblies, but at our tables. We see in many cases, that a man's pride will bring him low, and before honour is humility. Our Saviour here teaches, that works of charity are better than works of show. But our Lord did not mean that a proud and unbelieving liberality should be rewarded, but that his precept of doing good to the poor and afflicted should be observed from love to him.

Verses 15-24 In this parable observe the free grace and mercy of God shining in the gospel of Christ, which will be food and a feast for the soul of a man that knows its own wants and miseries. All found some pretence to put off their attendance. This reproves the Jewish nation for their neglect of the offers of Christ's grace. It shows also the backwardness there is to close with the gospel call. The want of gratitude in those who slight gospel offers, and the contempt put upon the God of heaven thereby, justly provoke him. The apostles were to turn to the Gentiles, when the Jews refused the offer; and with them the church was filled. The provision made for precious souls in the gospel of Christ, has not been made in vain; for if some reject, others will thankfully accept the offer. The very poor and low in the world, shall be as welcome to Christ as the rich and great; and many times the gospel has the greatest success among those that labour under worldly disadvantages and bodily infirmities. Christ's house shall at last be filled; it will be so when the number of the elect is completed.

Verses 25-35 Though the disciples of Christ are not all crucified, yet they all bear their cross, and must bear it in the way of duty. Jesus bids them count upon it, and then consider of it. Our Saviour explains this by two similitudes; the former showing that we must consider the expenses of our religion; the latter, that we must consider the perils of it. Sit down and count the cost; consider it will cost the mortifying of sin, even the most beloved lusts. The proudest and most daring sinner cannot stand against God, for who knows the power of his anger? It is our interest to seek peace with him, and we need not send to ask conditions of peace, they are offered to us, and are highly to our advantage. In some way a disciple of Christ will be put to the trial. May we seek to be disciples indeed, and be careful not to grow slack in our profession, or afraid of the cross; that we may be the good salt of the earth, to season those around us with the savour of Christ.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "bread"
• [b]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("answered") has been translated as a finite verb
• [c]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [d]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("took hold of") has been translated as a finite verb
• [e]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [f]. *The words "[if your]" are not in the Greek text but are implied
• [g]. Or "cistern"
• [h]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("noticed") which is understood as temporal
• [i]. Or perhaps simply "a feast"
• [j]. Literally "and him"
• [k]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("will come") has been translated as a finite verb
• [l]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("go") has been translated as a finite verb
• [m]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("heard") which is understood as temporal
• [n]. Literally "whoever"
• [o]. Literally "by one"
• [p]. Literally "I have necessity"
• [q]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("came") has been translated as a finite verb
• [r]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("became angry") has been translated as a finite verb
• [s]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [t]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("turned around") has been translated as a finite verb
• [u]. Literally "he is not able to be"
• [v]. Literally "come after"
• [w]. Literally "is not able to be"
• [x]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("sit down") has been translated as a finite verb
• [y]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [z]. Literally "for completion"
• [aa]. Literally "so that lest"
• [ab]. *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("has laid")
• [ac]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [ad]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [ae]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("sit down") has been translated as a finite verb
• [af]. *Here "[while]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("is")
• [ag]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("asks") has been translated as a finite verb
• [ah]. Literally "the things with reference to"
• [ai]. Literally "is not able to be"