ESV 1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. MSG 1 One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. ESV 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. MSG 2 Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. ESV 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" MSG 3 So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?" ESV 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. MSG 4 They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. ESV 5 And he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?" MSG 5 Then he said, "Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn't rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?" ESV 6 And they could not reply to these things. MSG 6 They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that. ESV 7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, MSG 7 He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, ESV 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, MSG 8 "When someone invites you to dinner, don't take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. ESV 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. MSG 9 Then he'll come and call out in front of everybody, 'You're in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.' Red-faced, you'll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left. ESV 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. MSG 10 "When you're invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, 'Friend, come up to the front.' That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! ESV 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." MSG 11 What I'm saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." ESV 12 He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. MSG 12 Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. ESV 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, MSG 13 Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. ESV 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." MSG 14 You'll be - and experience - a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned - oh, how it will be returned! - at the resurrection of God's people."
MSG 1 One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. MSG 2 Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. MSG 3 So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?" MSG 4 They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. MSG 5 Then he said, "Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn't rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?" MSG 6 They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that. MSG 7 He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, MSG 8 "When someone invites you to dinner, don't take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. MSG 9 Then he'll come and call out in front of everybody, 'You're in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.' Red-faced, you'll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left. MSG 10 "When you're invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, 'Friend, come up to the front.' That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! MSG 11 What I'm saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." MSG 12 Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. MSG 13 Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. MSG 14 You'll be - and experience - a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned - oh, how it will be returned! - at the resurrection of God's people."