Luke
Chapter 14
1 As he entered a leading Pharisee’s home to share a meal on the Sabbath, they observed him closely.
2 Look, there was a man in front of him with swelling in his body.
3 Jesus replied to the lawyers and Pharisees, asking, “Is it allowed to heal on the Sabbath?”
4 They stayed quiet. He took the man, healed him, and released him.
5 He replied, “If one of you has a donkey or an ox that falls into a hole, wouldn’t you immediately help it out on the Sabbath day?”
6 They could not reply to him after this.
7 He told a story to the invited guests when he noticed how they picked the best seats, and said to them.
8 When you are invited by someone to a wedding, do not take the best seat; someone more important than you might have been invited by them.
9 The person who invited you and the other man might come and say to you, “Give your seat to this man,” and then you will feel embarrassed to move to the least important place.
10 When you are invited, go and sit in the least important place so that the host might come to you and say, “Friend, move to a better seat.” Then you will be honored in front of the other guests.
11 Whoever makes himself important will be made humble; and the one who makes himself humble will be made important.
12 He also told the person who invited him, “When you host a dinner or a meal, don’t just invite your friends, family, or rich neighbors; otherwise, they might invite you back and repay you.”
13 When you have a feast, invite the poor, the hurt, the crippled, and the blind.
14 You will be blessed because they can’t repay you; you will be repaid when good people are raised from death.
15 When someone eating with him heard this, he said to him, “Happy is the one who will eat bread in God’s kingdom.”
16 He told him, “A man prepared a big dinner and invited many people.”
17 He sent his servant at dinner time to tell the invited guests, ‘Come, everything is ready now.’
18 They all unanimously started to give excuses. The first one told him, “I have bought some land, and I really need to go see it; please excuse me.”
19 Another person said, “I have bought five pairs of oxen and I’m going to try them out. Please excuse me.”
20 Someone else said, “I just got married, so I can’t come.”
21 The servant went and told his master what happened. The master, angry, said to his servant, “Go fast into the city streets and paths, and bring here the poor, the injured, the lame, and the blind.”
22 The servant said, “Master, I did what you told me, and there’s still space left.”
23 God told the servant, “Go out to the roads and fences, and make them come in, so my house will be full.”
24 I tell you, none of those men invited will enjoy my dinner.
25 Lots of people followed him: then he turned around and spoke to them.
26 If anyone comes to me and does not put aside love for their father, mother, spouse, children, siblings, and even their own life, they cannot be my student.
27 Whoever does not carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 Which one of you, planning to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and figure out the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
29 So that if he lays the foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who sees it will make fun of him.
30 He said, “This person started to build but couldn’t finish it.”
31 What king, about to fight another king, doesn’t sit first and think if he can face an army of twenty thousand with his ten thousand?
32 Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends messengers and asks for terms of peace.
33 Just as well, anyone of you who does not give up everything they have cannot be my follower.
34 Salt is good, but if salt loses its taste, how can it be made salty again?
35 It’s not good for the soil or the manure pile; it’s just thrown away. If someone can listen, they should listen.