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Gospel according to Luke 14
Healing of a dropsical man on the sabbath
1 Now on a sabbath day he had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely.
2 ‘There in front of him was a man with dropsy,
3 and Jesus addressed the lawyers and Pharisees. ‘Is it against the law’ he asked ‘to cure a man on the sabbath, or not?’
4 But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away.
5 Then he said to them, ‘Which of you here, if his son falls into a well, or his ox, will not pull him out on a sabbath day without hesitation?’
6 And to this they could find no answer.
On choosing places at table
7 He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this,
8 ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited,
9 and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man”. And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place.
10 No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher”. In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
On choosing guests to be invited
12 Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return.
13 No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14 that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’
The invited guests who made excuses
15 On hearing this, one of those gathered round the table said to him, ‘Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God!’
16 But he said to him, ‘There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people.
17 When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come along: everything is ready now”.
18 But all alike started to make excuses. The first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies.”
19 Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.”
20 Yet another said, “I have just got married and so am unable to come”.
21 ‘The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame”.
22 “Sir” said the servant “your orders have been carried out and there is still room.”
23 Then the master said to his servant, “Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full;
24 because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet”.’
Renouncing all that one holds dear
25 Great crowds accompanied him on his way and he turned and spoke to them.
26 If any man comes to me without hating[*a] his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
Renouncing possessions
28 ‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it?
29 Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “‘
30 Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish”.
31 Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand?
32 If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace.
33 So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.
On loss of enthusiasm in a disciple
34 ‘Salt is a useful thing. But if the salt itself loses its taste, how can it be seasoned again?
35 It is good for neither soil nor manure heap. People throw it out. Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’