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Luke 14

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Healing on the Sabbath 1–6

1
And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. ​
2
And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. ​
3
And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? ​
4
And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5
And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? ​
6
And they could not answer him again to these things.

Parable of the Chief Seats 7–11

7
And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, ​
8
When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
9
And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
11
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. ​

Instructions on True Hospitality 12–14

12
Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. ​
13
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. ​

Parable of the Great Supper 15–24

15
And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. ​
16
Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17
And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18
And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. ​
19
And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20
And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21
So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. ​
22
And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ​
24
For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. ​

The Cost of Discipleship 25–35

25
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, ​
26
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. ​
27
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ​
28
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? ​
29
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. ​
34
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? ​
35
It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 14

Verse 1

to eat bread on the sabbath day — The meal is in the house of 'one of the chief Pharisees' (archon, a ruler) and 'they watched him', as the scribes and Pharisees did at Luke 6:7. It follows the Sabbath cases of Luke 6:1–11 and 13:10–17. 'Eat bread' is the same phrase the guest uses of the kingdom in v.15.

Verse 2

had the dropsy — Hydropikos, a man swollen with fluid; the word is found only here in the New Testament. He is 'before him' (emprosthen). No request from the man is recorded: the Pharisees' watching (v.1) and the question of v.3 come first, and v.4 says Jesus 'took him, and healed him, and let him go'.

Verse 3

lawyers and Pharisees — Nomikos, an expert in the law. Jesus asks 'Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?', the question put to him at Matt 12:10; at Luke 6:9 he had asked, 'Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?' v.4 records their silence.

Verse 5

an ass or an ox fallen into a pit — The law already required help for even an enemy's beast: 'thou shalt surely bring it back' and 'thou shalt surely help with him' (Ex 23:4–5). At Luke 13:15 he cites the ox and ass loosed on the sabbath; at Matt 12:11 a sheep in a pit. Anaspao, 'pull out', is found elsewhere only in Acts 11:10. v.6 says they 'could not answer him again'.

Verse 7

the chief rooms — Protoklisia, the first couches at a meal, found in the New Testament only here (vv.7, 8) and in Matt 23:6, Mark 12:39 and Luke 20:46, where the scribes 'love… the chief rooms at feasts'. Jesus 'marked' how the guests chose, then spoke a parable. Compare Prov 25:7, 'better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither'.

Verse 11

exalteth himself… humbleth himself — Hypsoo and tapeinoo, the pair Jesus sets beside the Pharisee and the publican: 'every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted' (Luke 18:14; also Matt 23:12). The passives point to God as the one who lifts and lowers (Jas 4:10, 'he shall lift you up').

Verse 12

call not thy friends, nor thy brethren — The four groups, friends, brethren, kinsmen and rich neighbours, are those who can repay. 'Dinner' (ariston) and 'supper' (deipnon) are the two meals. 'Recompence' is antapodoma, the word used in Rom 11:9; the verb of the same root is used of the just in v.14.

Verse 14

recompensed at the resurrection of the just — The verb antapodidomi returns in the promise, 'they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed'. 'The resurrection of the just' is the hope of Acts 24:15, 'a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust'. Prov 19:17 says of what is given to the poor, 'will he pay him again'.

Verse 15

Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God — The guest repeats the words of v.1, 'eat bread', and of v.14, 'blessed' (makarios). The same table appears in Luke 13:29, where they 'sit down in the kingdom of God', in 22:30, and in Rev 19:9, 'Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb'.

Verse 18

with one consent began to make excuse — Literally 'from one' mind. Paraiteomai, to beg off, occurs in Luke only here (vv.18–19); Heb 12:25 uses it of refusing him who speaks. The first has 'bought a piece of ground' and says he 'must needs go and see it'; the second has bought oxen (v.19), the third married (v.20).

Verse 21

the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind — The four whom Jesus told the host to call in v.13, 'the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind'; 'halt' and 'lame' are one Greek word (cholos). They are the people of the signs of Luke 7:22 and Isa 35:6. The master is 'angry' (orgizo), and sends the servant 'quickly' into the streets and lanes.

Verse 23

compel them to come in — Anankazo, to press or constrain, used at Matt 14:22 of Jesus who 'constrained his disciples to get into a ship'. The servant goes beyond the city to 'the highways and hedges' for the second time, which is commonly read as the turning to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). The end is 'that my house may be filled'.

Verse 24

none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper — The speaker moves from the master to Christ himself: 'I say unto you' (plural), to the whole company. 'Taste' (geuomai) is the word for partaking. Matt 22:8, 'they which were bidden were not worthy', and Matt 21:43 say the same of the kingdom taken from those first invited.

Verse 25

great multitudes — The scene leaves the table. The crowd goes with him on the road to Jerusalem (13:22), and he 'turned' to speak to them. What follows, three times 'he cannot be my disciple' (vv.26, 27, 33), is said to the crowd, not to the Pharisees and lawyers of the meal.

Verse 26

hate not his father, and mother — Miseo, hate. Scripture uses it of preferring one love to another: Jacob 'loved also Rachel more than Leah', yet Leah 'was hated' (Gen 29:30–31). The parallel is Matt 10:37, 'He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me'. 'His own life also' recalls John 12:25, 'he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it'.

Verse 27

bear his cross — Bastazo, to carry, the word of John 19:17, 'he bearing his cross went forth'. The disciple 'come after me' (opiso). Luke 9:23 states the same condition, 'take up his cross daily'; Matt 10:38 puts it as worthiness: 'he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me'.

Verse 28

counteth the cost — Psephizo, to reckon, literally with pebbles; used elsewhere in the New Testament only in Rev 13:18, 'count the number of the beast'. 'Cost' (dapane) is found only here. The builder 'sitteth not down first', the order of Prov 24:27, 'Prepare thy work without… and afterwards build thine house'.

Verse 33

forsaketh not all that he hath — Apotassomai, to take leave of, as in Luke 9:61, 'bid them farewell', and 'all that he hath' (hyparchonta) is his possessions. The demand is repeated at 18:22, 'sell all that thou hast', and met at 5:28 where Levi 'left all, rose up, and followed him'. This is the third 'cannot be my disciple'.

Verse 34

the salt have lost his savour — Halas, salt; 'lost his savour' is moraino, to become foolish, the verb of Rom 1:22, 'they became fools', and of Matt 5:13, 'if the salt have lost his savour'. 'Seasoned' is artyo, found also in Mark 9:50 and Col 4:6, 'seasoned with salt'.