Jesus at a
Pharisee’s
House
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus
went to
eat in the
house of a
prominent
Pharisee,
he was
being
carefully
watched.
2 There in
front of
him was a
man
suffering
from
abnormal
swelling
of his
body.
3 Jesus
asked the
Pharisees
and
experts in
the law,
“Is it
lawful to
heal on
the
Sabbath or
not?”
4 But
they
remained
silent. So
taking
hold of
the man,
he healed
him and
sent him
on his
way.
5 Then he asked them, “If
one of you
has a
child
or an ox
that falls
into a
well on
the
Sabbath
day, will
you not
immediately
pull it
out?”
6 And
they had
nothing to
say.
7 When he noticed how the
guests
picked the
places of
honor at
the table,
he told
them this
parable:
8 “When
someone
invites
you to a
wedding
feast, do
not take
the place
of honor,
for a
person
more
distinguished
than you
may have
been
invited.
9 If so,
the host
who
invited
both of
you will
come and
say to
you, ‘Give
this
person
your
seat.’
Then,
humiliated,
you will
have to
take the
least
important
place.
10 But
when you
are
invited,
take the
lowest
place, so
that when
your host
comes, he
will say
to you,
‘Friend,
move up to
a better
place.’
Then you
will be
honored in
the
presence
of all the
other
guests.
11 For all
those who
exalt
themselves
will be
humbled,
and those
who humble
themselves
will be
exalted.”
12 Then Jesus said to his
host,
“When you
give a
luncheon
or dinner,
do not
invite
your
friends,
your
brothers
or
sisters,
your
relatives,
or your
rich
neighbors;
if you do,
they may
invite you
back and
so you
will be
repaid.
13 But
when you
give a
banquet,
invite the
poor, the
crippled,
the lame,
the blind,
14 and you
will be
blessed.
Although
they
cannot
repay you,
you will
be repaid
at the
resurrection
of the
righteous.”
The Parable of the
Great
Banquet
15 When one of those at
the table
with him
heard
this, he
said to
Jesus,
“Blessed
is the one
who will
eat at the
feast in
the
kingdom of
God.”
16 Jesus replied: “A
certain
man was
preparing
a great
banquet
and
invited
many
guests.
17 At the
time of
the
banquet he
sent his
servant to
tell those
who had
been
invited,
‘Come, for
everything
is now
ready.’
18 “But they all alike
began to
make
excuses.
The first
said, ‘I
have just
bought a
field, and
I must go
and see
it. Please
excuse
me.’
19 “Another said, ‘I have
just
bought
five yoke
of oxen,
and I’m on
my way to
try them
out.
Please
excuse
me.’
20 “Still another said, ‘I
just got
married,
so I can’t
come.’
21 “The servant came back
and
reported
this to
his
master.
Then the
owner of
the house
became
angry and
ordered
his
servant,
‘Go out
quickly
into the
streets
and alleys
of the
town and
bring in
the poor,
the
crippled,
the blind
and the
lame.’
22 “‘Sir,’ the servant
said,
‘what you
ordered
has been
done, but
there is
still
room.’
23 “Then the master told
his
servant,
‘Go out to
the roads
and
country
lanes and
compel
them to
come in,
so that my
house will
be full.
24 I tell
you, not
one of
those who
were
invited
will get a
taste of
my
banquet.’”
The Cost of Being
a Disciple
25 Large crowds were
traveling
with
Jesus, and
turning to
them he
said:
26 “If
anyone
comes to
me and
does not
hate
father and
mother,
wife and
children,
brothers
and
sisters—yes,
even their
own
life—such
a person
cannot be
my
disciple.
27 And
whoever
does not
carry
their
cross and
follow me
cannot be
my
disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you
wants to
build a
tower.
Won’t you
first sit
down and
estimate
the cost
to see if
you have
enough
money to
complete
it?
29 For
if you lay
the
foundation
and are
not able
to finish
it,
everyone
who sees
it will
ridicule
you,
30 saying,
‘This
person
began to
build and
wasn’t
able to
finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is
about to
go to war
against
another
king.
Won’t he
first sit
down and
consider
whether he
is able
with ten
thousand
men to
oppose the
one coming
against
him with
twenty
thousand?
32 If he
is not
able, he
will send
a
delegation
while the
other is
still a
long way
off and
will ask
for terms
of peace.
33 In the
same way,
those of
you who do
not give
up
everything
you have
cannot be
my
disciples.
34 “Salt is good, but if
it loses
its
saltiness,
how can it
be made
salty
again?
35 It
is fit
neither
for the
soil nor
for the
manure
pile; it
is thrown
out.
“Whoever has ears to hear,
let them
hear.”