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Jesus heals a man with dropsy
1 Then it happened, when He entered the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they were watching Him closely. 2 And then, there in front of Him was a man who had dropsy!* It seems scarcely credible that such a person could have gotten in there by accident. The Pharisees were desperately looking for some way to accuse Him. 3 And Jesus reacted by saying to the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they kept silent. So He took hold of him, healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He addressed them saying, “Which of you, if a son† Instead of ‘son’, some 26% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘donkey’ (as in TR, AV, NKJV). The 74% includes the best line of transmission, which I follow. or an ox falls into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
A lesson about humility
7 Then He told a parable to those who were invited, having observed how they kept trying for the best places, saying to them: 8 “Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline in the place of honor, in case someone more honorable than you has been invited by him; 9 then he who invited you both will come and say, ‘You, give this man place!’ and then, with shame, you start to take the lowest place.‡ Of course; everyone else has been trying for the best place he can get, so by that time the only one left is the lowest! 10 Rather, whenever you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor in the presence of your fellow guests. 11 Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”§ This truth is repeated several times in Scripture.
12 Then He said directly to His host: “Whenever you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But whenever you make a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you—you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”* You cannot take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.
An unusual banquet
15 Well when one of the fellow-recliners heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who will eat dinner† Instead of ‘dinner’, perhaps 20% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘bread’ (as in most versions). in the Kingdom of God!”‡ Now there you have a nice, safe, pious-sounding statement! I suppose he was trying to change the subject. 16 So He said to him: “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at meal time he sent his slave to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him: ‘I bought a field, and I need to go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 Another said: ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Yet another said, ‘I have married a wife, and so I cannot come.’ 21 So that slave came and reported these things to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Master, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 Then the master said to the slave: ‘Go out to the roads and hedges§ Hedges were used to delimit fields, and there would often be a path along the outside of the hedge. First the slave was sent into the city, then out to the countryside. and make people come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet!’ ”* Perhaps 45% of the Greek manuscripts add, “for many are called, but few chosen”.
Jesus ministers (mainly) in Perea
Jesus defines discipleship
25 Now large crowds were traveling with Him, and turning He said to them: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 “Further, which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 This so he does not lay a foundation without being able to finish, and all who see it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 “Or what king, going to engage another king in battle, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is still far away he sends a delegation and asks for terms for peace.
33 “So likewise, any of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.† Notice that three times Sovereign Jesus says, “cannot be my disciple”, and the ‘cannot’ is a strong negative. Jesus demands first place in our lives and hearts—above family, material things, our very selves. 34 Salt is good; but should the salt become insipid, with what can it be seasoned? 35 It is fit for neither soil nor fertilizer; it is thrown out.‡ We followers of Christ are supposed to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in this world. To abdicate these functions is to become useless, and to be thrown out. ‘Neutrality’ is not a valid option. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

*14:2 It seems scarcely credible that such a person could have gotten in there by accident. The Pharisees were desperately looking for some way to accuse Him.

†14:5 Instead of ‘son’, some 26% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘donkey’ (as in TR, AV, NKJV). The 74% includes the best line of transmission, which I follow.

‡14:9 Of course; everyone else has been trying for the best place he can get, so by that time the only one left is the lowest!

§14:11 This truth is repeated several times in Scripture.

*14:14 You cannot take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.

†14:15 Instead of ‘dinner’, perhaps 20% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘bread’ (as in most versions).

‡14:15 Now there you have a nice, safe, pious-sounding statement! I suppose he was trying to change the subject.

§14:23 Hedges were used to delimit fields, and there would often be a path along the outside of the hedge. First the slave was sent into the city, then out to the countryside.

*14:24 Perhaps 45% of the Greek manuscripts add, “for many are called, but few chosen”.

†14:33 Notice that three times Sovereign Jesus says, “cannot be my disciple”, and the ‘cannot’ is a strong negative. Jesus demands first place in our lives and hearts—above family, material things, our very selves.

‡14:35 We followers of Christ are supposed to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in this world. To abdicate these functions is to become useless, and to be thrown out. ‘Neutrality’ is not a valid option.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD