Sabbath, humility and the banquet
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. 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? And they had nothing to say. When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 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. 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 honoured in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 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 neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. 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. Jesus replied, A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, Come, for everything is now ready. 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. Another said, I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me. Still another said, I just got married, so I can't come. 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. Sir, the servant said, what you ordered has been done, but there is still room. 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. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
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.
There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.
And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?
And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
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?
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?
And they had nothing to say.
And they could not answer him again to these things.
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable:
And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.
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;
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.
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.
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 honoured in the presence of all the other guests.
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.
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
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 neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
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.
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
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.
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.
Jesus replied, A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, Come, for everything is now ready.
And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
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.
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.
Another said, I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.
And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
Still another said, I just got married, so I can't come.
And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
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.
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.
Sir, the servant said, what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.
And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
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.
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.
I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.
For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
The cost of discipleship
Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 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. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 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? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, This person began to build and wasn't able to finish. 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? 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. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.
Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
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.
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.
And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
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?
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
saying, This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
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?
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?
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.
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.
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.