Luke Chapter Fourteen
Healing a Man on the Sabbath
14:1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.
Jesus was invited to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees (Greek ‘archontōn’,[1] a ruler, chief, prince, magistrate, a person of great influence), along with several other Pharisees and lawyers. Most of the events recorded here in chapter fourteen took place in this unknown Pharisee’s house in an unknown location (likely in the Perea region, east of the Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea). Luke notes that the Pharisees were watching Jesus carefully. Then a man with dropsy (Greek ‘hydrōpikos’,[2] a condition of excessive accumulation of fluid causing soft tissue to swell) came into the room (undoubtedly a planned entrance). Before healing the man, Jesus ask the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (Note that Luke stated that Jesus ‘responded’ to the lawyers and Pharisees. Since no question was recorded, Jesus understood that this was a “set up” in order to catch Him doing something wrong.) None of them answered His question, so He took hold of the man, healed him and sent him away. Jesus asked them if a family member or some animal accidentally fell into a well on a Sabbath day, would they not immediately pull them out? Again, they remained silent.[3]
Parable of the Wedding Feast
14:7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Continuing the same dinner scenario from verses 1-6, Jesus noticed how these Pharisees and lawyers selected their seats, so He taught them using another parable. He told them that when they are invited to a wedding feast that when they arrive, they should not sit down in a place of honor. If someone more distinguished was also invited, the host would ask you to give their seat to that person. Resulting in shamefully taking the least distinguished seat. Instead, when you arrive at the event, take the lowest seat, so when the host sees you there, they will come over and tell you to move to a more distinguished seating location. Then you will be honored by all present at your table. Jesus concludes by saying that everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled and those who are humble will be exalted. A message that was probably either misunderstood or made this room full of self-righteous men very angry.[4]
Parable of the Great Banquet
14:12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Jesus turns to the dinner’s host and tells him that when he gives a dinner or a banquet, that he should not invite friends, family, relatives, or even wealthy neighbors as they will reciprocate by inviting them to a dinner or banquet, repaying you for the original invite. Instead, when you put on a feast, you should invite the poor, crippled, lame, and the blind, as you will be blessed because they are not able to repay you. Then at the resurrection of the just (Greek ‘dikaiōn’,[5] righteous, in context a person made righteous by Jesus), they will be repaid by God.
14:15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
Hearing what Jesus said, a man spoke up and said, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” This man probably thought that he would be one of those “eating bread” in the kingdom of God. Jesus immediately tells a parable regarding how the feast in heaven will actually take place, the harsh reality.
The host of the banquet sent his servant to inform those who had been invited to come now as everything was ready. But when the people were informed, they all made excuses. The first one said that he just bought a field and needed to go check it out. Another said he bought five yoke of oxen (five pairs of oxen) and needed to go examine them. Yet another said that he married a wife and therefore could not come. None of the excuses given were valid reasons as each could be rescheduled. When the servant reported back to the host, he became angry and told his servant to go into the streets and alleys to bring in the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. The servant did that and there was room for more. The host then told his servant to go out to the highways and hedges and compel everyone he meets to come so that his house will be filled. Jesus then tells the Pharisees and lawyers that none of those men who were invited shall taste His banquet. Some believe that Jesus may have gestured to them when saying that.[6]
The Cost of Discipleship
14:25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
At some point after the dinner with the Pharisees, Luke records that large crowds were now accompanying Jesus, likely as He continued His journey to Jerusalem. Here He turned to the crowds and said, if anyone comes to Him and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even their own life, they cannot be His disciple. The word translated here as ‘hate’ is the Greek ‘misei’,[7] which does mean “to hate.” But it also can mean “to love less” (see Matthew 10:37). Jesus contrasts the love that people offer Him to the love that is offered to fellow human beings. If someone fails to love Jesus more than others or themselves, they are then unable to be His disciple.
Jesus next states that whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Him also cannot be His disciple. Jesus is not saying that someone needs to work for their salvation (remember Ephesians 2:8-9). A person needs to take responsibility and initiative to fully embrace and follow Him, only then can they be His disciple.
Jesus then tells two short parables, the first about a man who desired to build a tower. He asks which one of them would not first figure out what it would cost to complete the project before laying the foundation? If it the foundation was laid and the project was unable to be completed, all who saw it would mock the man saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” The second parable was about a king who was about to encounter another king in battle. Would he not first take the time to determine if his ten-thousand men could be victorious over a king with twenty-thousand men? That if victory is not possible, while the other king is still a great distance away, send out a delegation seeking peace. Therefore, anyone who wishes to follow Jesus was to renounce (give up) all that they owned. In other words, no strings should remain attached that would otherwise get in the way of their relationship with Jesus, or end up being ‘yanked’ by the devil.
Salt Without Taste Is Useless
14:34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus further notes that salt as a flavoring is good. But if it has lost its taste, how can the saltiness be restored? It then is useless, not even good for the soil as a fertilizer or for a manure pile as a catalyst when burning dung as a fuel. If the saltiness is gone, salt is useless and is then thrown away (see Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50)[8]. Everyone who desires to be a disciple of His is to hear what Jesus is saying.
Luke 14:25–35 makes clear that discipleship is demanding. Jesus asks both the disciple and the potential disciple to consider the cost of following him. It is better to assess the risk, complete the task, and remain useful to God. Associating with Jesus is not an easy affair. Commitments come with the territory. In fact, Jesus is to come ahead of all one’s possessions, family, and soul. It is embarrassing and fatal to enter into discipleship and not complete the task. Higher commitments to other things make completing the task impossible and render the disciple useless to God. The uncommitted disciple is like a builder who cannot complete a planned project or a foolish king who enters a war he cannot win. Those around him mock his failure. What an embarrassment to fail to be all that God would have one be because the price was not assessed ahead of time. To be useful, salt must stay salty. How horrible to be thrown away by God when one could have been used by him. So consider the cost and have the resolve of a disciple who fully pursues God. Luke’s call is to hear the warning and respond with faithfulness.[9]
⇐Previous Chapter (Introduction/Index) Next Chapter⇒
[1] Strong’s Greek 758.
[2] Strong’s Greek 5203.
[3] See commentaries under Matthew 12:1-8, 9-13; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-5; 6:6-11; see also each of the Considerations under Matthew 12:1-8.
[4] See Considerations under Matthew 3:11-12 "Pharisees." See also commentary under Matthew 18:1-4.
[5] Strong’s Greek 1342.
[6] See also commentary under Matthew 25:1-13.
[7] Strong’s Greek 3404.
[8] See also commentaries under Matthew 5:13 and Mark 9:42-50.
[9] Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2, pp. 1292–1293). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.