14
“Does the Torah Permit Healing on the Sabbath, or Not?”
1 Now on one occasion,+ when Jesus+ went to the home of one of the leading Pharisees+ on the Sabbath in order to have a meal,+ the people there+ were watching him closely.
2 There was a man in front of him whose arms and legs were swollen with fluid.+
3 So+ Jesus asked the Torah-experts and Pharisees, “Does the Torah permit+ healing on the Sabbath, or not?”
4 But they remained silent. Then taking hold of the man, Jesus+ healed him and sent him on his way.
5 To them, then, he said, “Suppose that one of you, any of you,+ has a son or an ox that falls into a well+—surely he will pull them+ out on the Sabbath,+ will he not,+ without any delay? Of course!+”
6 And they had nothing they could say to refute these things.+
“Everyone Who Exalts Himself Will Be Humbled, and He Who Humbles Himself Will Be Exalted”
7 Then Jesus+ told the guests a parable, because+ he noticed how they were choosing for themselves+ the places of honor.+
8 “When ˢyou are invited by someone to a wedding feast,” he said to them, “don’t recline for the meal at the place of honor, for there may have been invited by the host+ someone more distinguished than ˢyou.+
9 If so,+ the host+ who invited you both+ will come and say to ˢyou, ‘Give this person your place.’ Then ˢyou will find yourself+ humiliated and sitting+ where?+ At the least+ important place.
10 Instead, when ˢyou are invited, go and recline at the place of least+ importance, so that when ˢyour host+ comes, he may say to ˢyou, ‘Friend, move up here to a more important place.’+ Then ˢyou will be honored+ in the presence of all who are sharing the meal with you.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Jesus+ addressed the man who had invited him, too: “When ˢyou prepare a meal or a feast, don’t invite ˢyour friends, or your brothers or sisters, or your relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they themselves may extend an invitation to ˢyou in return, and you would have your repayment.+
13 Instead, when ˢyou prepare a banquet,+ invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
14 Then+ ˢyou will be blessed,+ for although+ they can’t repay you, ˢyou will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”+
“None of Those People Who Were Invited Will Take Part in My Feast”
15 When one of those who were reclining at the meal with Jesus+ heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed are those who will eat at the feast+ in the Kingdom of God.”+
16 “A certain man,” Jesus+ said to him, “was preparing a magnificent feast, and he invited many people.
17 He sent his slave out shortly before the feast+ to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is now ready+!’
18 But one after another+ they all began requesting to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I’ve just purchased a field,+ and I really need+ to go out and have a look at it. Please accept my apologies.+’
19 Another person said, ‘Well,+ there are these+ teams of oxen, five of them, that I’ve just purchased, and I’m about to go and try them out. Please accept my apologies.+’
20 Still another said, ‘I now have a wife,+ and that’s why I can’t come.’ So the slave returned and told his master these things.
21 “Furious, the master of the household then said to his slave, ‘Hurry out to the main streets and alleys of the town and bring back these people:+ The poor and crippled and blind and lame.’
22 “Later+ the slave said, ‘Master, ˢyour instructions+ have been carried out, yet there is still room+ for more.+’
23 “ ‘Go out to the country roads that run along the fields+ and urge people+ to come in, so that my house will be filled,’ said the master to the slave.
24 ‘For I tell ᵖyou this: None of those people who were invited will take part+ in my feast.’ ”
“Any of You Who Refuses to Give Up Everything He Has Cannot Be My Disciple”
25 Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus,+ and turning to them, he said,
26 “If someone comes to me but isn’t prepared to choose me over+ his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, too, he cannot be my disciple.
27 A person cannot be my disciple, likewise,+ if+ he is unwilling+ to carry his own cross and continue coming along with me.
28 In this regard,+ suppose one of you wants to build a tower.+ Surely he is going to sit down, before anything else,+ and figure out the cost to see if he has what he needs to bring the job to a satisfactory+ finish, isn’t he? Of course!+
29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation but isn’t able to bring the tower+ to completion, all who see it will begin to do what?+ Mock him.
30 ‘This man started to build,’ they will say, ‘but wasn’t able to finish the job!’+
31 Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king.+ Surely he will first sit down and determine whether he with his army of ten thousand is in fact able+ to defeat+ the one coming against him with an army a good+ twenty thousand strong, won’t he? Of course!+
32 If he isn’t, then he will send out, while the other king+ is still a long way+ off,+ a group of representatives, and ask for terms of peace.
33 In the same way, therefore, any of you who refuses to give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
34 “Now then, salt is so+ valuable.+ If even the salt, however, becomes tasteless, how will it be made salty again?+
35 It is of no use at all, fit not even+ for the soil or the fertilizer pile; people+ throw it out.+ If you have ears to hear, then listen carefully and pay close attention!+”