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Luke 14:1

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.

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And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

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And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

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And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

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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?

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And they could not answer him again to these things.

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And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

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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;

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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.

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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.

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For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

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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 recompense be made thee.

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But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

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And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot ° recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

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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.

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Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

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And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

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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.

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And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

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And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot ° come.

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So that servant came, and showed 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.

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And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

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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.

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For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

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And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

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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.

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And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot ° be my disciple.

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For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

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Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

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Saying, This ° man began to build, and was not able to finish.

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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?

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Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

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So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be ° my disciple.

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Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

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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.

Luke 14:14

14:14 resurrection of the just. This is the only occurrence of the phrase “resurrection of the just” in the Bible. It undoubtedly is synonymous with the “resurrection of life” (John 5:29—also a unique occurrence) and the “first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5-6). It occurs one thousand years before the “resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29; see Revelation 20:5,11-15).

Luke 14:18

14:18 to make excuse. This is an all-too-common reaction to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As in the parable, excuses related to time, business and pleasure are especially common.

Luke 14:23

14:23 highways and hedges. Those who lived or hid out in the highways and hedges were outlaws or others in the lower strata of society. It has been typical all through Christian history that, although some Christians have been great and influential leaders, “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called….But…base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen,…That no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Corinthians 1:26-29).

Luke 14:26

14:26 hate. It is obvious that the Lord was using the term “hate” in only a relative sense—that is, in relation to one’s love for God and His will. Jesus has commanded us to “love thy neighbour” (Matthew 22:39) and even to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), so it is obvious that we are to love our families. But love for God should be paramount. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” (Luke 10:27). There are cases when, in so loving the Lord, “a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). Happily, such cases are the exception but, if ever such a choice has to be made, the one who is truly Christ’s disciple must follow Him (Luke 14:27).

Luke 14:27

14:27 bear his cross. There are six references to the Christian, like Christ, taking up his cross and, by implication, carrying it to the place of execution (Matthew 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23; 14:27). Taking one’s cross means more than the ordinary burdens and troubles of life, which are common to all men. See notes on Luke 9:23 and Galatians 2:20.

Luke 14:28

14:28 counteth the cost. Many ambitious Christian leaders have brought embarrassment (or worse) upon themselves and their followers by undertaking ambitious building programs or other projects without adequate financing. A good principle is not to go into debt (Romans 13:8) without positive assurance that all obligations can be paid on time.

Luke 14:34

14:34 lost his savour. Pure salt cannot lose its savor (or “saltness”), but the salt commonly used in the ancient world was rock salt, containing various impurities. As the true salt was leached away, or otherwise removed, the so-called “salt” could indeed lose its savor.

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