Luke 14–21

14TH CHAPTER

Jesus Attends a Banquet

¹On a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests were watching Jesus very closely. 

²A man whose body was swollen with fluid was there. ³Jesus reacted by asking the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “Is it right to heal on the day of rest—a holy day, or not?” ⁴But they didn’t say a thing. 

So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. ⁵Jesus asked them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?” ⁶They couldn’t argue with him about this. 

⁷Then Jesus noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: ⁸“When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. ⁹Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. ¹⁰So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. ¹¹Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.” 

¹²Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. ¹³Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.” 

¹⁵One of those eating with him heard this. So he said to Jesus, “The person who will be at the banquet in God’s kingdom is blessed.” 

¹⁶Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. ¹⁷When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’ 

¹⁸“Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’ 

²¹“The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’ 

²²“The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’ 

²³“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. ²⁴I can guarantee that none of those invited earlier will taste any food at my banquet.’ ” 

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned to them and said, ²⁶“If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples. ²⁷So those who do not carry their crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples. 

²⁸“Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. ²⁹Otherwise, if you lay a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will make fun of you. ³⁰They’ll say, ‘This person started to build but couldn’t finish the job.’ 

³¹“Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He would first sit down and think things through. Can he and his 10,000 soldiers fight against a king with 20,000 soldiers? ³²If he can’t, he’ll send ambassadors to ask for terms of peace while the other king is still far away. ³³In the same way, none of you can be my disciples unless you give up everything. 

³⁴“Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? ³⁵It’s not any good for the ground or for the manure pile. People throw it away. 

“Let the person who has ears listen!” 

15TH CHAPTER

The Lost Sheep—Matthew 18:12–14

¹All the tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus. ²But the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 

³Jesus spoke to them using this illustration: ⁴“Suppose a man has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 sheep grazing in the pasture and look for the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵When he finds it, he’s happy. He puts that sheep on his shoulders and ⁶goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says to them, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ ⁷I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval.” 

The Lost Coin

⁸“Suppose a woman has ten coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and look for the coin carefully until she finds it? ⁹When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin that I lost.’ ¹⁰So I can guarantee that God’s angels are happy about one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts.” 

The Lost Son

¹¹Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. ¹²The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided his property between his two sons. 

¹³“After a few days, the younger son gathered his possessions and left for a country far away from home. There he wasted everything he had on a wild lifestyle. ¹⁴He had nothing left when a severe famine spread throughout that country. He had nothing to live on. ¹⁵So he got a job from someone in that country and was sent to feed pigs in the fields. ¹⁶No one in the country would give him any food, and he was so hungry that he would have eaten what the pigs were eating. 

¹⁷“Finally, he came to his senses. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more food than they can eat, while I’m starving to death here? ¹⁸I’ll go at once to my father, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. ¹⁹I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Make me one of your hired men.” ’ 

²⁰“So he went at once to his father. While he was still at a distance, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son, put his arms around him, and kissed him. ²¹Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you. I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore.’^a

²²“The father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s celebrate with a feast. ²⁴My son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.’ Then they began to celebrate. 

²⁵“His older son was in the field. As he was coming back to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶He called to one of the servants and asked what was happening. 

²⁷“The servant told him, ‘Your brother has come home. So your father has killed the fattened calf to celebrate your brother’s safe return.’ 

²⁸“Then the older son became angry and wouldn’t go into the house. His father came out and begged him to come in. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I’ve never disobeyed one of your commands. Yet, you’ve never given me so much as a little goat for a celebration with my friends. ³⁰But this son of yours spent your money on prostitutes, and when he came home, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ 

³¹“His father said to him, ‘My child, you’re always with me. Everything I have is yours. ³²But we have something to celebrate, something to be happy about. This brother of yours was dead but has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.’ ” 

16TH CHAPTER

Jesus Speaks about Dishonesty

¹Then Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a business manager. The manager was accused of wasting the rich man’s property. ²So the rich man called for his manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Let me examine your books. It’s obvious that you can’t manage my property any longer.’ 

³“The manager thought, ‘What should I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I’ll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I’ve lost my job.’ 

⁵“So the manager called for each one of his master’s debtors. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 

⁶“The debtor replied, ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’ 

“The manager told him, ‘Take my master’s ledger. Quick! Sit down, and write “four hundred!” ’ 

⁷“Then he asked another debtor, ‘How much do you owe?’ 

“The debtor replied, ‘A thousand bushels of wheat.’ 

“The manager told him, ‘Take the ledger, and write “eight hundred!” ’ 

⁸“The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. Worldly people are more clever than spiritually-minded people when it comes to dealing with others.” 

⁹⸤Jesus continued,⸥ “I’m telling you that although wealth is often used in dishonest ways, you should use it to make friends for yourselves. When life is over, you will be welcomed into an eternal home. ¹⁰Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot. Whoever is dishonest with very little is dishonest with a lot. ¹¹Therefore, if you can’t be trusted with wealth that is often used dishonestly, who will trust you with wealth that is real? ¹²If you can’t be trusted with someone else’s wealth, who will give you your own? 

¹³“A servant cannot serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.” 

^…