A Sabbath Controversy

14 One Sabbath, when He went to eat[a] at the house of one of the leading Pharisees,(A) they were watching Him closely.(B) There in front of Him was a man whose body was swollen with fluid.[b] In response, Jesus asked the law experts(C) and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”(D) But they kept silent. He took the man, healed him, and sent him away. And to them, He said, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”(E) To this they could find no answer.

Teachings on Humility

He told a parable(F) to those who were invited, when He noticed how they would choose the best places(G) for themselves: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t recline at the best place, because a more distinguished person(H) than you may have been invited by your host.[c] The one who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in humiliation, you will proceed to take the lowest place.

10 “But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ You will then be honored(I) in the presence of all the other guests.(J) 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”(K)

12 He also said to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. 13 On the contrary, when you host a banquet,(L) invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind.(M) 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid(N) at the resurrection of the righteous.”(O)

The Parable of the Large Banquet

15 When(P) one of those who reclined at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “The one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God(Q) is blessed!”

16 Then He told him: “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. 17 At the time of the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’

18 “But without exception[d] they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’

20 “And another said, ‘I just got married,[e](R) and therefore I’m unable to come.’

21 “So the slave came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame!’(S)

22 “‘Master,’ the slave said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’

23 “Then the master told the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and lanes and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will enjoy my banquet!’”

The Cost of Following Jesus

25 Now(T) great crowds were traveling with Him. So He turned and said to them: 26 “If anyone comes to Me(U) and does not hate(V) his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross(W) and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost(X) to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, 30 saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with 10,000 to oppose the one who comes against him with 20,000? 32 If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not say good-bye to[f] all his possessions(Y) cannot be My disciple.

34 “Now,(Z) salt(AA) is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? 35 It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”(AB)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 14:1 Lit eat bread; = eat a meal
  2. Luke 14:2 Afflicted with dropsy or edema
  3. Luke 14:8 Lit by him
  4. Luke 14:18 Lit And from one (voice)
  5. Luke 14:20 Lit I have married a woman
  6. Luke 14:33 Or does not renounce or leave

Jesus at a Pharisee’s House(A)

14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,(B) he was being carefully watched.(C) There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,(D) “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”(E) 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[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”(F) And they had nothing to say.

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,(G) he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, 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. 10 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 honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(H)

12 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 neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,(I) 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”(J)

The Parable of the Great Banquet(K)

15 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(L) in the kingdom of God.”(M)

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “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.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “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.’(N)

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “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. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”(O)

The Cost of Being a Disciple

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “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.(P) 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.(Q)

28 “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? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “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? 32 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. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.(R)

34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?(S) 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.(T)

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”(U)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 14:5 Some manuscripts donkey

De nuevo Jesús cura en sábado

14 Sucedió que un sábado Jesús fue a comer a casa de uno de los jefe de los fariseos. Ellos, que lo estaban espiando, le colocaron delante un hombre enfermo de hidropesía. Jesús, entonces, preguntó a los doctores de la ley y a los fariseos:

— ¿Está o no está permitido curar en sábado?

Pero ellos no contestaron. Así que Jesús tomó de la mano al enfermo, lo curó y lo despidió. Luego les dijo:

— Si a uno de ustedes se le cae el hijo o un buey en un pozo, ¿no correrá a sacarlo aunque sea en sábado?

A esto no pudieron contestar nada.

Lección de buen comportamiento

Al ver Jesús que los invitados escogían para sí los puestos de honor en la mesa, les dijo a modo de ejemplo:

— Cuando alguien te invite a un banquete de bodas, no te sientes en el lugar de honor, no sea que entre los invitados haya otro más importante que tú y, cuando llegue el que los invitó a ambos, te diga: “Tienes que dejarle el sitio a este”, y entonces tengas que ir avergonzado a sentarte en el último lugar. 10 Al contrario, cuanto te inviten, siéntate en el último lugar; así, al llegar el que te invitó, te dirá: “Amigo, sube hasta este lugar de más categoría”. Entonces aumentará tu prestigio delante de los otros invitados. 11 Porque a todo el que se ensalce a sí mismo, Dios lo humillará; pero al que se humille a sí mismo, Dios lo ensalzará.

12 Dirigiéndose luego al que lo había invitado, le dijo:

— Cuando des una comida o una cena, no invites a tus amigos, a tus hermanos, a tus parientes o a tus vecinos ricos, porque después ellos te invitarán a ti y quedarás así recompensado. 13 Por el contrario, cuando des un banquete, invita a los pobres, a los inválidos, a los cojos y a los ciegos. 14 Ellos no pueden corresponderte; y precisamente por eso serás feliz, porque tendrás tu recompensa cuando los justos resuciten.

Parábola de la gran cena (Mt 22,1-10)

15 Al oír esto, uno de los que estaban sentados a la mesa dijo a Jesús:

— ¡Feliz aquel que sea invitado a comer en el reino de Dios!

16 Jesús le contestó:

— Una vez, un hombre dio una gran cena e invitó a muchos. 17 Cuando llegó el día de la cena, envió a su criado para que dijera a los invitados: “Vengan, que ya está todo preparado”. 18 Pero todos ellos, uno por uno, comenzaron a excusarse. El primero dijo: “He comprado unas tierras y tengo que ir a verlas. Discúlpame, por favor”. 19 Otro dijo: “Acabo de comprar cinco yuntas de bueyes y tengo que ir a probarlas. Discúlpame, por favor”. 20 El siguiente dijo: “No puedo ir, porque acabo de casarme”. 21 El criado volvió a casa y refirió a su señor lo que había ocurrido. Entonces el dueño de la casa, muy enojado, ordenó a su criado: “Sal en seguida por las plazas y las calles de la ciudad y trae aquí a los pobres, los inválidos, los ciegos y los cojos”. 22 El criado volvió y le dijo: “Señor, he hecho lo que me ordenaste y aún quedan lugares vacíos”. 23 El señor le contestó: “Pues sal por los caminos y veredas y haz entrar a otros hasta que mi casa se llene. 24 Porque les digo que ninguno de los que estaban invitados llegará a probar mi cena”.

Condiciones para seguir a Jesús (Mt 10,37-38)

25 Iba mucha gente acompañando a Jesús. Y él, dirigiéndose a ellos, les dijo:

26 — Si uno quiere venir conmigo y no está dispuesto a dejar padre, madre, mujer, hijos, hermanos y hermanas, e incluso a perder su propia vida, no podrá ser discípulo mío. 27 Como tampoco podrá serlo el que no esté dispuesto a cargar con su propia cruz para seguirme. 28 Si alguno de ustedes quiere construir una torre, ¿no se sentará primero a calcular los gastos y comprobar si tiene bastantes recursos para terminarla? 29 No sea que, una vez echados los cimientos, no pueda terminarla, y quede en ridículo ante todos los que, al verlo, 30 dirán: “Ese individuo se puso a construir, pero no pudo terminar”. 31 O bien: si un rey va a la guerra contra otro rey, ¿no se sentará primero a calcular si con diez mil soldados puede hacer frente a su enemigo, que avanza contra él con veinte mil? 32 Y si ve que no puede, cuando el otro rey esté aún lejos, le enviará una delegación para proponerle la paz. 33 Del mismo modo, aquel de ustedes que no renuncie a todos sus bienes, no puede ser discípulo mío.

La sal que se vuelve insípida (Mt 5,13; Mc 9,50)

34 La sal es buena; pero si se vuelve insípida, ¿cómo recobrará su sabor? 35 Ya no es útil para la tierra ni sirve para abono, de modo que se tira. Quien pueda entender esto, que lo entienda.