The Ministry Of Jesus. Luke’s Gospel
Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy.
And it came to pass, as Jesus went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched Him. And, behold, there was a certain man before Jesus who had dropsy. And Jesus answering spoke unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And Jesus took the man, and healed him, and let him go; And He answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit, and would you not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer Him again to these things. Luke 14 vs 1-6.
The Parable of the Guests.
And Jesus put forth a parable to those who were invited when He observed how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When you are invited of any man to a wedding, do not sit down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than you be invited of him; And he that invited you to come shall say to you, Give this man your place; and you begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that invited you shall come may say unto you, Friend, go up higher: then you shall have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with you. For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.
Then said Jesus also to him that invited Him, When you shall make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends, nor your brethren, neither your kinsmen, nor your rich neighbours; lest they also shall bid you again, and a recompense be made of you. But when you make a feast, call instead, the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind: And you shall be blessed; for they cannot recompense you: for you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14 vs 7-14.
The Parable of the Great Supper.
Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat]bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all, with one accord, began to make excuses.
The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yokes of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still, another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So that servant came and reported these things to his master.
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 here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ Luke 14 v 15-24.
Jesus Teaches Concerning The Need To Count The Cost Of Discipleship.
Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it lest, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish? Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14 v 25-33.
Tasteless Salt Is Worthless
“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Luke 14 v 34-35.