Yesu Nyumbani Mwa Farisayo
114:1 Lk 7:36; 11:37; Mt 12:10Ikawa siku moja Yesu alipokuwa amekwenda kula chakula kwa mmoja wa viongozi wa Mafarisayo siku ya Sabato, watu walikuwa wakimchunguza kwa bidii. 2Papo hapo mbele yake palikuwa na mtu mmoja mwenye ugonjwa wa kuvimba mwili. 314:3 Mt 22:25; 12:10Yesu akawauliza wale Mafarisayo na walimu wa sheria, “Je, ni halali kuponya watu siku ya Sabato au la?” 4Wakakaa kimya. Hivyo Yesu akamshika yule mgonjwa mkono na kumponya, akamruhusu aende zake.
514:5 Lk 13:15Kisha akawauliza, “Kama mmoja wenu angekuwa na mtoto au ngʼombe wake aliyetumbukia katika kisima siku ya Sabato, je, hamtamvuta mara moja na kumtoa?” 6Nao hawakuwa na la kusema.
Unyenyekevu Na Ukarimu
714:7 Lk 11:43Alipoona jinsi wageni walivyokuwa wanachagua mahali pa heshima wakati wa kula, akawaambia mfano huu: 814:8 Mit 25:6“Mtu akikualika arusini, usikae mahali pa mgeni wa heshima kwa kuwa inawezekana amealikwa mtu mheshimiwa kuliko wewe. 9Kama mkifanya hivyo yule aliyewaalika ninyi wawili atakuja na kukuambia, ‘Mpishe huyu mtu kiti chako.’ Ndipo kwa aibu utalazimika kukaa katika nafasi ya chini kabisa. 1014:10 Mit 25:6, 7Badala yake, unapoalikwa, chagua nafasi ya chini, ili yule mwenyeji wako atakapokuona atakuja na kukuambia, ‘Rafiki yangu, nenda kwenye nafasi iliyo bora zaidi.’ Kwa jinsi hii utakuwa umepewa heshima mbele ya wageni wenzako wote. 1114:11 Mt 23:12; Lk 18:14Kwa maana kila mtu ajikwezaye atashushwa, naye ajishushaye atakwezwa.”
12Kisha Yesu akamwambia yule aliyewaalika, “Uandaapo karamu ya chakula cha mchana au cha jioni, usialike rafiki zako au ndugu zako au jamaa zako au majirani zako walio matajiri tu. Ukifanya hivyo, wao nao wanaweza kukualika kwao, nawe ukawa umelipwa kile ulichofanya na kupata thawabu yako. 1314:13 Neh 8:10, 12; Kum 14:29Bali ufanyapo karamu, waalike maskini, vilema na vipofu, 1414:14 Mdo 24:15; Yn 5:29nawe utabarikiwa kwa sababu hawa hawana uwezo wa kukulipa. Mungu atakulipa wakati wa ufufuo wa wenye haki.”
Mfano Wa Karamu Kuu
(Mathayo 22:1-10)
1514:15 Isa 25:6; Ufu 19:9; Mt 3:2Mmoja wa wale waliokuwa pamoja naye mezani aliposikia hivi akamwambia Yesu, “Amebarikiwa mtu yule atakayekula katika karamu ya Ufalme wa Mungu!”
1614:16 Mt 22:2Yesu akamjibu, “Mtu mmoja alikuwa anaandaa karamu kubwa, akaalika watu wengi. 1714:17 Mit 9:2, 3Wakati wa karamu ulipofika, akamtuma mtumishi wake akawaambie wale walioalikwa, ‘Karibuni, kila kitu ki tayari sasa.’
18“Lakini wote, kila mmoja, wakaanza kutoa udhuru: Wa kwanza akasema, ‘Nimenunua shamba, lazima niende kuliona. Tafadhali niwie radhi.’
19“Mwingine akasema, ‘Ndipo tu nimenunua jozi tano za ngʼombe wa kulimia, nami ninakwenda kuwajaribu, tafadhali niwie radhi.’ 2014:20 1Kor 7:33Naye mwingine akasema, ‘Nimeoa mke, kwa hiyo siwezi kuja.’
2114:21 Lk 14:13“Yule mtumishi akarudi, akampa bwana wake taarifa. Ndipo yule mwenye nyumba akakasirika, akamwagiza yule mtumishi wake, akisema, ‘Nenda upesi kwenye mitaa na vichochoro vya mjini uwalete maskini, vilema, vipofu na viwete.’
22“Yule mtumishi akamwambia, ‘Bwana, yale uliyoniagiza nimefanya, lakini bado ipo nafasi.’
23“Ndipo yule bwana akamwambia mtumishi wake, ‘Nenda kwenye barabara na vijia vilivyoko nje ya mji na uwalazimishe watu waingie ili nyumba yangu ipate kujaa. 2414:24 Mt 21:43; Mdo 13:46Kwa maana nawaambia, hakuna hata mmoja wa wale walioalikwa atakayeionja karamu yangu.’ ”
Gharama Ya Kuwa Mwanafunzi
(Mathayo 10:37-38)
25Umati mkubwa wa watu ulikuwa ukisafiri pamoja na Yesu, naye akageuka, akawaambia, 2614:26 Mt 10:37; Yn 12:25“Mtu yeyote anayekuja kwangu hawezi kuwa mwanafunzi wangu kama hatanipenda mimi zaidi ya baba yake na mama yake, mke wake na watoto wake, ndugu zake na dada zake, naam, hata maisha yake mwenyewe. 2714:27 Mt 10:38; Lk 9:23Yeyote asiyeuchukua msalaba wake na kunifuata hawezi kuwa mwanafunzi wangu.
2814:28 Mit 24:27“Ni nani miongoni mwenu ambaye kama anataka kujenga nyumba, hakai kwanza chini na kufanya makisio ya gharama aone kama ana fedha za kutosha kukamilisha? 29La sivyo, akiisha kuweka msingi, naye akiwa hana uwezo wa kuikamilisha, wote waionao wataanza kumdhihaki, 30wakisema, ‘Mtu huyu alianza kujenga lakini hakuweza kukamilisha.’
31“Au ni mfalme gani atokaye kwenda kupigana vita na mfalme mwingine, ambaye hakai chini kwanza na kufikiri iwapo akiwa na jeshi la watu 10,000 ataweza kupigana na yule anayekuja na jeshi la watu 20,000? 32Kama hawezi, basi wakati yule mwingine akiwa bado yuko mbali, yeye hutuma ujumbe wa watu na kuomba masharti ya amani. 3314:33 Flp 3:7-8Vivyo hivyo, yeyote miongoni mwenu ambaye hawezi kuacha vyote alivyo navyo, hawezi kuwa mwanafunzi wangu.
Chumvi Isiyofaa
(Mathayo 5:13; Marko 9:50)
3414:34 Mk 9:50“Chumvi ni nzuri, lakini chumvi ikiwa imepoteza ladha yake, itafanywaje ili iweze kukolea tena? 3514:35 Mt 5:13; 11:15Haifai ardhi wala kwa lundo la mbolea, bali hutupwa nje.
“Mwenye masikio ya kusikia, na asikie.”
Jesus Eats at a Pharisee’s House
1One Sabbath day, Jesus went to eat in the house of a well-known Pharisee. While he was there, he was being carefully watched. 2In front of him was a man whose body was badly swollen. 3Jesus turned to the Pharisees and the authorities on the law. He asked them, “Is it breaking the Law to heal on the Sabbath day?” 4But they remained silent. So Jesus took hold of the man and healed him. Then he sent him away.
5He asked them another question. He said, “Suppose one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day. Wouldn’t you pull it out right away?” 6And they had nothing to say.
7Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table. So he told them a story. 8He said, “Suppose someone invites you to a wedding feast. Do not take the place of honor. A person more important than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come to you. He will say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be filled with shame. You will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place. Then your host will come over to you. He will say, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11All those who lift themselves up will be made humble. And those who make themselves humble will be lifted up.”
12Then Jesus spoke to his host. “Suppose you give a lunch or a dinner,” he said. “Do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, or your relatives, or your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you to eat with them. So you will be paid back. 13But when you give a banquet, invite those who are poor. Also invite those who can’t see or walk. 14Then you will be blessed. Your guests can’t pay you back. But you will be paid back when those who are right with God rise from the dead.”
The Story of the Great Banquet
15One of the people at the table with Jesus heard him say those things. So he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in God’s kingdom.”
16Jesus replied, “A certain man was preparing a great banquet. He invited many guests. 17Then the day of the banquet arrived. He sent his servant to those who had been invited. The servant told them, ‘Come. Everything is ready now.’
18“But they all had the same idea. They began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have just bought a field. I have to go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19“Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen. 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. He ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town. Bring in those who are poor. Also bring those who can’t see or walk.’
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. Go out to the country lanes. Make the people come in. I want my house to be full. 24I tell you, not one of those people who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ ”
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned and spoke to them. He said, 26“Anyone who comes to me must hate their father and mother. They must hate their wife and children. They must hate their brothers and sisters. And they must hate even their own life. Unless they do this, they can’t be my disciple. 27Whoever doesn’t carry their cross and follow me can’t be my disciple.
28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you sit down first and figure out how much it will cost? Then you will see whether you have enough money to finish it. 29Suppose you start building and are not able to finish. Then everyone who sees what you have done will laugh at you. 30They will say, ‘This person started to build but wasn’t able to finish.’
31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. And suppose he has 10,000 men, while the other has 20,000 coming against him. Won’t he first sit down and think about whether he can win? 32And suppose he decides he can’t win. Then he will send some men to ask how peace can be made. He will do this while the other king is still far away. 33In the same way, you must give up everything you have. Those of you who don’t cannot be my disciple.
34“Salt is good. But suppose it loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again? 35It is not good for the soil. And it is not good for the trash pile. It will be thrown out.
“Whoever has ears should listen.”
