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.”
論安息日治病
1有個安息日，耶穌到一位法利賽人的首領家裡作客，人們密切地監視祂。 2當時有一個患水腫病的人在耶穌面前， 3耶穌問法利賽人和律法教師：「在安息日可以醫病嗎？」
4他們都閉口不言。耶穌便扶著那人把他醫好，叫他走了， 5然後又問他們：「如果你們有驢14·5 「驢」另有抄本作「兒子」。或牛在安息日掉進井裡，難道你們不會立刻把牠拉上來嗎？」 6他們都啞口無言。
論謙卑
7耶穌在宴席中看見賓客們都爭著坐首位，就用比喻對他們說： 8「參加婚宴的時候，不要坐在首位，因為或許有更尊貴的賓客來赴宴， 9主人會把他帶到你面前，說，『請你把首位讓給他吧！』你就要滿面羞愧地退到末位去了。 10你去赴宴時，應該先坐在末位，這樣主人會對你說，『朋友，請上坐！』那時，你在賓客面前就有光彩了。 11因為自高的人必遭貶抑，謙卑的人必得尊榮。」
論待客之道
12耶穌又對主人說：「擺設午宴、晚宴時，不要邀請你的朋友、弟兄、親戚或有錢的鄰居，免得他們回請你，你便得到報答了。 13相反，你設宴時，要邀請貧窮的、殘疾的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的， 14這樣你就有福了，因為他們都沒有能力回報你，到了義人復活那天，上帝一定會賞賜你。」
大宴席的比喻
15同席的一個客人聽了這番話，就對耶穌說：「能夠在上帝的國坐席的人多麼有福啊！」
16於是，耶穌對他說：「有一個人大擺宴席，邀請了許多客人。 17要開席的時候，主人就派奴僕去對客人說，『一切都準備好了，來赴宴吧！』 18可是，他們都找藉口推辭。頭一個說，『我剛買了一塊田，必須去看一看，請恕我不能參加。』 19另一個說，『我新買了五對牛，要去試一試，請恕我不能參加。』 20還有一個說，『我剛結了婚，所以不能去。』 21奴僕回來將這些話告訴主人，主人非常生氣，於是對奴僕說，『快出去到城裡的大街小巷把貧窮的、殘疾的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的都請來。』 22奴僕說，『主人啊，我照你的吩咐辦了，可是還有空位。』 23主人又說，『出去到大路上、籬笆旁硬把人拉來，讓我家裡座無虛席。 24我告訴你們，原來邀請的那些人沒有一個能嚐到我的宴席！』」
做門徒的代價
25有一大群人跟著耶穌，祂轉身對他們說： 26「若有人要跟從我，就要愛我勝過愛他的父母、妻子、兒女、弟兄、姊妹，甚至自己的生命，否則就不能作我的門徒。 27若不背起自己的十字架跟從我，就不能作我的門徒。
28「哪有人建樓房不事先坐下來計算成本，看能否建成？ 29否則，打好了地基卻不能完工，徒惹別人嘲笑， 30『這個人開了工，卻不能完工！』
31「哪有王要跟另一個王打仗時，不先坐下來酌量一下自己的一萬人是否敵得過對方的兩萬人？ 32如果自知不敵，一定趁敵人還遠的時候，就差使者去求和。
33「同樣，你們若不撇下一切，就不能作我的門徒。 34鹽本來是好的，但如果鹽失去了鹹味，怎能使它再變鹹呢？ 35沒有味的鹽，既不利於土壤，也不適宜作肥料，只好丟掉。有耳可聽的，就應當聽。」
