Study Desk

It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely.

And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

And there in front of Him was a man suffering from edema.

And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

And Jesus responded and said to the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"

And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.

And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

And He said to them, "Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

And they could offer no reply to this.

And they could not answer him again to these things.

Now He began telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

"Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,

When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

and the one who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then in disgrace you will proceed to occupy the last place.

And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

"But whenever you are invited, go and take the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are dining at the table with you.

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Now He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "Whenever you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor wealthy neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you to a meal in return, and that will be your repayment.

Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

"But whenever you give a banquet, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind;

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Now when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

But He said to him, "A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;

Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, because everything is ready now.'

And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

"And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, 'I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; please consider me excused.'

And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

"And another one said, 'I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.'

And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

"And another one said, 'I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason I cannot come.'

And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

"And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here those who are poor, those with disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping.'

So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. 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 hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

"And later the slave said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

"And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled.

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

'For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"

For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

Now large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them,

And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

"Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him,

Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

saying, 'This person began to build, and was not able to finish!'

Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

"Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

"Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace.

Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

"Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

"It is useless either for the soil or the manure pile, so it is thrown out. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear."

It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.