Luke 14
14One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely.G2532G1096G1722G846G2064G1519G3624G5100G758G5330G5315G740G4521G2532G846G2258G3906G8462There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.G2532G2400G2258G5100G444G1715G846G52033Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, "Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?"G2532G2424G611G2036G4314G3544G2532G5330G3004G1487G1832G2323G45214When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away.G1161G2270G2532G1949G2390G846G2532G6305Then he turned to them and said, "Which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?"G2532G611G4314G846G2036G5101G5216G3688G2228G1016G1706G1519G5421G2532G385G3756G2112G385G846G385G1722G4521G22506Again they could not answer.G2532G2480G3756G470G846G470G4314G50237When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice.G1161G3004G3850G4314G2564G1907G4459G1586G4411G3004G4314G8468"When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?G3752G2564G5259G5100G1519G1062G2625G3361G2625G1519G4411G3379G1784G4675G5600G2564G5259G8469The host will come and say, 'Give this person your seat.' Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!G2532G2564G4571G2532G846G2064G2046G4671G1325G5129G5117G2532G5119G756G3326G152G2722G2078G511710"Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, 'Friend, we have a better place for you!' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.G235G3752G2564G4198G377G1519G2078G5117G2443G3752G2564G4571G2064G2036G4671G5384G4320G511G5119G4671G2071G1391G1799G4873G467111For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."G3754G3956G5312G1438G5013G2532G5013G1438G531212Then he turned to his host. "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet," he said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.G1161G3004G2532G2564G846G3752G4160G712G2228G1173G5455G3361G4675G5384G3366G4675G80G3366G4675G4773G3366G4145G1069G3379G846G2532G479G4571G479G2532G468G1096G467113Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.G235G3752G4160G1403G2564G4434G376G5560G518514Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you."G2532G2071G3107G3754G3756G2192G467G4671G1063G4671G467G1722G386G134215Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, "What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!"G1161G5100G4873G191G5023G2036G846G3107G3739G5315G740G1722G932G231616Jesus replied with this story: "A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.G1161G2036G846G5100G444G4160G3173G1173G2532G2564G418317When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, 'Come, the banquet is ready.'G2532G649G846G1401G1173G5610G2036G2564G2064G3754G3956G2076G2235G209218But they all began making excuses. One said, 'I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.'G2532G3956G575G3391G756G3868G4413G2036G846G59G68G2532G2192G318G1831G2532G1492G846G2065G4571G2192G3165G386819Another said, 'I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.'G2532G2087G2036G59G4002G2201G1016G2532G4198G1381G846G2065G4571G2192G3165G386820Another said, 'I now have a wife, so I can't come.'G2532G2087G2036G1060G1135G2532G1223G5124G3756G1410G206421"The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, 'Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'G2532G1565G1401G3854G518G846G2962G5023G5119G3617G3710G2036G846G1401G1831G5030G1519G4113G2532G4505G4172G2532G1521G5602G4434G2532G376G2532G5560G2532G518522After the servant had done this, he reported, 'There is still room for more.'G2532G1401G2036G2962G1096G5613G2004G2532G2089G2076G511723So his master said, 'Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.G2532G2962G2036G4314G1401G1831G1519G3598G2532G5418G2532G315G1525G2443G3450G3624G107224For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.'"G1063G3004G5213G3754G3762G1565G435G3588G2564G1089G3450G117325A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them,G1161G4848G4183G3793G846G2532G4762G2036G4314G84626"If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.G1536G2064G4314G3165G2532G3404G3756G1438G3962G2532G3384G2532G1135G2532G5043G2532G80G2532G79G2089G1161G1438G5590G2532G3756G1410G1511G3450G310127And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.G2532G3748G941G3756G941G846G4716G2532G2064G3694G3450G3756G1410G1511G3450G310128"But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?G1063G5101G1537G5216G2309G3618G4444G2523G3780G2523G4412G5585G1160G1487G2192G4314G53529Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.G3363G3379G846G5087G2310G2532G2480G3361G2480G1615G3956G2334G756G1702G84630They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!'G3004G3754G3778G444G756G3618G2532G2480G3756G2480G161531"Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?G2228G5101G935G4198G4820G4171G1519G2087G935G2523G3780G2523G4412G1011G1487G2076G1415G1722G1176G5505G528G2064G1909G846G3326G1501G550532And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.G1490G846G5607G2089G4206G649G4242G2065G4314G151533So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.G3779G3767G3956G1537G5216G3739G657G3756G3956G5224G1438G3756G1410G1511G3450G310134"Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?G217G2570G1161G1437G217G3471G1722G5101G74135Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!"G2076G3777G2111G1519G1093G3777G1519G2874G906G846G1854G2192G3775G191G191
Luke 15
15Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.G1161G2258G1448G846G3956G5057G2532G268G191G8462This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!G2532G5330G2532G1122G1234G3004G3754G3778G4327G268G2532G4906G8463So Jesus told them this story.G1161G2036G5026G3850G4314G846G30044"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?G5101G444G1537G5216G2192G1540G4263G2532G622G1520G1537G846G2641G3756G2641G1768G1722G2048G2532G4198G1909G622G2193G2147G8465And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.G2532G2147G2007G1909G1438G5606G54636When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'G2532G2064G1519G3624G4779G5384G2532G1069G3004G846G4796G3427G3754G2147G3450G4263G3588G6227In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!G3004G5213G3754G3779G5479G2071G1722G3772G1909G1520G268G3340G2228G1909G1768G1342G3748G2192G5532G3756G33418"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it?G2228G5101G1135G2192G1176G1406G1437G622G3391G1406G3780G681G3088G2532G4563G3614G2532G2212G1960G2193G3755G21479And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.'G2532G2147G4779G5384G2532G1069G4779G3004G4796G3427G3754G2147G1406G3739G62210In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."G3779G3004G5213G1096G5479G1799G32G2316G1909G1520G268G334011To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons.G1161G2036G5100G444G2192G1417G520712The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.G2532G3501G846G2036G3962G3962G1325G3427G3313G3776G1911G2532G1244G846G97913"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.G2532G3756G4183G2250G3326G3501G5207G4863G537G4863G589G1519G3117G5561G2532G1563G1287G846G3776G811G219814About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.G1161G846G1159G3956G1096G2478G3042G2596G1565G5561G2532G846G756G530215He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.G2532G4198G2853G1520G4177G1565G5561G2532G3992G846G1519G846G68G1006G551916The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.G2532G1937G1072G846G2836G575G2769G3739G5519G2068G2532G3762G1325G84617"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!G1161G2064G1519G1438G2036G4214G3407G3450G3962G740G4052G1161G1473G622G304218I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,G450G4198G4314G3450G3962G2532G2046G846G3962G264G1519G3772G2532G1799G467519and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."'G2532G1510G3765G514G2564G4675G5207G4160G3165G5613G1520G4675G340720"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.G2532G450G2064G4314G1438G3962G1161G846G2089G3112G568G846G3962G1492G846G2532G4697G2532G5143G1968G1909G846G5137G2532G2705G84621His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.'G1161G5207G2036G846G3962G264G1519G3772G2532G1799G4675G1799G2532G1510G3765G514G2564G4675G520722"But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.G1161G3962G2036G4314G846G1401G1627G4413G4749G2532G1746G846G2532G1325G1146G1519G846G5495G2532G5266G1519G422823And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,G2532G5342G4618G3448G2380G2532G5315G216524for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began.G3754G3778G3450G5207G2258G3498G2532G326G2532G2258G622G2532G2147G2532G756G216525"Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,G1161G846G4245G5207G2258G1722G68G2532G5613G2064G1448G3614G191G4858G2532G552526and he asked one of the servants what was going on.G2532G4341G1520G3816G4441G5101G5023G149827'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.'G1161G2036G846G3754G4675G80G2240G2532G4675G3962G2380G4618G3448G3754G618G846G519828"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him,G1161G3710G2532G2309G3756G1525G3767G1831G846G3962G1831G3870G84629but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.G1161G611G2036G3962G2400G5118G2094G1398G4671G3763G3928G3763G4675G1785G2532G2532G1325G3763G1325G1698G2056G2443G2165G3326G3450G538430Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!'G1161G3753G3778G4675G5207G2064G3588G2719G4675G979G3326G4204G2380G846G4618G344831"His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.G1161G2036G846G5043G4771G1488G3842G3326G1700G2532G3956G1699G2076G467432We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"G1161G1163G2165G2532G5463G3754G3778G4675G80G2258G3498G2532G326G2532G2258G622G2532G2147
Dublin, OH
.G2532
