Luke 14:1-24

A Sabbath with a Pharisee. A companion picture to Luke 13:10. When in Luke 6:6 Lk. relates the cure of the man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1; Matthew 12:9) he omits the illustrative argument used by Jesus (Matthew 12:11 f.); he brings it in here in a story peculiar to his gospel. Montefiore justly points out that the animals (Luke 14:5; cf. Luke 13:15) are in danger of perishing, whereas the woman and man would not have suffered by waiting till the Sabbath was past. He shows that the true argument is Deeds of charity and love should never be put off; they take precedence of and temporarily Invalidate all ritual laws and ceremonial observance of sacred days.

Luke 14:5. mg. a son is out of the question, despite good MS. authority. Rendel Harris (Sidelights on NT Research, p. 205) suggests that the original reading was hvs, pig, which was taken as a contraction of huios, son. Jesus said, Even if your pig(!) fell into a pit on the Sabbath, you would pull it out, a delightful piece of irony. Son was seen to be impossible, hence sheep, ass, ox, were all brought in as substitutes.

Luke 14:7. Humility and Hospitality.

Luke 14:8 and Luke 14:12 may originally have been parable stories which Lk. has turned into direct counsel to guests and hosts respectively. The chief seat was at the host's left hand, though there may be a reference here to a dais.

Luke 14:10. Cf. Proverbs 25:6 f.; we are not to conclude that Jesus advocated false humility as a road to advancement; He speaks of consequence rather than purpose. J. Weiss suggests that the counsel is really that of an ascetic section of the early Church.

Luke 14:11 introduces the idea of the Messianic banquet and the judgment.

Luke 14:12. The lesson is that real kindness is disinterested and seeks no recompense. The recompense in the future is sure and sufficient. The tense of the verb call in Luke 14:12 is important; do not make a practice of inviting.

Luke 14:14. Most NT references to the Resurrection confine it to the just; note, however John 5:29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:12 f.

Luke 14:15. Parable of the Marriage Feast. Matthew 22:1 * is similar but not identical. Luke 14:15 (cf. Revelation 19:9) serves to lead the thought from the earthly feast to the heavenly. The counsel of Luke 14:13 finds a supreme illustration in the action of God (Luke 14:21). Jesus, in Lk.'s parable, is the servant who summons the guests, in Mt. He is the King's Son in whose honour the feast is given. Nothing is here said about the destruction of the unwilling (and murderous) guests. Lk. defines the new guests more closely than Mt.; the poor, etc., of Luke 14:21 are the outcast Israelites, the publicans and sinners, those from the highways and hedges are the Gentiles. It is not God's will that there are few who are saved.

Luke 14:23. constrain: this word need not mean more than urge (Mark 6:45); unhappily it has been used to justify religious compulsion and persecution.

Luke 14:24. you: the plural pronoun shows that Jesus, though still using the imagery of the parable, is here directly addressing the hearers.