Luke 14:1-35
1 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.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying,Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 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?
6 And they could not answer him again to these things.
7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
8 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;
9 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.
10 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.
11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12 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.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 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.
16 Then said he unto him,A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 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.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 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.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 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.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 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.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 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?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
35 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.
Luke’s Good News
Luke
Hilda Bright
Chapter 14
Jesus *heals a man on the *Sabbath 14:1-6
v1 One *Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the more important *Pharisees. They were watching Jesus with great care to see what he would do. v2 In front of Jesus was a man who suffered from dropsy (that is, he had too much water in his body). v3 Jesus spoke to the lawyers and *Pharisees. He asked them, ‘Does the law allow a person to *heal on the *Sabbath, or not?’ v4 But they did not reply. Jesus held the man and *healed him. Then he sent the man away. v5 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Suppose your son or ox (animal) fell into a well on the *Sabbath. You would pull him out at once, even on a *Sabbath day’. v6 But they could not answer him about this.
Verses 1-2 Probably the *Pharisees had put the man there on purpose. They wanted to see what Jesus would do. They did not doubt that Jesus could *heal him.
Verses 3-4 The experts in the law of Moses and *Pharisees could not reply. They knew that the law allowed them to do good acts on the *Sabbath. God linked their law about the *Sabbath to the rescue of the *Israelites from being slaves (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). They had been slaves in Egypt and God brought them out of Egypt. The *Pharisees had limited this law. They said that a person could *heal only if someone’s life were in danger. If the *Pharisees said ‘Yes’ to Jesus’ question, they would break their own rule. If they said ‘No’, they would appear to be cruel.
Verse 5 Jesus showed that they were *hypocrites. On the *Sabbath none of them would hesitate to rescue a person or an animal if they were drowning in a well. Jesus had helped a man who was very ill.
Verse 6 The *Pharisees could not give an answer to Jesus.
Advice to guests 14:7-11
v7 Jesus noticed how some of the guests were trying to sit in places of honour. So he spoke this *parable to all of them. v8 ‘When someone invites you to a wedding party, do not sit down in the best place. Perhaps the host has invited someone more important than you. v9 Your host, who has invited both of you, will say to you, “Let this man sit in that place”. Then you will feel ashamed and have to sit in the place of least honour. v10 But when you receive an invitation, go and sit in the place of least honour. Then your host will come and say, “My friend, come up to a better place”. Then all the other guests will see how much the host respects you. v11 People try to make themselves look important. But God will make them humble. God will give honour to everyone who lives in a humble way’.
Verse 7 What Jesus said was more than just advice about good behaviour. It was a ‘*parable’ and a *religious lesson. Jesus showed that people should to be humble.
Verses 9-10 uses words like Proverbs 25:6-7.
Verse 11 Mary’s song in Luke 1:51-52 is similar to this verse. God does not want people to be proud. Instead, he gives honour to humble people. Nobody has the right to make themselves important in God’s *kingdom.
Advice to the host 14:12-14
v12 Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers. Do not invite your other relations or your rich neighbours. For they will invite you back. This is how they will pay you back. v13 When you give a party, invite the poor and people who have *physical disabilities. v14 Then you will be happy, because they cannot pay you back. God will pay you back, on the day when good people rise from the dead’.
Verses 12-13 Jesus did not mean that people must never invite their close friends and relatives. He meant that people should invite other guests as well. Proverbs 19:17 says, ‘He who is kind to the poor lends to the *Lord, and the *Lord will pay him back’. Jesus was asking people to be generous hosts.
Verse 14 Some people denied that the wicked would rise from death. *Pharisees believed in a general *resurrection (Daniel 12:2). But the *Sadducees did not believe this (Luke 20:27).
The *parable of the great dinner 14:15-24
v15 One of the people who were sitting at the table heard this. He said to Jesus, ‘How happy are the people who will share in the great dinner in the *kingdom of God!’ v16 Jesus said to him, ‘There was once a man who was giving a great dinner. He invited many guests. v17 When it was time for the meal, he sent his servant to tell his guests, “Come, everything is ready”. v18 But one after another, they all began to make excuses. The first one told the servant, “I have bought a field. I must go and look at it. I am sorry that I cannot come”. v19 Another one said, “I have bought five pairs of animals to help me plough the soil. I am on my way to see whether they work well. Please excuse me”. v20 Another one said, “I have just married a wife and therefore I cannot come!” v21 The servant went back and told all this to his master. The master was extremely angry. He said to his servant, “Hurry to the main streets and the side streets of the town. Bring the poor people here. Bring the people with *physical disabilities”. v22 Soon the servant said, “I have done what you told me to do, sir. But there is room for more people”. v23 So the master said to the servant, “Go out to the country roads and hedges. Make people come in. I want my house to be full. v24 I tell you this. None of those whom I invited at first will taste my dinner!” ’
Verse 15 The person may have been someone who desired to be at the *Messiah’s great dinner. It is probable, however, that he was a person like a *Pharisee. He was confident that he would be there himself one day. Jesus then told a *parable that was about an invitation. The people had to reply in the present time, not in the future.
Verse 16 It was the custom for a host to give a second invitation after the first one. Someone might accept the first invitation and refuse the second one. Then they were insulting the host.
Verse 18 The first man made the excuse that he must look at his field. He may have bought the field and he had not seen it yet. But he could wait for a few days.
Verse 19 The man who bought new animals also could have waited. He, too, would have been foolish to buy the animals if he had not seen them.
Verse 20 Perhaps the third man referred to the law in Deuteronomy 24:5. This law allowed a man freedom from military service for a year after his marriage. But it did not forbid social contacts. He had accepted the invitation. The generous host probably would have welcomed his wife too. The man did not even say that he was sorry to refuse.
Verses 18-20 The *Jews who cared more about their own *religious rules were like the people in verses 18-20. Jesus was like the servant. He reminded them that God called them to come into his *kingdom.
Verse 21 The people from the city were those people whom the *Pharisees called ‘*sinners’. They were people like *tax-collectors, and other people who did not keep all the *religious rules.
Verse 23 The hedges were plants and bushes along the road. They could shelter people who had no homes. They might doubt that the host really wanted them at his great dinner. The servant must persuade them with love, but not with force. Jesus was referring to the *Gentiles. There will be room for them in God’s *kingdom.
Verse 24 ‘You’ is plural. Jesus is speaking to all the guests, and to everyone who will hear his words. It is important to accept Jesus’ invitation today. If anyone refuses it, he loses the opportunity to enjoy life with God in his *kingdom.
What it costs to be a *disciple 14:25-33
v25 Large crowds of people were going with Jesus. He turned and said to them, v26 ‘You cannot be my *disciple unless you love me more than you love your parents or your wife and children. You must love me more than you love your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me, unless you love me more than your own life. v27 You must carry your own cross and come with me. Otherwise you cannot be my *disciple’.
v28 ‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tall building. He first sits down. He works out what it will cost. He wants to see if he has enough money to finish it. v29 He may lay the foundations (base stones) but then he cannot finish the building. Everyone will laugh at him. v30 “This foolish man began to build and cannot finish it”, they will say. v31 Or suppose a king goes out with 10 000 men in his army. He goes to fight against another king who has twice as many men. The king will sit down first. He will decide whether he is strong enough to fight that other king. v32 If he is not, he will send a message to the other king. He will do this while he is still far away. He will ask for peace. v33 In the same way, someone may want to be my *disciple. He must give up everything that he has’.
Verse 26 A person should be more loyal to Jesus than to his or her closest family. And Jesus is more important even than one’s own wishes.
Verse 27 The crowds were following Jesus. They thought that he was going to become a powerful leader. But Jesus told them that he was going to suffer. His *followers must be ready to suffer for their *faith, and even to die for it. But Jesus also meant that a *disciple must give up his own plans, comforts and ambitions. Carrying a cross is very hard and painful. Sometimes today, it is difficult to be a Christian.
Verses 28-32 These two *parables use familiar situations. They make people think about the cost and danger of being a *disciple. Verses 28 and 31 talk of ‘sitting down’ first. This suggests that people must take care when they decide whether to follow Jesus. One must consider what it will cost to ‘build’ one’s *faith and ‘fight’ its enemies. ‘Build’ means the work of a whole life, not a sudden, brief effort. ‘Fight’ means opposing evil in every way.
Verse 33 To ‘give up everything’ means to be completely loyal as one follows Jesus. Whatever it costs. A *disciple must give his whole effort to the work of the *kingdom of God.
Salt without value 14:34-35
v34 ‘Salt is good. But if it no longer tastes like salt, one cannot make it proper salt again. v35 It is no good for the soil and no good for plants. People throw it away. Listen, then, if you have ears’.
Verses 34-35 People used salt to give flavour to food. Salt also prevents food from going bad. Refrigerators are a modern invention. People used to put salt on the land to help plants to grow. Jesus said that his *disciples were ‘the salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:13). Christians should add flavour and joy to life. They should act against evil in the world, and help people to be good. The salt of Jesus’ time was not as pure as it is today. In those days, salt could dissolve and leave only a type of substance that had no flavour. People threw it away as it had no value. Some *followers of Jesus are not carrying out their functions. Those *disciples are of no use to God.
This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words)
heal ~ cure; make completely well.Sabbath ~ day of rest when people should not work (Saturday for Jews).
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Pharisees ~ group of Jews who were very strict about the law of Moses.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'Israel, Israelites ~ all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
hypocrites ~ persons who pretend to be better than they are.
parable ~ a story with a moral meaning.
religious ~ leaders belonging to a religion.
kingdom ~ land that a king rules.'physical disabilities ~ people with physical disabilities are people who cannot see or people who do not find it easy to walk or to do other things.
Lord ~ name for God in the Bible; name that we use for Jesus when we obey him.
resurrection ~ to come back to life after death.
Sadducees ~ group of Jews who did not believe in life after death.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'Christ/Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.
Messiah/Christ ~ the Jews’ word for the king whom God would send to rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.'sin/sinner ~ when people do things against God or other people.'tax-collector ~ man who received taxes for the government.
tax ~ money that people must pay to the government.
Gentiles ~ people who are not Jews.
Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
disciple ~ one who follows another and learns from him; a person who believes in Jesus; a person who follows the things that he teaches.
follower ~ person who follows a leader.
faith ~ trust.
Luke: The Man Christ Jesus
Jesus on his way from Galilee to Jerusalem
Ian Mackervoy
Chapter 14
Dinner with a *Pharisee – Luke 14:1-24
v1 One *Sabbath day, Jesus went to the house of a leader of the *Pharisees. He went to eat a meal with the *Pharisee. The other guests were carefully watching Jesus to see what he would do. v2 There in front of Jesus was a man who was sick. The cause of the illness was too much liquid in his body. v3 Jesus spoke to the lawyers and *Pharisees. He asked whether or not it was legal to cure a person on the *Sabbath. v4 But they would not answer his question. So, Jesus took hold of the man. Then Jesus cured him and he sent him away.
v5 Then Jesus said to the people, ‘You have sons and *oxen. Suppose your son or your *ox falls into a well. You would pull him out at once even on the *Sabbath day.’ v6 And they were not able to argue with him.
v7 Jesus saw how the guests had tried to take the best seats. So, he gave to them this advice. v8 ‘When someone invites you to a wedding, do not sit in the best place. Maybe someone else, who is more important than you, is also a guest at the wedding. v9 The host, who invited both of you, will come. He will say to you, “Let this man sit here.” Then with shame, you will take the least important place. v10 Instead, when someone invites you, sit in the least important place. Your host will come to you. He will say, “My friend, come up to a better place.” Then you will receive honour in front of all the other guests. v11 If people make themselves great, God will make them to be as nothing. But everyone who is humble, God will make to be great.’
v12 Then Jesus spoke to the man who had invited him. ‘When you make a dinner or supper, do not invite your friends and your family. Do not invite your other relatives and your rich neighbours. If you do, they may invite you back. And so they will reward you. v13 But when you have such a meal, invite poor people. Invite people with sick bodies. Invite people who are unable to walk or unable to see. v14 These people cannot pay you for what you have done. However, God will *bless you. You will have your reward when good people rise from death.’
v15 One of the men at the table with Jesus heard this. He spoke to Jesus. ‘Truly happy is the person who will eat the food in God’s *kingdom.’
v16 Jesus replied with this story. ‘A certain man made a great supper and he invited many guests. v17 When it was time to eat, the man sent his servant to tell the guests. His message was: “Come because it is now ready.”
v18 But all the guests made excuses. The first one said, “I have just bought a field. I must go and look at it. Please excuse me.”
v19 Another one said, “I have just bought 5 pairs of *oxen. I am going to test them. Please excuse me.”
v20 Then another one said, “I have just got married. So, I cannot come.”
v21 The servant came back and he reported these things to his master. Then the owner of the house was angry. He told his servant, “Go quickly into the streets and passages of the town. Bring in the poor people and the people whose bodies are sick. Bring in the blind people and the people who cannot walk.”
v22 The servant said, “Master, I have done what you ordered. But there is still room.”
v23 Then the master told his servant, “Go out, to the roads and country paths. Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. v24 I tell you this. None of those men whom I invited first will taste of my supper.” ’
Verses 1-4 It was a *Sabbath day. This is the 4th time that Luke records a disagreement about the *Sabbath (6:1-5, 6:6-11, 13:10-17). A leader of the *Pharisees invited Jesus and other guests to a meal. The host was an important man. He may have been a member of the *Jewish government. It seems that the other guests were enemies of Jesus. They had come to see what he would do. They hoped to find something with which to accuse him.
At the meal, there was a man who was sick. Maybe the *Pharisee had invited him in order to tempt Jesus to cure this man. In their tradition, that would be work on the *Sabbath day. Then they would accuse Jesus of wrong deeds against the *Sabbath rules.
There were other lawyers and *Pharisees there. So, Jesus asked them if it is legal to cure someone on the *Sabbath day. It was a difficult question for them to answer. There is nothing in the Bible to say that it is not legal. But they had their regulations. These regulations had become law to them. By this law, it would be wrong to cure a person on the *Sabbath day. (They would allow a doctor to cure a person if it was a matter of life or death. But this man was not in such a desperate state; he could wait until after the *Sabbath.) The lawyers and *Pharisees would not answer Jesus. So, Jesus cured the man and sent him away.
Verses 5-6 If a son, or even an *ox, fell into a well, they would pull him out. Although it was a *Sabbath day, they would not wait. Immediately they would rescue the son or the *ox. Such an act may have been against their rules for the *Sabbath. But it was not against God’s law. In the same way to cure a man on the *Sabbath day may be against their rules. But it was not against God’s law. The lawyers and *Pharisees could not argue against Jesus.
Verse 7 At special meals such as at a wedding, there was a strict arrangement of places. The most important ones were next to the hosts. The next important ones were those on the sides nearest to the hosts. The least important ones were those furthest away from the hosts. Jesus saw how the guests tried to take the more important places.
They did not sit on chairs. Often, they lay on their left sides on cushions. There were three persons to each cushion. And the middle one of the three was more important than the other two.
Verses 8-11 Jesus spoke about a wedding meal. He advised guests to take lower places rather than important ones. Then if a guest were important, the host would take him to an important place. If a less important guest were in that place, the host would ask him to move. Then it could be that the only place available was the lowest place. The other guests would see this, and it would cause shame for that guest. Suppose however that an important guest was in a lower place. Then the host would come and he would take that guest to a higher place. The other guests would see this, and it would bring honour to that guest.
God will act in a similar way. If people make themselves important, God will give no honour to those people. But to those people who are humble, God will give honour. A person’s position does not depend on his own opinion about himself. It depends on God because God will be the judge of all people.
Verses 12-14 Then Jesus spoke to the *Pharisee who had invited him. Jesus advised him not to invite those people who could invite him back. Jesus did not mean that he should never invite any such person. Jesus is not against normal social life. But in God’s opinion, a host gains no advantage when he only invites those people. Such people may reward the host by the invitations that they give to him. So the host would receive his rewards from people and not from God.
It would be very much better to invite those people who cannot reward the kindness. The reason for such acts must not be for the reward. It must be from a genuine desire to help those people. But God will see it. He will reward such actions when good people rise from death.
At a future time, good people (that is, God’s people) will come back from death. Also, there will be a time when evil people will return from death. Then there will be the judgement day when God will be the judge of all people. He will decide whom to reward, and whom to punish.
Verse 15 Jesus had spoken of the future when God will raise people from death. The *Jews were familiar with the idea of a grand dinner in God’s *kingdom. They believed that the good people of the past would rise from death. And these good people would be guests at that dinner. Also as *Jews, they expected to be guests with them at the dinner. So, one of the guests replied to Jesus. He said that it would be a great honour to be at that grand dinner. It seems that this guest expected to be there. But in fact, some who expect to be there will not be there. Jesus would explain to him that many people are too busy to accept God’s invitation.
Verses 16-17 Jesus told them a story. It was about a man who invited many people to a great supper. None of the people whom he had invited had refused the invitation. The host expected them all to come. It took a long time to prepare for the great supper. When the supper was ready, the host sent his servant to fetch the guests. But they would not come to the supper.
It was the custom in some places to expect a second invitation. It may be that the servant took the second invitation to the guests. And they refused the second invitation. To refuse in this way was an insult to the host.
Verses 18-20 These guests made excuses. The first one had bought a field. He would have looked at it before he bought it. The field, of course, would still be there after the meal. Therefore, it was not necessary to view it at that time. It could wait until after the supper. It is plain that, really, this man did not want to come to the supper.
Another man had bought some *oxen. He would have been satisfied with them before he bought them. Now they were his *oxen and he could test them at any time. It could wait until after the supper. But he too did not want to go to the supper.
Another man had just married a wife. A marriage would not be a sudden affair. He would have known about it before he received the invitation to the supper. The invitation to these suppers would be to men only. He would have to leave his new wife at home while he went to the supper. The wives of the other guests would have to stay at home. As an excuse, he said that he could not go to the supper. If he had wanted to, he could have gone.
All three of these men knew about the supper before the servant came. All three made weak excuses as their reasons not to go to the supper.
Verses 21-24 The servant told his master what had happened. His master was angry. The guests that he had invited had insulted him. But he would not allow those excuses to spoil his supper. If the original guests would not come, he would invite other guests. He sent his servant to the poorer parts of the town. He told him to bring in poor people from there. He included those people who were sick or blind. And he included those people who could not walk.
The servant did what his master told him. But he did not bring in enough guests to satisfy his master. So, the master sent the servant to search wider and to urge people to come in. The servant went to the roads and paths outside the town. There he would find people who had no homes. Even these people, the servant must urge to come to the supper.
Even if the first guests came, the master would not allow them to come in. There would be no further chance for them. They had missed their opportunity.
Jesus told this story to show God’s desire to have a right relationship with people. The supper means a place in God’s *kingdom. He sent the *prophets to invite his people to come in. But very many of them would not accept that invitation. Now in Jesus, there is the invitation for all to come in. He sends Christians to bring in people from all nations. They must bring all types of people. No person is beyond the reach of God. The good news of Jesus is for all people. God will receive all who come to him. But when people refuse God’s invitation, that invitation may not remain open to them.
It costs to be a *disciple – Luke 14:25-35
v25 Large crowds came together to Jesus. He turned to them and he spoke to them. v26 ‘If you want to be my *disciple, you must hate your father and mother. You must hate your wife, children, brothers and sisters. You must even hate your own life. If you do not, you cannot be my *disciple. v27 And you must carry your cross and you must follow me. If you do not, you cannot be my *disciple.
v28 Suppose that you want to build a tall building. You would first sit down and you would estimate the cost. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. v29 Otherwise, you will start from the base but you will not be able to complete the building. Then everyone who sees it will laugh at you. v30 They will say, “This person started to build. But he could not finish the building.”
v31 Suppose that a king intends to go to war against another king. He would first sit down and he would think about the situation. He would decide whether or not his army of 10 000 soldiers could beat the other army of 20 000 soldiers. v32 He may decide that he cannot win. So, while the other king is a long way from him, he will send some people to him. They will try to arrange for peace between the kings. v33 In the same way, you must give up everything that you have, in order to be my *disciple.
v34 Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, you cannot make it good again. v35 It is no good for the soil or for garden use. People throw it away. You people who can hear me, listen.’
Verses 25-27 As Jesus travelled, crowds came to him. He taught them what it means to be his *disciples.
The Bible teaches us to love each other. We must not even hate our enemies. In fact, we must love them (Luke 6:27). Here ‘hate’ means to love less. Our love for Jesus must be first and greater than our love for each other (Matthew 10:37). Our love for Jesus must be so strong that, in contrast, our love for our family is like hate.
A *disciple must be loyal to Jesus first. All who want to follow Jesus must be ready to die on behalf of Jesus. It is as if the *disciple dies to himself each day. In other words, the true *disciple does not do what he wants. He lives for Jesus and he follows Jesus.
Verses 28-33 To be a *disciple of Jesus is not easy. The *disciple has to give up everything to follow Jesus. This is a heavy price to pay. A person ought to think about this before he becomes a *disciple. Jesus told two stories to teach this.
A man who wants to build a tall building must think first. He needs to be sure that he has the money to complete the building. If not, he may start to build but he may not be able to complete it. Then people will laugh at him. He was foolish because he did not have enough money to finish the job.
A king decides that he wants to fight against another king. He knows that the other king has more soldiers. So, he thinks hard about whether his 10 000 men can defeat the 20 000 men of his enemy. If his army can defeat the enemy then let them fight. But if not, then he must arrange a peace agreement with the other king.
In the first story, the builder has a choice to build or not to build. A person must think whether he can afford to be a *disciple. He can choose whether he will be a *disciple or not.
In the second story, the king must do something. Either he must fight or he must make a peace agreement. A person must decide whether he can afford to refuse the demands of Jesus.
Jesus does not want as *disciples those people who cannot continue with him. Instead, they should know what it means to be his *disciples. And they make the decision to give up everything for him. By this means, they give to Jesus the control of their lives.
However, Jesus does not expect his *disciples to do these things by means of their own strength. Every Christian would certainly fail if he depended on himself. People can only be strong enough to stand as *disciples of Christ if they depend completely on God. Because he supports his people, even the weakest Christian becomes strong enough to follow Christ.
Verses 34-35 Pure salt is a chemical that cannot lose its taste. The salt that they used was not at all pure. If the pure chemical part became less then the salt taste would be less. Then the salt would be no use.
Jesus expects his *disciples to continue to follow him. If they do not continue, they are of no use to him.
Pharisees ~ a group of Jews who tried to obey all God’s rules. Many of them did not approve of Jesus.Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Sabbath ~ the 7th day of the week (Saturday), which is special to the Jews as a holy day.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
ox ~ an animal of a similar kind to a cow. The plural is oxen.
bless ~ to show kindness to someone.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules. In the New Testament, this is nearly always the people over whom the king rules and not a territory on earth.
New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on earth.
Jewish ~ people or things that are from the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
prophet ~ person who speaks on behalf of God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future.
disciple ~ a person who follows a leader, especially the 12 men that Jesus chose to be with him.