Year of the Bible
Luke 14
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Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke, Chapter 14:
This chapter begins at a meal in the home of an important Pharisee where Jesus asks if it is lawful to cure on the sabbath and then after receiving no reply from the hosts or other guests, proceeds to heal a man (vs 3-6). Jesus then tells a parable of seats at a wedding banquet (vs. 8-11) as critique of how all of the guests at the meal desired to have the seats of honor at the table. One of the guests responds with a relevant connection, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God” (vs 15, see also 13:29 and Isaiah 25:6-9). Jesus replies to this with a parable describing a grand banquet where the first who were invited excuse themselves once the dinner is ready (vs. 16-25). Rather than remaining angry, the banquet’s host sends out servants to gather the poor and those excluded from society (vs. 21-23). Following the meal, Jesus resumes his travel with large crowds following him. Jesus speaks to the crowds about the preparation, dedication, and detachment from earthly resources it takes to be one of his followers, a disciple (vs. 26-35).
The Gospel According to St. Luke, Chapter 14:
Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy on the Sabbath
1 One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?” 4 But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a sons or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?” 6 And they could not reply to this.
Humility and Hospitality
7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. 13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
The Parable of the Great Banquet
15 When one of those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; 17 and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; please, have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; please, have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ”
The Cost of Discipleship
25 Now great multitudes ac companied him; and he turned and said to them, 26 “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. 33 So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
About Salt
34 “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill; men throw it away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Luke 14:18-20 ‘But all alike started to make excuses. The first said, "I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies." Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies. Yet another said, "I have just got married and so am unable to come."’ Lord, have I been making excuses and failed to respond to your invitation to relationship with you?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan, an adult faith formation apostolate. Catholic Biblical School of Michigan (cbsmich.org/join).
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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1 Un sábado, entró él a comer en casa
de uno de los principales fariseos y
ellos le estaban observando. 2 Y resultó que
delante de él había un hombre hidrópico.
3 Y tomando la palabra, les dijo Jesús a los
doctores de la Ley y a los fariseos:
–¿Es lícito curar en sábado o no?
4 Pero ellos callaron. Y tomándolo, lo
curó y lo despidió.
Y les dijo:
–¿Quién de vosotros, si se le cae al
pozo un hijo o un buey, no lo saca enseguida
un día de sábado?
6 Y no pudieron responderle a esto.
7 Les proponía a los invitados una
parábola, al notar cómo iban eligiendo
los primeros puestos:
8 –Cuando alguien te invite a una
boda, no vayas a ponerte en el primer
puesto, no sea que otro más distinguido
que tú haya sido invitado por él 9 y,
al llegar el que os invitó a ti y al otro, te
diga: «Cédele el sitio a éste», y entonces
empieces a buscar, lleno de vergüenza,
el último lugar. 10 Al contrario, cuando
te inviten, ve a ocupar el último lugar,
para que cuando llegue el que te invitó
te diga: «Amigo, sube más arriba».
Entonces quedarás muy honrado ante
todos los comensales. 11 Porque todo el
que se ensalza será humillado, y el que
se humilla será ensalzado.
12 Decía también al que le había invitado:
–Cuando des una comida o cena, no
llames a tus amigos, ni a tus hermanos,
ni a tus parientes, ni a vecinos ricos, no
sea que también ellos te devuelvan la invitación
y te sirva de recompensa. 13 Al
contrario, cuando des un banquete, llama
a pobres, a tullidos, a cojos y a ciegos;
14 y serás bienaventurado, porque
no tienen para corresponderte. Se te recompensará
en la resurrección de los
justos.
Cuando oyó esto uno de los comensales,
le dijo:
–Bienaventurado el que coma el pan
en el Reino de Dios.
16 Pero él le dijo:
–Un hombre daba una gran cena e
invitó a muchos. 17 Y envió a su siervo a
la hora de la cena para decir a los invitados:
«Venid, que ya está todo preparado
». 18 Y todos a una comenzaron a
excusarse. El primero le dijo: «He comprado
un campo y tengo necesidad de ir
a verlo; te ruego que me des por excusado
». 19 Y otro dijo: «Compré cinco yuntas
de bueyes, y voy a probarlas; te ruego
que me des por excusado». 20 Otro dijo:
«Acabo de casarme, y por eso no puedo
ir». 21 Regresó el siervo y contó esto a
su señor. Entonces, irritado el amo de la
casa, le dijo a su siervo: «Sal ahora mismo
a las plazas y calles de la ciudad y
trae aquí a los pobres, a los tullidos, a los
ciegos y a los cojos». 22 Y el siervo dijo:
«Señor, se ha hecho lo que mandaste, y
todavía hay sitio». 23 Entonces dijo el señor
a su siervo: «Sal a los caminos y a los
cercados y obliga a entrar, para que se
llene mi casa. 24 Porque os aseguro que
ninguno de aquellos hombres invitados
gustará mi cena».
25 Iba con él mucha gente, y se volvió
hacia ellos y les dijo:
26 –Si alguno viene a mí y no odia a
su padre y a su madre y a su mujer y a
sus hijos y a sus hermanos y a sus hermanas,
hasta su propia vida, no puede
ser mi discípulo. 27 Y el que no carga con
su cruz y viene detrás de mí, no puede
ser mi discípulo.
28 »Porque, ¿quién de vosotros, al
querer edificar una torre, no se sienta
primero a calcular los gastos a ver si
tiene para acabarla? 29 No sea que, después
de poner los cimientos y no poder
acabar, todos los que lo vean empiecen
a burlarse de él, 30 y digan: «Este
hombre comenzó a edificar y no pudo
terminar». 31 ¿O qué rey, que sale a luchar
contra otro rey, no se sienta antes
a deliberar si puede enfrentarse con
diez mil hombres al que viene contra él
con veinte mil? 32 Y si no, cuando todavía
está lejos, envía una embajada para
pedir condiciones de paz. 33 Así pues,
cualquiera de vosotros que no renuncie
a todos sus bienes no puede ser mi
discípulo.
La sal es buena; pero si la sal se
vuelve sosa, ¿con qué se sazonará? 35 No
es útil ni para la tierra ni para el estercolero;
la tiran fuera. Quien tenga oídos
para oír, que oiga.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
Lucas 14:18-20 ‘Y todos a una comenzaron a excusarse. El primero le dijo: «He comprado un campo y tengo necesidad de ir a verlo; te ruego que me des por excusado ». Y otro dijo: «Compré cinco yuntas de bueyes, y voy a probarlas; te ruego que me des por excusado, Otro dijo: «Acabo de casarme, y por eso no puedo ir». Señor, ¿he estado poniendo pretextos y fallando en responder a tu invitación a una relación contigo?
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