Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy

1And it came to pass, on His going into a house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath, to eat bread, that they were watching Him. 2And behold, there was a certain man with dropsy before Him. 3And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and to the Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

4But they were silent.

And having taken hold of him, He healed him and let him go. 5And He said to them, “Which of you whose sona or ox will fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, also will not immediately pull him up?”

6And they were not able to reply to these things.

The Parable of the Guests

7And He was speaking a parable to those having been invited, remarking how they were choosing out the first places, saying to them, 8“When you are invited by anyone to wedding feasts, do not recline in the first place, lest one more honorable than you might have been invited by him. 9And the one having invited you and him, having come, will say to you, ‘Give your place to this one,’ and then with shame you should begin to take the last place.

10But when you are invited, having gone, recline in the last place, so that when the one having invited you might come, he will say to you, ‘Friend, come up higher.’ Then glory will be to you before all those reclining with you. 11For everyone exalting himself will be humbled, and the one humbling himself will be exalted.”

12And also He was saying to the one having invited Him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest ever they also should invite you in return, and recompense be made to you. 13But when you make a feast, call the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed, because they have nothing to repay you. For it will be recompensed to you in the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Parable of the Banquet
(Matthew 22:1-14)

15And one of those reclining with Him, having heard these things, said to Him, “Blessed is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of God.”

16But He said to him, “A certain man was preparing a great supper, and invited many. 17And at the hour of the supper, he sent his servant to say to those having been invited, ‘Come, for now it is ready.’

18And all with one voice began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I have need, going out, to see it. I beg of you, hold me excused.’

19And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to prove them. I beg of you, hold me excused.’

20And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and because of this I am not able to come.’

21And the servant having come, reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, having become angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’

22And the servant said, ‘Sir, as you did command, it has been done, and there is still room.’

23And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24For I say to all of you that not one of those men having been invited will taste my supper.’”

The Cost of Discipleship
(Matthew 8:18-22; Luke 9:57-62; John 6:60-65)

25And great crowds were going with Him, and having turned, He said to them, 26“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters and yes, even his life, he is not able to be My disciple. 27Whoever does not carry his cross and come after Me is not able to be My disciple.

28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first, having sat down, count the cost, whether he has enough for its completion? 29Otherwise, he having laid its foundation and not being able to finish, all seeing it may begin to mock him, 30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

31Or what king, proceeding to engage with another king in war, will not, having sat down, first take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32And if not, of him being still far off, having sent an embassy, he asks for peace.

33So therefore every one of you who does not give up all that he himself possesses, is not able to be My disciple.

Good Salt

34Therefore salt is good, but if even the salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? 35It is fit neither for soil nor for manure; they cast it out.

The one having ears to hear, let him hear.”