Luke 14:13

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) When thou makest a feast.—Literally, as in Luke 5:29, a reception. In practice, it need hardly be said, the form of obedience to the precept must, of necessity, vary with the varying phases of social life, and with the lessons of experience. Relief given privately, thoughtfully, discriminatively, may be better both for the giver, as less ostentatious, and for the receivers, as tending to the formation of a higher character, than the open feast of the Eastern form of benevolence. The essence of the beatitude, as distinct from its form, remains for all who give freely to those who can give them no recompense in return, who have nothing to offer but their thanks and prayers.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

14:7-14 Even in the common actions of life, Christ marks what we do, not only in our religious assemblies, but at our tables. We see in many cases, that a man's pride will bring him low, and before honour is humility. Our Saviour here teaches, that works of charity are better than works of show. But our Lord did not mean that a proud and unbelieving liberality should be rewarded, but that his precept of doing good to the poor and afflicted should be observed from love to him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The poor - Those who are destitute of comfortable food.

The maimed - Those who are deprived of any member of their body, as an arm or a leg or who have not the use of them so that they can labor for their own support.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13. call the poor—"Such God Himself calls" (Lu 14:21) [Bengel].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 14:12"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But when thou makest a feast,.... An entertainment for others, a dinner, or a supper:

call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; that is, the poor maimed, the poor lame, and the poor blind; otherwise it is possible that rich men may be maimed, lame, and blind; whereas these are not intended, but such who are in indigent circumstances, that stand in need of a meal, and to whom it is welcome.

Geneva Study Bible

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 14:13. δοχὴν, the same word used by Lk. in reference to the feast in Levi’s house, which was a gathering of the sort here recommended by Jesus.—μακάριος, here and always denoting rare virtue and felicity = the pleasure of doing a kindness not to be repaid, except at the resurrection of the just, or by the joy that every really beneficent action brings now.—τῶν δικαίων: in specifying the righteous as the subjects of the resurrection the Speaker has no intention of indicating an opinion as to the unrighteous: whether they rise at all, or when.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

13. call the poor] Matthew 25:35. The duty is recognised in another form by Nehemiah. “Eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared,” Nehemiah 8:10.

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 14:13. Κάλεῖ) invite, bid, call, simply; not φώνει,[145] as in Luke 14:12, ΦΩΝΕῖΝ conveys the idea of something more loud (clear) and formal (solemn).—ΠΤΩΧΟῪς, the poor) It is such whom God Himself invites Luke 14:21.

[145] Issue a formal invitation, lit. invite with a loud voice, φωνή.—E. and T.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 13, 14. - But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee. Great pagan moralists, sick at heart at these dreary, selfish society conventionalities, have condemned this system of entertaining those who would be likely to make an equivalent return for the interested hospitality. So Martial, writing of such an incident, says, 'You are asking for gifts, Sextus, not for friends." Nehemiah gives a somewhat similar charge to the Jews of his day: "Eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared" (Nehemiah 8:10). Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. There is no doubt that Jesus here was alluding to that first resurrection which would consist of the "just" only; of that which St. John speaks of in rapt and glowing terms: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection" (Revelation 20:6). This was a doctrine evidently much insisted on by the early teachers of Christianity (see John 5:25; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Philippians 3:11; and compare our Lord's words again in Luke 20:35). Luke 14:13

Vincent's Word Studies

Feast (δοχήν)

Or reception. Used by Luke only. See on Luke 5:29.