Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy

1And it came to pass, when He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching Him. 2And, behold, there was before Him a certain man who had the dropsy. 3And, answering, Jesus spake to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful on the sabbath to heal or not?" 4But they were silent. And, taking hold of him, He healed him, and let him go; 5and He said to them, "Who of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a well, and he will not straight-way draw him up on a sabbath day?" 6And they were not able to return an answer to these things.

The Parable of the Guests

7And He spake a parable to those who were bidden, when He observed how they were choosing out the first seats; saying to them,

8"When you are bidden by any one to a marriage feast, sit not on the first seat, lest possibly a more honorable man than you may have been invited by him; 9and he who bade you and him, coming, shall say to you, 'Give place to this man;' and then you shall, with shame, begin to occupy the lowest place. 10But, when you are invited, going, sit in the lowest place, that, when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher;' then you will have glory in the presence of all who are reclining at table with you; 11because every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

12And He said to him also who had invited him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, call not your friends, nor your brethren, nor your kindred, nor your rich neighbors; lest they also invite you in return, and a recompense be made you; 13but, when you make a feast, call the poor, maimed, lame, blind; 14and happy shall you be; because they have not wherewith to recompense you; for recompense will be made to you in the resurrection of the righteous."

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

15And one of those reclining with Him, hearing these things, said to Him, "happy is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!"

16But He said to him, "A certain man was making a great supper, and invited many. 17And he sent forth his servant, at the hour of the supper, to say to those invited, 'Come; because all things are now ready.' 18"And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse. The first said to him, 'I bought a field, and I must go out to see it; I pray you, have me excused.' 19And another said, 'I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to prove them; I pray you, have me excused.' 20And another said, 'I married a wife; and, therefore, I cannot come.' 21"And, coming near, the servant reported these things to his lord. Then the householder, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city; and bring in here the poor, and maimed, and blind, and lame.' 22And the servant said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and still there is room.' 23And the lord said to the servant, 'Go forth into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled; 24for I say to you, that no one of those men who have been invited shall taste of my supper."

The Cost of Discipleship
(Matthew 8:18–22; Luke 9:57–62; John 6:59–66)

25Now there were journeying with Him great multitudes; and, turning, He said to them,

26"If any one comes to Me, and hates not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and, further, his own soul also, he cannot be My disciple. 27And whosoever does not bear his own cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. 28For who of you, wishing to build a tower, does not, first, sitting down, calculate the expense, whether he has enough for its completion? 29lest, perhaps, having laid a foundation, and not being able to finish it, all who behold begin to mock him, 30saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish!' 31"Or what king, going on to engage another king in war, does not, sitting down, first take counsel, whether he is able, with ten thousand, to meet him who is coming against him with twenty thousand? 32And, if not by any means, while he is yet afar off, sending an embassy, he asks conditions of peace. 33"So, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his own goods, cannot be My disciple.

Good Salt
(Matthew 5:13–16; Mark 9:49–50)

34Salt, therefore, is good; but if even the salt become tasteless, with what shall it be seasoned? 35It is fit neither for the land nor for manure: they throw it without. He that has ears to hear, let him hear!"