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Luke 14

35 verses

TL;DR

Jesus teaches about compassion, humility, and the demands of discipleship, warning that true followers must prioritize Christ over all earthly attachments.

Summary

The chapter opens with Jesus healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath, prompting a legalistic challenge that Jesus answers with a parable about the worth of life over ritual. He then delivers the Parable of the Wedding Feast, illustrating how the invitation to God's kingdom should be accepted by those who truly care, especially the poor, rather than the proud. A subsequent story of a great feast shows the practical need to invite the marginalized, lest the host be rebuked. Jesus then turns to a direct call to all who wish to follow Him, declaring that discipleship requires self‑sacrifice, bearing one's cross, and complete commitment—anyone who cannot do so is not a true disciple. The chapter ends with the metaphor of salt, stressing that believers must remain valuable and faithful or else be cast aside.

Outline
  1. Healing on the Sabbath and the law of mercy
  2. Parable of the Wedding Feast – humility and inclusive invitation
  3. Direct call to discipleship – cross‑bearing and total commitment
  4. Metaphor of salt – warning of lost value
Themes
Compassion over ritualHumility in hospitalitySelf‑sacrifice in discipleship
Keywords
SabbathHealingParableWedding feastHumilityDiscipleshipCrossSaltGenerosity
People
JesusChief PhariseeLawyersMan with dropsyServantMaster of the houseGuests at the feastPoor, maimed, lame, blind
Places
House of a chief PhariseeCity streetsHouse of the master
Things
DropsyAss/ox in a pitWedding feastCrossSaltBread
Key Verses
  • Luke 14:5: Jesus uses a familiar scenario to illustrate mercy over legalism.
  • Luke 14:12-14: The parable’s call to humble humility in hospitality.
  • Luke 14:27-30: Jesus’s demanding statement of discipleship and the cost of following Him.
  • Luke 14:34-35: The salt metaphor warns of loss of faithfulness.
Questions
  • What does Jesus mean when he says it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath?
  • How does the parable of the wedding feast challenge our views on hospitality and privilege?
  • What practical steps can we take to bear our cross in everyday life?
  • Why does Jesus use the image of salt at the end of the chapter?
Sentiment

neutral
The chapter contains stern teaching but also compassionate examples.