Luke Chapter 14

At a Glance

  • Luke 14 presents Jesus at table with Pharisees, where healing on the Sabbath sparks controversy, followed by a string of parables about humility, invitation, and communal generosity.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Luke 14 sits at the intersection of Jesus’ public ministry and the growing tension with religious authorities.
  • - Humility and counterintuitive hospitality.
  • - The cost and depth of discipleship.

LUKE CHAPTER 14

Chapter Overview

Luke 14 presents Jesus at table with Pharisees, where healing on the Sabbath sparks controversy, followed by a string of parables about humility, invitation, and communal generosity. Jesus heals a man with dropsy in a charged Sabbath setting, prompting a pointed challenge about lawful mercy. He then tells the parable of the great banquet, urging guests to choose the lowest place and then be exalted, illustrating a kingdom economy of humility and honor. The next parable warns against prideful seating arrangements and self-promotion, urging guests to invite the poor, the maimed, and the blind—those who cannot repay, highlighting radical, self-forgetting hospitality. The overarching motif is reversal: in God’s kingdom, the last are first, and social status is upended by grace and mercy.

As the chapter progresses, Jesus turns from parables to direct teaching on discipleship, including the cost of following him: hating one’s family, bearing one’s cross, and counting the cost before committing. He emphasizes true allegiance, trust in God’s provision (the ravens and lilies imagery), and the necessity of wholehearted trust rather than outward religiosity. The chapter ends with practical warnings about sin and the urgency of repentance, reinforcing that discipleship is a life ordered around Jesus’ mission and the Father’s hospitality.

Historical & Literary Context

Luke 14 sits at the intersection of Jesus’ public ministry and the growing tension with religious authorities. The Sabbath controversy and subsequent teachings belong to Luke’s broader concern with true hospitality, justice, and the reversal of social norms. The parables reflect a Jewish wisdom tradition, but with a radical Christocentric twist. Luke uses these stories to critique empty religiosity while inviting readers into a banquet of grace that transcends status, power, and lineage. The narrative style—an intimate setting (a meal) that becomes a classroom for kingdom ethics—illustrates Luke’s pattern of turning ordinary moments into teachable moments about discipleship.

Key Themes

- Humility and counterintuitive hospitality

- The cost and depth of discipleship

- Reversal of social norms in God’s kingdom

- True fellowship and inclusive invitation

- Dependence on God’s provision and wisdom

Modern Application

Luke 14 challenges readers to rethink social dynamics, particularly around status, seating, and who gets invited. It invites churches and individuals to cultivate genuine hospitality that honors those who cannot repay. The costs of discipleship—priority of God’s call over family or comfort—are a timeless reminder to examine what one truly worships: security or service in God’s mission.

- Luke 6:20-26 (blessed are the poor)

- Luke 6:37-42 (humility and judgment)

- Matthew 22:1-14 (parabolic banquet)

- Romans 12:9-13 (hospitality and humility)

Recommended Personas

- Jesus (primary expositor of kingdom hospitality)

- Mary (for contemplative receptivity to God’s invitation)

- Peter (for leadership humility under the cross)

Chapter Text

1

And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

2

And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3

And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

4

And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

5

And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6

And they could not answer him again to these things.

7

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

8

When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

9

And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12

Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13

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

14

And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

15

And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

16

Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

17

And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

18

And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

19

And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20

And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

21

So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

22

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

23

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24

For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

25

And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

26

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29

Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

30

Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

31

Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32

Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

33

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

34

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

35

It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Discuss This Chapter with Biblical Personas

Explore Luke Chapter 14 with Biblical figures who can provide unique perspectives grounded in Scripture.

Ask Apostle PaulAsk MosesAsk King DavidAsk Jesus Christ
← Luke 13Luke 15 →