Bible Commentaries
Luke 14

Verses 1-6

Jesus Corrects the Pharisees on the Law In Luke 14:1-6 Jesus takes the opportunity to teach the Pharisees on the Law by healing a man with the dropsy on the Sabbath.

Jesus Heals a Man with the Dropsy In Luke 14:1-6 we have the account of Jesus healing a man with the dropsy. The primary way in which Jesus Christ healed the sick was by teaching, preaching and healing the multitudes (Matthew 4:23). However, there were times when Jesus Christ preached in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Corinthians 2:4). We find this taking place when Jesus healed the man with the dropsy in the Pharisee’s house. Note that in this story, Jesus Christ had to confront the scribes and Pharisees in His preaching and this is often the manner that God chooses to move during such times. Other examples of Jesus Christ preaching and healing in demonstration of the Spirit and of power would be the healing of the man with the withered hand (Luke 6:6-11) and the woman with the spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:10-17).

Verses 1-35

Discourse: Jesus Teaches on Perseverance: Persecutions (Towards Jerusalem) In Luke 13:22 to Luke 17:10 Jesus moves further towards Jerusalem as He makes His way through the villages of Samaria and Galilee. In this section, Jesus trains His disciples in the area of perseverance in the midst of persecutions. The way into the Kingdom of God is narrow (Luke 13:22-30). The decision to leave all behind and follow Jesus begins with humility (Luke 14:7-11) and benevolence (Luke 14:12-14). A disciple of Christ forsakes the cares of this world (Luke 14:15-24) as well as his family bonds (Luke 14:25-35). A disciple begins to seek and to save the lost souls (Luke 15:1-32). Good stewardship to this calling is needed (Luke 16:1-13) and managing the riches that God entrusts to us (Luke 16:14-31). Only then can a disciple begin to understand what true faith in God involves (Luke 17:5-10). This kind of faith is not a one-time decision, but a series of daily decision of being a faithful servant.

Luke 15:1 to Luke 17:10 contains a continuous discourse by the Lord Jesus on perseverance in relation to the office of the prophet. The fundamental duty of the prophet is to preach the Gospel to the lost (Luke 15:1-32), being good stewards of one’s prophetic gifts (Luke 16:1-13), not covetous (Luke 16:14-31), neither offensive (Luke 17:1-4), so that their gifts may grow and flourish (Luke 17:5-10).

Outline - Here is a proposed outline:

1. Jesus Instructs on Striving to Enter the Kingdom Luke 13:22-30

2. Corrects Pharisees on Fulfillment of His Ministry Luke 13:31-35

3. Jesus Heals & Corrects the Pharisees on the Law Luke 14:1-6

4. Jesus Teaches on Humility Luke 14:7-11

5. Jesus Teaches on Benevolence Luke 14:12-14

6. Jesus Teaches on Forsaking Cares of the World Luke 14:15-24

7. Jesus Teaches on Forsaking All Luke 14:25-35

8. Discourse: Jesus Teaches on Perseverance Luke 15:1 to Luke 17:10

a) Jesus Corrects Pharisees on Seeking the Lord Luke 15:1-32

i) Parable of Lost Sheep Luke 15:1-7

ii) Parable of Lost Coin Luke 15:8-10

iii) Parable of Lost Son Luke 15:11-32

b) Jesus Instructs Disciples on Stewardship Luke 16:1-13

c) Jesus Corrects Pharisees on Covetousness Luke 16:14-31

d) Jesus Teaches Disciples on Offences Luke 17:1-4

e) Jesus Teaches the Apostles on Faith & Duty Luke 17:5-10

Verses 7-11

Jesus Teaches on Humility In Luke 14:7-11 Jesus took the opportunity to teach the people who were with Him at house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees about humility and benevolence. Jesus saw in crowds of people, not the splendor of men and their outward appearance, but their inner heart. The emphasis of this passage is found within the context of its narrative material where Jesus is teaching us how to enter into the narrow gate that leads to Heaven by keeping our hearts pure. Humility is a virtue that leads us towards a pure heart.

Illustration While attending Seminary, on the first day of a new class the professor announced that tomorrow, when everyone finds a seat, it would become their assigned seat for the rest of the semester. So the next day before class, many people were packed around the door waiting to rush in and get the best seats in the room. After the earlier class dismissed, those students scurried for the best seats in the front of the class. The Lord had impressed upon my heart to wait until the dust settles and then to quietly select a seat.

Scripture Reference - Note Proverbs 25:6-7.

Proverbs 25:6-7, “Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.”

Luke 14:11 Comments - In his book The Call Rick Joyner says, “Do not boast in your strengths, but in your weaknesses. If you will openly talk more about your failures in order to help others, I will be able to more openly display your victories, ‘For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.’” [232]

[232] Rick Joyner, The Call (Charlotte, North Carolina: Morning Star Publications, 1999), 220.

Verses 12-14

Jesus Teaches on Benevolence In Luke 14:12-14 Jesus teaches on benevolence. The emphasis of this passage is found within the context of its narrative material where Jesus is teaching us how to enter into the narrow gate that leads to Heaven by keeping our hearts pure. Benevolence is another virtue that leads us towards a pure heart after humility (Luke 14:7-11).

Luke 14:15-24 Jesus Teaches on Forsaking Cares of the World: The Parable of the Great Banquet (Matthew 22:1-10 ) In Luke 14:15-24 we have the Parable of the Great Banquet. Jesus Teaches on Forsaking Cares of the World. The emphasis of this passage is found within the context of its narrative material where Jesus is teaching us how to enter into the narrow gate that leads to Heaven by keeping our hearts pure. The need to forsake the entanglement of the cares of this world is another virtue that leads us towards a pure heart after humility (Luke 14:7-11) and benevolence (Luke 14:12-14).

Luke 14:15 Scripture Reference - Note:

Revelation 19:9, “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

Luke 14:17 “And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden” - Comments - His servant was a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Luke 14:17 “Come; for all things are now ready” Illustration:

Luke 10:39-40, “And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”

John 6:48-58 - Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Scripture Reference - Note:

Proverbs 8:1-5, “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.”

Luke 14:18-20 Comments No Excuses for a Divine Calling - I will never forget the summer of 1997. I had just married and brought my wife to the U.S. from the Philippines twelve weeks earlier. I had just purchased a new home sixteen weeks earlier. The month before the call, I had purchased my wife a used car and a new living room set on credit. But in July, the call came for me to forsake all and to follow him to Africa. I could have used the excuse of the man who had just purchased real estate just as I had purchased a beautiful four-bedroom home, but I did not. I could have taken up the excuse of the man who had purchased five yoke of oxen, as I had just purchased a car and furniture on credit with its burden of debt, but I did not. Or, I could have used the excuse of having a new wife, but I did not lean on this excuse either. Against all of this, I said, “Yes, I will go.” Within ten days of hearing my pastor’s proposal, my wife and I were on an airplane flying to Africa. I had to quit a wonderful job of eight years on a few days’ notice. We locked up our belonging in our home, and left. Years later, I asked the Lord why He picked me to go above the other several thousand church members. The Lord spoke to me in that still, small voice and said, “Because you were available.”

With that sacrifice, I have never felt a loss. In fact, I have gained so much more. I have a peace and joy that the things of this world cannot bring. I have been in the presence of great men and women of God who have forever impacted my life to become more like them. I have the fulfillment in my heart of knowing that I am in the Lord’s will for life, storing up true treasures in heaven. I have entered into rest as God intended His children to live.

Luke 14:24 Comments Note that Jesus spoke this parable in response to a comment on the blessedness of those who would eat bread in the kingdom of God (Luke 14:15).

Luke 14:15, “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.”

Verses 25-35

Jesus Teaches the Forsaking Family: The Cost of Discipleship (Matthew 10:37-38 ) In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus teaches the people about the cost of discipleship. It will cost more than forsaking the cares of this world. It will also require us to forsake the bonds of those loved ones who are not willing go the journey with us. The emphasis of this passage is found within the context of its narrative material where Jesus is teaching us how to enter into the narrow gate that leads to Heaven by keeping our hearts pure. The need to forsake the bonds of family ties is another virtue that leads us towards a pure heart after humility (Luke 14:7-11), benevolence (Luke 14:12-14) and forsaking the cares of this world (Luke 14:15-24).

Following Christ is a Daily Decision - Our decision to be a Christian is not a one-time decision that is made on a Sunday morning. Rather, it is a spiritual journey that we take, which involves much sacrifice. There is conversion, and discipleship. Discipleship involved the process of our sanctification. The process of sanctification involved our indoctrination, our calling and our perseverance. All disciples must follow this path; otherwise, our life looks like a person who started to build a house, or a tower, and did not finish it: or, it is like a person who went to war without considering the costs of winning the war.

Luke 14:25 Comments - Many people began with Jesus. Everybody wants to be a part of something good; but when the road gets rough, many fall short. Jesus sensed in His spirit that there were those following Him who were not serious enough to endure the journey of serving Him. Many would soon fall away, distracted by the cares of this world. For example, in the Parable of the Sower, people fell away due to persecutions and the cares of this world.

Luke 14:26 Comments - F. F. Bruce comments on this verse by saying that the Hebrew thought and speech is making an extreme contrast in this passage for the sake of emphasis. He explains that the Hebrew language (and Aramaic) lacks the abstract words that the Greek language later developed. Since Jesus was speaking Aramaic when He taught, He uses this extreme language in Luke 14:26 to illustrate this Hebrew way of saying that someone must love God far more than his earthly family.

Luke 14:26, “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.”

This is exactly what the parallel passage in Matthew 10:37 says when Jesus tells us that we must love Him more than our parents or children.

Matthew 10:37, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

Thus, God is not saying that we are to literally develop a hatred for our family members, but that our love for Him must be far more than any earthly love that we should have. This deep love for God will appear to our family members as if we no longer love them. This verse says that our ties to this world and its tradition, which are so strongly bound to us by family ties, must be overcome.

F. F. Bruce gives an Old Testament example of when God says that He loved Jacob and hated Esau.

Malachi 1:2-3, “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”

God was saying that He loved Jacob far more than his closest blood kin. This statement is meant to place emphasis upon the immeasurable love and involvement that God has for His people when compared to that of the world. [233]

[233] F. F. Bruce, The Books and the Parchments (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963), 46-7.

Luke 14:27 “And whosoever doth not bear his cross” - Comments - In those times, the condemned man would take his own cross to the site of his own crucifixion. So, Jesus is saying that we should not become offended because of suffering and persecutions. Many did not continue with Jesus (John 6:66). If we do not continue with Him, we are not worthy of Jesus and the Kingdom (Matthew 10:38).

John 6:66, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

Matthew 10:38, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”

Luke 14:27 “and come after me” - Comments - Jesus is our example to conduct our lives by.

Luke 14:35 “It is neither fit for the land” - Comments The Greek word εὔθετος (G2111), which means, “well-placed, appropriate” ( Strong) is also used in Luke 9:62, “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Salt harms land and makes it unproductive.

Luke 14:35 “nor yet for the dunghill” - Comments - Salt ruins fertilizer.

Luke 14:34-35 Comments - Tasteless Salt (Matthew 5:13 , Mark 9:50 ) In Luke 14:34-35 Jesus gives the illustration of how useless salt becomes when found tasteless in order to illustrate His message on discipleship. Jesus drives His point home regarding the necessary sacrifice of following Him by using an illustration of salt, perhaps the most common and popular seasoning in the ancient world. Foods were seasoned to regain their flavors having been lost in storage. We can imagine food spoilage or loss of flavor in this ancient world without refrigeration. Jesus explains that if the salt, the seasoning, loses its flavor, there is no method of regaining its flavor. Thus, it must be discarded. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His disciples “the salt of the earth.” If a disciple begins his journey of divine service and turns back because of earthly affections because he did was not willing to pay the sacrifice, he is no longer qualified as a true disciple of Christ. For example, when we quit a job, we can no longer return to that job with the same level of trust and responsibility given to us.