Study Desk

Jesus at a Pharisee's House^(a)

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,^(b) he was being carefully watched.^(c)

There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.

Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law,^(d) "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"^(e)

But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

Then he asked them, "If one of you has a child^[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?"^(f)

And they had nothing to say.

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,^(g) he told them this parable:

"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.

If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.

But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."^(h)

Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,⁽ⁱ⁾

and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."^(j)

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast^(l) in the kingdom of God."^(m)

Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.

At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.'

"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'

"Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

"Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.'

"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'⁽ⁿ⁾

"‘Sir,' the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'

"Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"^(o)

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.^(p)

And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^(q)

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,

saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.'

"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.^(r)

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?^(s)

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.^(t) "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."^(u)

The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(a)

Now the tax collectors^(b) and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."^(c)

Then Jesus told them this parable:^(d)

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?^(e)

And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders

and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'^(f)

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.^(g)

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'^(h)

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."⁽ⁱ⁾

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.^(j)

The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.'^(k) So he divided his property^(l) between them.

"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth^(m) in wild living.

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.

So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.⁽ⁿ⁾

He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned^(o) against heaven and against you.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'

So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.^(p)

"The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.^(q) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

"But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe^(r) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger^(s) and sandals on his feet.

Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;^(t) he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.^(u)

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.

‘Your brother has come,' he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

"The older brother became angry^(v) and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.

But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

But when this son of yours who has squandered your property^(w) with prostitutes^(x) comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

"‘My son,' the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"^(y)

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.^(a)

So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'

"The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg—

I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'

"So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?'

"‘Nine hundred gallons^[a] of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.'

"Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?' "‘A thousand bushels^[b] of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'

"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world^(b) are more shrewd^(c) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.^(d)

I tell you, use worldly wealth^(e) to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.^(f)

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much,^(g) and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,^(h) who will trust you with true riches?

And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."⁽ⁱ⁾

The Pharisees, who loved money,^(j) heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.^(k)

He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves^(l) in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.^(m) What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.⁽ⁿ⁾ Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached,^(o) and everyone is forcing their way into it.

It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.^(p)

"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.^(q)

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.^(r)

At his gate was laid a beggar^(s) named Lazarus, covered with sores

and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table.^(t) Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,^(u) have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'^(v)

"But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,^(w) but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.^(x)

And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

"He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,

for I have five brothers. Let him warn them,^(y) so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses^(z) and the Prophets;^(aa) let them listen to them.'

"‘No, father Abraham,'^(ab) he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

"He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"