Luke 14:1-24 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

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Bible Comments

A Sabbath with a Pharisee. A companion picture to Luke 13:10-17. When in Luke 6:6-11 Lk. relates the cure of the man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 12:9-13) he omits the illustrative argument used by Jesus (Matthew 12:11 f.); he brings it in here in a story peculiar to his gospel. Montefiore justly points out that the animals (Luke 14:5; cf. Luke 13:15) are in danger of perishing, whereas the woman and man would not have suffered by waiting till the Sabbath was past. He shows that the true argument is Deeds of charity and love should never be put off; they take precedence of and temporarily Invalidate all ritual laws and ceremonial observance of sacred days.

Luke 14:5. mg. a son is out of the question, despite good MS. authority. Rendel Harris (Sidelights on NT Research, p. 205) suggests that the original reading was hvs, pig, which was taken as a contraction of huios, son. Jesus said, Even if your pig(!) fell into a pit on the Sabbath, you would pull it out, a delightful piece of irony. Son was seen to be impossible, hence sheep, ass, ox, were all brought in as substitutes.

Luke 14:7-14. Humility and Hospitality.

Luke 14:8-10 and Luke 14:12-14 may originally have been parable stories which Lk. has turned into direct counsel to guests and hosts respectively. The chief seat was at the host's left hand, though there may be a reference here to a dais.

Luke 14:10. Cf. Proverbs 25:6 f.; we are not to conclude that Jesus advocated false humility as a road to advancement; He speaks of consequence rather than purpose. J. Weiss suggests that the counsel is really that of an ascetic section of the early Church.

Luke 14:11 introduces the idea of the Messianic banquet and the judgment.

Luke 14:12-14. The lesson is that real kindness is disinterested and seeks no recompense. The recompense in the future is sure and sufficient. The tense of the verb call in Luke 14:12 is important; do not make a practice of inviting.

Luke 14:14. Most NT references to the Resurrection confine it to the just; note, however John 5:29; Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:12 f.

Luke 14:15-24. Parable of the Marriage Feast. Matthew 22:1-10 * is similar but not identical. Luke 14:15 (cf. Revelation 19:9) serves to lead the thought from the earthly feast to the heavenly. The counsel of Luke 14:13 finds a supreme illustration in the action of God (Luke 14:21). Jesus, in Lk.'s parable, is the servant who summons the guests, in Mt. He is the King's Son in whose honour the feast is given. Nothing is here said about the destruction of the unwilling (and murderous) guests. Lk. defines the new guests more closely than Mt.; the poor, etc., of Luke 14:21 are the outcast Israelites, the publicans and sinners, those from the highways and hedges are the Gentiles. It is not God's will that there are few who are saved.

Luke 14:23. constrain: this word need not mean more than urge (Mark 6:45); unhappily it has been used to justify religious compulsion and persecution.

Luke 14:24. you: the plural pronoun shows that Jesus, though still using the imagery of the parable, is here directly addressing the hearers.

Related Commentaries of Luke 14:1

Luke 14:1-24

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.