Luke 14:12

ESV He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.

NIV 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.

NASB Now He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, 'Whenever you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor wealthy neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you to a meal in return, and that will be your repayment.

CSB He also said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid.

NLT Then he turned to his host. 'When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,' he said, 'don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.

KJV 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.

NKJV Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.

What does Luke 14:12 mean?

An important member of the Pharisees has invited Jesus and several others to a formal banquet on the Sabbath. When the guests arrived, they jockeyed for position. Each tried to get the seats closest to their host. Jesus pointed out that honor doesn't come from the seat they assume, it comes from the recognition of others (Luke 14:1, 7–11).

Now, Jesus addresses the host. He is described as a "ruler" of the Pharisees, but we don't know what he "rules." He could be a civil servant, a leader at the synagogue, or a teacher of other Pharisees. Jesus' point is that the host is just as guilty of trying to build up honor as his guests. He has invited respectable men who will now be obliged to return the favor and give him an invitation.

Jesus says the next time this man gives a banquet, he should invite those who cannot return the favor: people who cannot raise his ranking in the cultural social system. He should invite "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind" (Luke 14:13). In that culture, these were people assumed to be cursed by God but who were simply victims of a fallen world (John 9:1–3). If the host does this, he may not get rewarded on earth, but God will reward him at the resurrection (Luke 14:14).

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Context Summary
Luke 14:12–14 continues Jesus' comparison of the kingdom of God to social events on earth. He has already explained the proper humble demeanor appropriate both in a human wedding feast and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (Luke 14:7–11). Now, He challenges His audience to invite the marginalized to their feasts instead of their relatives and rich friends. Not only will God bless them for doing so, they will also emulate God's kingdom which will be filled with the poor, the sick and injured, and the sojourner (Luke 14:15–24).

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Chapter Summary
A Pharisee invites Jesus to a formal dinner. There, Jesus teaches lessons using invitations and feasts as a theme. These emphasize humility and the importance of not making excuses. After the dinner, Jesus warns that those who seek to follow Him will experience hardship. Believers should "count the cost" and understand what aspects of this world they may have to give up.

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