Luke 14:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

NIV: But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

NASB: But whenever you give a banquet, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind;

CSB: On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind.

NLT: Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

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

NKJV: But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.

Jesus is at a formal banquet hosted by a Pharisee and attended by carefully selected guests. The guests may be family or rich neighbors; likely they are a combination of both. They are men to whom this Pharisee either owes favors, or who now owe him because of this invitation. The entire meal is rife with attempts to assume honor and avoid shame (Luke 14:1, 7–12).

Typically, when a host held such a banquet, he would leave the door open. Others from the town who did not deserve an invitation would stand quietly along the walls and listen to the conversation. This time, that group included a man suffering with edema (Luke 14:2). Very possibly others who are poor, crippled, lame, and blind are also present, listening, and yearning over the food.

Jesus tells the Pharisee it is these people he should invite, and on a regular basis. The fact that these people cannot repay him, either by increasing his reputation or by reciprocating his fine meal, is the point. The Pharisees claim to be great, moral leaders. What better way to lead than to love the people who can do nothing for them?

Such generosity directly reflects God's character. In addition, God is watching. He will reward those who cannot repay. And because the reward will come at the resurrection, it will be everlasting (Luke 14:14).

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).

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.

Luke 14 continues Jesus' doctrinal march to Jerusalem and the cross. Luke 14 and 15 contain the second grouping of one miracle and a series of discussions about the kingdom of God and salvation; Luke 13:10–35 is the first. Next will be a collection of warnings about rejecting God's kingdom (Luke 16:1—17:10) and two more sets of lessons about the kingdom and salvation, each beginning with a single miracle (Luke 17:11—18:34; 18:35—19:27). After this comes Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.