1Und es geschah: Jesus kam an einem Sabbat in das Haus eines führenden Pharisäers zum Essen. Da beobachtete man ihn genau. (Lk 6,6)2Und siehe, ein Mann, der an Wassersucht litt, stand vor ihm.3Jesus wandte sich an die Gesetzeslehrer und die Pharisäer und fragte: Ist es am Sabbat erlaubt zu heilen, oder nicht?4Sie schwiegen. Da berührte er den Mann, heilte ihn und ließ ihn gehen.5Zu ihnen aber sagte er: Wer von euch wird seinen Sohn oder seinen Ochsen, der in den Brunnen fällt, nicht sofort herausziehen, auch am Sabbat? (Mt 12,10)6Darauf konnten sie ihm nichts erwidern.
Die Rangordnung im Reich Gottes
7Als er bemerkte, wie sich die Gäste die Ehrenplätze aussuchten, erzählte er ihnen ein Gleichnis. Er sagte zu ihnen:8Wenn du von jemandem zu einer Hochzeit eingeladen bist, nimm nicht den Ehrenplatz ein! Denn es könnte ein anderer von ihm eingeladen sein, der vornehmer ist als du,9und dann würde der Gastgeber, der dich und ihn eingeladen hat, kommen und zu dir sagen: Mach diesem hier Platz! Du aber wärst beschämt und müsstest den untersten Platz einnehmen.10Vielmehr, wenn du eingeladen bist, geh hin und nimm den untersten Platz ein, damit dein Gastgeber zu dir kommt und sagt: Mein Freund, rück weiter hinauf! Das wird für dich eine Ehre sein vor allen anderen Gästen.11Denn wer sich selbst erhöht, wird erniedrigt, und wer sich selbst erniedrigt, wird erhöht werden. (Mt 23,12; Lk 18,14)
Von den rechten Gästen
12Dann sagte er zu dem Gastgeber: Wenn du mittags oder abends ein Essen gibst, lade nicht deine Freunde oder deine Brüder, deine Verwandten oder reiche Nachbarn ein; sonst laden auch sie dich wieder ein und dir ist es vergolten.13Nein, wenn du ein Essen gibst, dann lade Arme, Verkrüppelte, Lahme und Blinde ein.14Du wirst selig sein, denn sie haben nichts, um es dir zu vergelten; es wird dir vergolten werden bei der Auferstehung der Gerechten.
Das Gleichnis vom Festmahl
15Als einer der Gäste das hörte, sagte er zu Jesus: Selig, wer im Reich Gottes am Mahl teilnehmen darf. (Mt 22,1)16Jesus sagte zu ihm: Ein Mann veranstaltete ein großes Festmahl und lud viele dazu ein.17Zur Stunde des Festmahls schickte er seinen Diener aus und ließ denen, die er eingeladen hatte, sagen: Kommt, alles ist bereit!18Aber alle fingen an, einer nach dem anderen, sich zu entschuldigen. Der erste ließ ihm sagen: Ich habe einen Acker gekauft und muss dringend gehen und ihn besichtigen. Bitte, entschuldige mich!19Ein anderer sagte: Ich habe fünf Ochsengespanne gekauft und bin auf dem Weg, um sie zu prüfen. Bitte, entschuldige mich!20Wieder ein anderer sagte: Ich habe geheiratet und kann deshalb nicht kommen.21Der Diener kehrte zurück und berichtete dies seinem Herrn. Da wurde der Hausherr zornig und sagte zu seinem Diener: Geh schnell hinaus auf die Straßen und Gassen der Stadt und hol die Armen und die Verkrüppelten, die Blinden und die Lahmen hierher!22Und der Diener meldete: Herr, dein Auftrag ist ausgeführt; und es ist immer noch Platz.23Da sagte der Herr zu dem Diener: Geh zu den Wegen und Zäunen und nötige die Leute hereinzukommen, damit mein Haus voll wird.24Denn ich sage euch: Keiner von denen, die eingeladen waren, wird an meinem Mahl teilnehmen.
Die Forderungen der Nachfolge
25Viele Menschen begleiteten ihn; da wandte er sich an sie und sagte:26Wenn jemand zu mir kommt und nicht Vater und Mutter, Frau und Kinder, Brüder und Schwestern, ja sogar sein Leben gering achtet, dann kann er nicht mein Jünger sein. (Mt 10,37)27Wer nicht sein Kreuz trägt und hinter mir hergeht, der kann nicht mein Jünger sein. (Mt 16,24; Mk 8,34; Lk 9,23)28Denn wenn einer von euch einen Turm bauen will, setzt er sich dann nicht zuerst hin und berechnet die Kosten, ob seine Mittel für das ganze Vorhaben ausreichen?29Sonst könnte es geschehen, dass er das Fundament gelegt hat, dann aber den Bau nicht fertigstellen kann. Und alle, die es sehen, würden ihn verspotten30und sagen: Der da hat einen Bau begonnen und konnte ihn nicht zu Ende führen.31Oder wenn ein König gegen einen anderen in den Krieg zieht, setzt er sich dann nicht zuerst hin und überlegt, ob er sich mit seinen zehntausend Mann dem entgegenstellen kann, der mit zwanzigtausend gegen ihn anrückt?32Kann er es nicht, dann schickt er eine Gesandtschaft, solange der andere noch weit weg ist, und bittet um Frieden.33Ebenso kann keiner von euch mein Jünger sein, wenn er nicht auf seinen ganzen Besitz verzichtet.34Das Salz ist etwas Gutes. Wenn aber das Salz seinen Geschmack verliert, womit kann man ihm die Würze wiedergeben? (Mt 5,13; Mk 9,50)35Es taugt weder für den Acker noch für den Misthaufen, man wirft es weg. Wer Ohren hat zu hören, der höre! (Mt 11,15)
1One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. (Mk 3,2; Lk 7,36; Lk 11,37; Lk 20,20)2And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.3And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (Mt 12,10; Lk 7,30; Lk 13,14)4But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.5And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son[1] or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” (5Mo 22,4; Mt 12,11; Lk 13,15)6And they could not reply to these things. (Mt 22,46)
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
7Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, (Lk 11,43)8“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him,9and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place.10But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. (Spr 25,6)11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Spr 29,23; Hes 21,26; Mt 18,4; Lk 18,14; Jak 4,6; Jak 4,10; 1Petr 5,5)
The Parable of the Great Banquet
12He 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[2] or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. (Lk 6,34; Joh 21,12)13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, (Neh 8,10; Neh 8,12; Est 9,22; Lk 14,21)14and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Joh 11,24; Apg 24,15; 1Kor 15,23; 1Thess 4,16; Offb 20,4)15When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (Lk 13,29; Lk 22,16; Lk 22,30; Offb 19,9)16But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. (Jes 25,6; Mt 22,2)17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant[3] to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ (Est 6,14; Spr 9,3; Spr 9,5)18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’19And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’20And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ (5Mo 24,5)21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ (Lk 14,13)22And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’23And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.24For I tell you,[4] none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’” (Mt 21,43; Apg 13,46)
The Cost of Discipleship
25Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (5Mo 33,9; Mt 10,37; Lk 14,33; Lk 16,13; Joh 12,25; Apg 20,24; Offb 12,11)27Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Mt 10,38; Mt 16,24; Mk 8,34; Lk 9,23; Joh 19,17)28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (Spr 24,27)29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’31Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? (Lk 14,28)32And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.33So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Lk 14,26; Lk 18,28; Phil 3,7)
Salt Without Taste Is Worthless
34“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? (Mt 5,13; Mk 9,50)35It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mt 11,15)
1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.2There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?’4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.5Then he asked them, ‘If one of you has a child[1] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?’6And they had nothing to say.7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable:8‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.9If 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.10But 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 honoured in the presence of all the other guests.11For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’12Then 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 neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’
The parable of the great banquet
15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.’16Jesus replied: ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready.”18‘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.”19‘Another said, “I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.”20‘Still another said, “I have just got married, so I can’t come.”21‘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.”22‘ “Sir,” the servant said, “what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.”23‘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.24I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” ’
The cost of being a disciple
25Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:26‘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.27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.28‘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?29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,30saying, “This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”31‘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?32If 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.33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.34‘Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure heap; it is thrown out. ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
1One Sabbath day, Jesus went to eat in the house of a well-known Pharisee. While he was there, he was being carefully watched.2In front of him was a man whose body was badly swollen.3Jesus turned to the Pharisees and the authorities on the law. He asked them, ‘Is it breaking the Law to heal on the Sabbath day?’4But they remained silent. So Jesus took hold of the man and healed him. Then he sent him away.5He asked them another question. He said, ‘Suppose one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day. Wouldn’t you pull it out right away?’6And they had nothing to say.7Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table. So he told them a story.8He said, ‘Suppose someone invites you to a wedding feast. Do not take the place of honour. A person more important than you may have been invited.9If so, the host who invited both of you will come to you. He will say, “Give this person your seat.” Then you will be filled with shame. You will have to take the least important place.10But when you are invited, take the lowest place. Then your host will come over to you. He will say, “Friend, move up to a better place.” Then you will be honoured in front of all the other guests.11All those who lift themselves up will be made humble. And those who make themselves humble will be lifted up.’12Then Jesus spoke to his host. ‘Suppose you give a lunch or a dinner,’ he said. ‘Do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, or your relatives, or your rich neighbours. If you do, they may invite you to eat with them. So you will be paid back.13But when you give a banquet, invite those who are poor. Also invite those who can’t see or walk.14Then you will be blessed. Your guests can’t pay you back. But you will be paid back when those who are right with God rise from the dead.’
The story of the great banquet
15One of the people at the table with Jesus heard him say those things. So he said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in God’s kingdom.’16Jesus replied, ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet. He invited many guests.17Then the day of the banquet arrived. He sent his servant to those who had been invited. The servant told them, “Come. Everything is ready now.”18‘But they all had the same idea. They began to make excuses. The first one said, “I have just bought a field. I have to go and see it. Please excuse me.”19‘Another said, “I have just bought five pairs of oxen. I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.”20‘Still another said, “I just got married, so I can’t come.”21‘The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry. He ordered his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town. Bring in those who are poor. Also bring those who can’t see or walk.”22‘ “Sir”, the servant said, “what you ordered has been done. But there is still room.”23‘Then the master told his servant, “Go out to the roads. Go out to the country lanes. Make the people come in. I want my house to be full.24I tell you, not one of those people who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” ’
The cost of being a disciple
25Large crowds were travelling with Jesus. He turned and spoke to them. He said,26‘Anyone who comes to me must hate their father and mother. They must hate their wife and children. They must hate their brothers and sisters. And they must hate even their own life. Unless they do this, they can’t be my disciple.27Whoever doesn’t carry their cross and follow me can’t be my disciple.28‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you sit down first and figure out how much it will cost? Then you will see whether you have enough money to finish it.29Suppose you start building and are not able to finish. Then everyone who sees what you have done will laugh at you.30They will say, “This person started to build but wasn’t able to finish.”31‘Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. And suppose he has 10,000 men, while the other has 20,000 coming against him. Won’t he first sit down and think about whether he can win?32And suppose he decides he can’t win. Then he will send some men to ask how peace can be made. He will do this while the other king is still far away.33In the same way, you must give up everything you have. Those of you who don’t cannot be my disciple.34‘Salt is good. But suppose it loses its saltiness. How can it be made salty again?35It is not good for the soil. And it is not good for the compost heap. It will be thrown out. ‘Whoever has ears should listen.’