1 On a Sabbath Jesus went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread, and they were watching him closely. 2 There before him was a man suffering from fluid retention. 3 Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. He took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. 5 Then he said to them, “Which of you, if his son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 They could not answer these things.

7 Noticing how the guests were choosing the places of honor, he told them a parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding, do not recline in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited, 9 and the host who invited both of you comes and says to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then you will begin in shame to take the lowest place. 10 Instead, when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor before all who are reclining at the table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 12 He also said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors, lest they invite you in return and you receive your repayment. 13 Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed because they have nothing with which to repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

15 When one of those reclining at the table heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 Jesus said to him, “A man was giving a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those invited, ‘Come, for it is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field and need to go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have bought five pairs of oxen, and I am going to test them. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 The slave returned and reported these things to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go quickly into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in here the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 The slave said, ‘Master, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 The master said to the slave, ‘Go out to the roads and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’ ”

25 Large crowds were traveling with him. He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you who wants to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and cannot finish, everyone who sees it will begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and could not finish.’ 31 Or what king going to war against another king will not first sit down and consider whether, with ten thousand, he can face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So then, any of you who does not renounce all he possesses cannot be my disciple.

34 Salt is good, but if even salt loses its flavor, with what will it be seasoned? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. They throw it out. Let anyone who has ears to hear listen!”