The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Luke 14

Luke 14:1

It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely.

(sebuah) One of the leaders. Like Nicodemus (John 3:1), this Pharisee was probably a member of the Sanhedrin, Israel’s ruling council.

(b) Pharisees; Lihat masuk for Matt. 3:7.

(c) Sabbath. The Sabbath was the day of rest mandated in the Law of Moses (Ex. 31:14, Lev. 23:3). The Sabbath day began at sunset on Friday and ended on sunset on Saturday.

(d) Watching him closely. Ever since Jesus denounced the Pharisees and the scribes, these men watched him to see whether they might catch him out (Luke 11:39–54).

Luke 14:2

And there in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.

(sebuah) There in front of him. This might have been a set up. Perhaps the Pharisees made sure that Jesus would see the sick man to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

(b) Dropsy. An abnormal swelling or edema.

Luke 14:3

And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

(sebuah) Lawyers. A lawyer was an expert in the Law of Moses. A lawyer was probably similar to a scribe (see masuk for Matt. 22:35).

(b) Pharisees; Lihat masuk for Matt. 3:7.

(c) Is it lawful? The scribes and Pharisees frequently took issue with the things Jesus did on the Sabbath (e.g., Luke 6:1–11, 13:11–17).

Luke 14:4

But they kept silent. And he took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.

(sebuah) They kept silent. What could they say? They wanted to say it was unlawful but what law forbade it? There was none. The last person who rebuked Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, got scolded for being a hypocrite (Luke 13:14–15).

(b) Healed him. In front of their eyes, the man’s swelling went down.

Luke 14:5

And he said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”

Jesus made a similar argument to the synagogue ruler (Luke 13:15).

Luke 14:6

And they could make no reply to this.

They couldn’t contradict him either because either he was right or because they had all done things like this.

Luke 14:7

And he began speaking a parable to the invited guests when he noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,

(sebuah) Parable. A parable is a comparison expressed in the form of a short story; see masuk for Matt. 13:3.

If Luke hadn’t told us that what follows was a parable, we might think Jesus was merely giving social advice: “Don’t take the best seat at the table, or you might be asked to move for someone more important.” But the Parable of the Places at the Table goes much deeper than that.

To set the scene, Jesus is attending a Sabbath meal at the home of a prominent Pharisee (Luke 14:1). The atmosphere is far from friendly. The scribes and Pharisees are watching him closely, hoping to catch him breaking the law. When Jesus sees a man suffering from dropsy (a painful swelling of the joints), he asks whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. The lawyers and the Pharisees remain silent. Jesus heals the man and sends him on his way. Then, seeing how the guests scramble for the best seats at the table, he tells a parable about the kingdom of God.

(b) The invited guests include the scribes and Pharisees (Luke 14:3) as well as the hosts’ relatives and wealthy neighbors (Luke 14:12). It’s important for what follows to note that both invited and uninvited guests are present. The uninvited guests include the servants who come and go, the healed man with dropsy, and the neighbors and passersby watching from outside the courtyard wall.

Luke 14:8–9

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.

(sebuah) A wedding feast is a classic indicator of one’s social standing. Where you sit at the table reflects your status in the eyes of the host.

(b) Do not take the place of honor. Don’t take the best seat in the house.

Jesus warned his followers to watch out for those who promote themselves and demand the best seats at feasts and in synagogues (Matt. 23:6, Mark 12:38–39). “They do all their deeds to be noticed by men” (Matt. 23:5). His message is clear: “Don’t crave approval from others.” The world pushes us to compete for recognition and applause. But this me-first mentality diminishes us and distracts us from the better life God offers.

(c) More distinguished than you. If a VIP arrives after everyone is seated, you could be asked to vacate your seat for them. This is embarrassing.

(d) Disgrace. The Greek noun aischynē, often translated as “shame” (e.g., Php. 3:19), is correctly rendered here as “disgrace.” Shame is an internal emotion, while disgrace is an external judgment. Jesus is describing the humiliation of being told, in front of everyone, to leave the place of honor and move to a lower seat.

Luke 14:10

“But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.

(sebuah) Invited. The original verb kaleō means “to call” or “invite.” The word appears many times in this parable and the following one about the Great Banquet (e.g., Luke 14:16).

(b) The last place. It’s better to humbly take the lowest seat and be invited forward than to sit at the best seat and risk humiliation.

(c) Friend. Two different Greek words are translated as “friend” in the parables of Jesus. The noun hetairos appears in the parables of the Vineyard Workers and the Wedding Feast and carries an ironic tone (Matt. 20:13, 22:12). The adjective philos, used here and in the Parable of the Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5–8), means “beloved friend” and comes from the verb phileō, meaning “to love.”

(d) Move up higher. So far, Jesus sounds like a rabbi reminding his listeners of familiar Jewish proverbs (e.g., Prov. 25:6–7). Yet his use of words such as “wedding feast,” “invite,” and “friend” hints at a deeper, kingdom meaning.

Through the gospel, God invites us to the wedding feast of his Son (Matt. 22:2, 25:1, Mark 2:19–20). Those who come strutting in like the proud Pharisee in the temple, boasting of how much better they are than others (Luke 18:11), may find themselves refused entry (Matt. 22:13). But those who come humbly, like the penitent tax collector who stood at a distance and beat his chest (Luke 18:13), will be warmly welcomed and clothed in the King’s robes of righteousness.

Luke 14:11

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

(sebuah) Everyone who exalts himself. To exalt yourself is to yield to the ancient Adamic temptation: “I can make myself more like God.” Religion feeds this lie by offering supposed paths to self-improvement. “Keep the laws and be blessed.” “Practice spiritual discipline and become holy.” “Do good works and earn divine favor.” Such efforts inevitably lead to self-righteousness and comparisons with others. “Thank God, I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11).

(b) Exalts. The original verb hypsoō means “to elevate” and is sometimes translated as “lifted” or “lifted up” (e.g., John 3:14, 8:28). It captures the self-righteous mindset that says, “I will ascend to heaven… I will ascend above the heights… I will make myself like the Most High” (Is. 14:13–14).

In his mercy, God resists the proud (1 Pet. 5:5). One way he does this is by holding up the mirror of the law. If you say, “I don’t need God’s help, for I am good enough,” the law replies, “You are not good at all. You are a law-breaker, guilty as sin, and in desperate need of grace.”

(d) He who humbles himself by acknowledging his weaknesses and need for help shall have it.

The choice is between independence (“I can make it on my own”) and faith (“I need help”). Either we follow Adam’s religion of self-improvement, or we embrace the One who humbled himself and became an obedient servant (Php. 2:7–8). The way of Adam leads to death, but the way of Christ leads to life and exaltation.

(e) Humbles. The original verb tapeinoō means “to depress” or “bring low.” It is sometimes translated as “brought low” (e.g., Luke 3:5).

God looks for childlike humility. “Unless you become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). This means we must stop trying to save or improve ourselves. We must drop our sacrifices, roast our sacred cows, and commit ourselves wholly to his grace.

(f) Will be exalted. God gives grace to the humble and elevates the lowly (Luke 1:52, Jas. 4:6).

In this world, success comes through hard work and perseverance. Yet worldly success is fleeting. True success—the kind that lasts into eternity—follows a different path. In the kingdom of God, the path to greatness is trodden by the weak and the lowly. If you want to go up, you need to bow down (Prov. 29:23). You need to quit trying, quit striving, and quit trusting in your own abilities. Give up, admit defeat, and come helpless as an infant. Then watch and marvel at what God can do with the weak and lowly. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

Bacaan lebih lanjut: "Become like a little child”

Luke 14:12

And he also went on to say to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.

(sebuah) He also went on to say. Having concluded the Parable of the Places at the Table, Jesus gives some advice about party planning.

(b) The one who had invited him was a leader of the Pharisees (see Luke 14:1).

(c) When you give. Jesus contrasts two kinds of generosity. Worldly generosity gives with the expectation of return: “I invite you to my place, then you invite me to yours.” Heavenly generosity gives with no thought of reward—at least not in this life.

Luke 14:13

“But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

(sebuah) Reception. Jesus mentions three kinds of meals: a luncheon (the early or midday meal), dinner (the main or evening meal), and a reception (a party or banquet).

(b) Invite the poor. When you host a meal and plan a party, invite those who cannot repay you. Invite the poor and the disabled, like the man with dropsy. Invite single parents, the unemployed, the homeless, recovering addicts, those struggling with mental health challenges, outcasts, refugees, asylum seekers, widows, widowers, and the elderly.

Luke 14:14

and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

(sebuah) Blessed. The original adjective makarios means “happy,” “fortunate,” or “privileged.”

(b) You will be repaid with eternal friendships.

Many religions and belief systems encourage people to do good to those who are less well off. If Jesus were merely saying “treat poor people well and you will be righteous or blessed,” he wouldn’t be saying anything that hadn’t been said before. But Jesus is not preaching works-righteousness, nor is he selling divine favors. He is showing us how to store up eternal treasure. People are the treasure that moth and rust can’t touch and thieves can’t steal. “Use worldly wealth to make eternal friends” (see Luke 16:9). Spiritual offspring and eternal friends are the only treasure you can carry with you into eternity.

Jesus blessed the poor, and he encourages us to do the same. “Give to the poor, invite the poor, help the poor.” It’s not that God loves the poor more than the rich, but that the poor are the low-hanging fruit. Unlike the rich, they haven’t been numbed by the false and fleeting comforts of this world. Aware of their needs, they are more than ready to meet the One who promises to supply all our needs in Christ Jesus.

(c) Repay… repaid. The original verb antapodidōmi means to “give back in response.” It’s an act of reciprocity. Because something was done, something else will be done in return. “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his good deed” (Prov. 19:17). When we give to those who can’t repay us in this life, we are repaid with their friendship in the next.
Needy folk aren’t going to be needy forever. One day, they will shine with glory, and they will thank you for sharing your life with them.

(d) At the resurrection of the righteous. When Christ returns, those in Christ will be raised from the dead (1 Th. 4:16).

Both the righteous and the wicked will be raised (Acts 24:15), and all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to be recompensed for the things we have done in this life (2 Cor. 5:10). Those who trust in Christ—the righteous—will be clothed with imperishable bodies and welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom (Matt. 25:34, 1 Cor. 15:52).

(e) Resurrection. The resurrection is what makes the good news kabar baik, for it proves that Jesus is the Holy and Righteous Savior. If Jesus had been a fraud, God would not have raised him. But Jesus rose and ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). The Author of Life conquered the grave and now holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). For those of us clothed with mortal bodies, this is a source of great comfort and hope.

(f) The righteous are those who have been made right with God by receiving the free gift of his righteousness (Rom. 5:17).

Lihat masuk untuk Kebenaran.

If the previous discussion could be titled “How to Be Blessed at the Resurrection of the Righteous,” the next story might be called the opposite: “How to Miss Out at the Resurrection of the Righteous.” This is the parable we know as the Great Banquet.

Luke 14:15

When one of those who were reclining at the table with him heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

(sebuah) Table. Jesus is sharing a Sabbath meal with some Pharisees and scribes (Luke 14:1, 3). He heals a man suffering from dropsy, asks a question about healing on the Sabbath, and then tells a short parable called Places at the Table. Finally, he gives some tips on how to host dinners with eternity in mind.

After a pause, an unnamed guest speaks up: “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” The guest is thinking of a future event, but Jesus responds with a parable that brings them back to the present. The kingdom of God is not a distant or delayed kingdom. It is at hand, within reach, and all are invited to partake of the Bread of Life (Matt. 10:7, John 6:35).

The Parable of the Great Banquet is sometimes called the Parable of the Great Supper or the Great Dinner Party. It is similar to the Parable of the Wedding Feast, which Jesus told to the chief priests and Pharisees shortly before his death (Matt. 22:2–14). Both stories are about a generous host who opens his banquet to all after his invited guests refuse to come. Jesus sometimes adapted stories for different audiences, and that is what he does here. The Pharisees thought they had invited Jesus to dinner, but in reality, Jesus was inviting them to a great banquet—and they were missing it.

(b) Blessed means happy, fortunate, and privileged. It is a happy privilege to dine in the kingdom of God. Who gets to enjoy this privilege? Jesus’ host would have said, “Those who keep the law will be counted worthy to dine with the Messiah when he comes.” But Jesus would have replied, “The Messiah has come, and those you dismiss as sinners and outcasts are entering the kingdom ahead of you.”

(c) Kerajaan Tuhan. Israel’s leaders were waiting for a conquering king from heaven who would overthrow the Romans and make Israel the center of the world. When Jesus declared that the kingdom of heaven was at hand—it had, in fact, already arrived—they couldn’t reconcile his words with their expectations. The kingdom of God is not built on political power or military might. It is the reign of God revealed through his Son. In this present age, that reign is expressed through the body of Christ, the church.

Luke 14:16

But he said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;

(sebuah) A man. The man is rich and generous because he hosts a large banquet and invites many people. In the same way, God is rich and generous and invites all to dine at his table of abundance (Ps. 36:8, Is. 25:6, Luke 22:30).

(b) A big dinner. The Greek word for big (megas) means “great,” and the word for dinner (deipnon) is sometimes translated as “banquet” (e.g., Matt. 23:6). Put them together and you get a “great banquet”—great in the sense of its vast size. As in the Parable of the Wedding Feast, the great banquet represents the kingdom of God, which will be filled with people from every tribe and nation (Matt. 22:2).

The Jews learned from the prophets that one day, the Lord would invite all nations to his banquet. “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain” (Is. 25:6a). It was a beautiful vision, but they struggled to accept its meaning. To them, the kingdom of heaven was an exclusive club for the law-abiding children of Abraham. Sinners, outcasts, and Gentiles were not welcome. Jesus challenged their prejudice and restored the prophet’s original vision. “They will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29).

(c) He invited many. Invitations to the heavenly banquet were initially sent to the many descendants of Abraham, that is, the Jews (see next verse).

(d) Invited. The Greek verb kaleō means “to call” or “invite.” In Luke 14, Jesus uses this word ten times while speaking to the Pharisees around the table. He is reminding them that they, not he, are the invited guests and that God is waiting for their response.

Luke 14:17

“and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’

(sebuah) The dinner hour. In the days before clocks and phones, a dinner party required two invitations. The first invitation would be a “save the date” for a future banquet, while the second would be a call to “come now, for everything is ready.”

(b) His slave represents the messengers of the gospel. This includes the old covenant prophets who heralded the coming Messiah, as well as the new covenant preachers of the gospel of the kingdom.

The original noun doulos describes someone who belongs to a master. See masuk for Matt. 18:23.

(c) Those who had been invited were the Jews. Of all the tribes and nations, God chose the descendants of Abraham to receive his favor first. Through the law and the prophets, the Jews had been given the best seats at the Messiah’s table. Yet when the Son came, they refused to join the kingdom party.

(d) Come is the call to action of the new covenant (John 6:35, Heb. 4:16, Jas. 4:8). “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). In the old covenant, the sinner dared not approach the Lord without a sacrifice or gift, but in the new covenant we are exhorted to come as we are. “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Is. 55:1).

(e) Everything is ready means there is nothing to do but come. Jesus is here. “You already believe in God. Put your faith in the Son he sent.”

Under the old covenant that God had with Israel, nothing was ever ready. There was always more to do, for the law makes nothing perfect (Heb. 7:19). But the message of the new covenant is “it is finished.” Because of Jesus, the work is done, and the table is ready.

Luke 14:18–20

“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’

(a) Excuses. Those who were invited knew that a banquet had been planned because they had already agreed to come. But when the dinner call goes out, they offer feeble excuses. Creative preachers find many meanings in these excuses (e.g., the land symbolizes the blessings we purchase with our resources, the oxen represent our efforts, and the marriage represents the spiritual adultery of living under law). Others interpret them as a warning: “Don’t be so worldly that you miss the kingdom.” Which suggests that God is opposed to home ownership, farming, and happy marriages. Surely the point that Jesus is making is that none of the invited guests want to come to the banquet. The excuse-makers represent those who, for whatever reason, want nothing to do with God’s grace.

(b) I cannot come. There are no good excuses when it comes to the kingdom of God (Luke 14:26). To say no to God is to turn away from all that is good and beautiful. To reject the Author of Life is to reject life itself (John 3:16, 5:40).

Luke 14:21

“And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’

(a) Angry. Having been rejected by his so-called friends, the host is understandably upset. Yet he does not respond with hostility or cross their names off the guest list. He pivots.

(b) Go out at once. When it comes to calling the lost out of captivity, there is no good reason for delay. “Come, for everything is ready now.”

(c) Poor and crippled and blind and lame. The slave is told to seek out those who would have been excluded from old covenant rituals. “Find the lame camped outside the temple, the poor with no sacrifice to bring, the crippled who must be carried by friends, and the blind who need to be led, and bring them to my banquet.” In the end, it is not the invited who come to the kingdom, but the needy. It is not the strong and the noble who reveal God’s glory, but the weak and the lowly (1 Cor. 1:27–29).

Luke 14:22

“And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’

(a) The slave. The gospel herald; see entry for Luke 14:17.

(b) Room. The kingdom of God has room for all because the Father’s love has no limits.

Luke 14:23

“And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.

(a) Highways and along the hedges. The host is so determined to fill his banqueting hall that he will leave no road unvisited and no shrub unturned. He turns his attention beyond the city to the highways where foreigners and travelers pass. In doing so, he opens his doors to the Gentiles and heathens.

(b) Hedges are where the homeless and displaced seek shelter. They represent refugee camps, tent cities, squats, detention centers, halfway homes, rehab clinics, homeless shelters, youth shelters, and group homes.

Just as those who sleep in hedges may feel self-conscious about visiting a rich man’s mansion, some people have trouble approaching the Lord. “God won’t accept me. I’m a filthy sinner.” As gospel messengers, we have to convince them to come. “God himself has invited you to a great banquet. Come as you are and feast on his grace!”

(d) My house may be filled. The prophets’ vision will come true. Regardless of what the Jews may choose, God’s house will be filled with multitudes from every tribe and nation (Rev. 7:9).

Luke 14:24

‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

(a) I tell you. Jesus speaks to the scribes and Pharisees reclining at the table.

(b) None of those men. “You are in danger of missing the great banquet of the kingdom.” This is not a threat but a warning. People who have never heard the gospel may receive it with joy, but those who hear and reject it, like the Pharisees, harden their hearts to God’s goodness. For such people, it becomes almost impossible to return to repentance (Heb. 6:4–6).

The religious leaders dining with Jesus saw themselves as God’s men, guardians of the law, and defenders of the faith. Naturally, they assumed they were going to dine at his table of the Lord. Why wouldn’t they? Yet from the very beginning, Jesus had been warning them that they were in danger of missing out (Matt. 7:21–23, 8:11–12, 21:28–32, 43, Luke 13:25–30).

(d) Taste of my dinner. Jesus doesn’t call us to toil and serve but to come and eat. The good news of grace is that the work has been done. Your part is to receive the reward. So abandon your sacrifices, leave off your labors, and take your place at the Lord’s great banqueting table.

Lukas 14:26

“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.

(sebuah) Hate. In the following verses, Jesus gives three impossible requirements for a disciple: hate yourself and everyone in your family (this verse), carry your own cross (Luke 14:27), and give up all your possessions (Luke 14:33). These radical demands are often dismissed as hyperbole: “Jesus doesn’t really want you to hate your parents.” A better interpretation is that Jesus is preaching a law that none of us can keep. His words strip away self-reliance and bring us to a place of total surrender and dependence on the Lord. We say, “God help me, I can’t do it,” and Jesus replies, “Trust me. I’ve got this.”

To illustrate his point, Jesus shares two short parables: the Tower Builder and the Warring King. Sometimes called the Parables of Counting the Cost or the Cost of Discipleship, they are not urging us to pay an impossible price. Rather, they vividly portray the folly of beginning what you cannot finish.

(b) Father, mother, wife. Following Christ may lead to family discord (Matt. 10:35–36) and strain a marriage (1 Cor. 7:15). Yet Jesus never calls us to hate anyone, not even our enemies (Matt. 5:43–44). He does not want you to hate your parents but to honor them (Matt. 15:4). Husbands are not to hate their wives but love them as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:28). There is no room for hatred in hearts filled with Christ. “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (1 John 3:15). Some say their hatred is justified because they put God first. But you can’t be one with Christ and hate others (1 John 4:20–21).

(c) Even his own life. Jesus seems to issue conflicting commands. First, we are told to love others as we love ourselves (Matt. 19:19), yet then we are to hate ourselves. We are to honor our parents, but also to hate them. These irreconcilable demands are meant to frustrate our attempts to make ourselves acceptable to God. Believers who have been apprehended by the love of God have no difficulty loving themselves, their parents, and even their enemies.

(d) Cannot be my disciple. The cost of following Jesus is impossibly high. You cannot pay it. Don’t begin under the illusion that you can do all that is required. It’s better to count the cost at the outset than to start building a tower you cannot finish or wage a war you cannot win.

An old covenant mindset reads these demands as a challenge to overcome. “It’s a high price, and I must pay it.” But Jesus says three times, “You cannot be my disciple” (verses 26, 27, 33). The price is simply too high.

(e) Disciple. A disciple is a follower, and where Christ is going (to the cross), no one can follow. You cannot pay for your sins or ransom yourself. Although Jesus referred to his followers as “disciples”—the original noun mathētēs means “learner”—the word appears nowhere after the Book of Acts. The epistle writers never used the term. A Christian is much more than a disciple or student. A Christian is a child of God and a co-heir with Christ (Rom. 8:15–17). See masuk for Acts 11:26.

Luke 14:27

“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

(sebuah) Carry his own cross. The way to salvation is through the cross of Christ.

When Jesus spoke these words, his disciples did not understand what he meant. It was only later that they realized he was speaking of his own journey to the cross. Jesus paid the price we could not pay. Because of his costly sacrifice, the yoke we bear is easy and light (Matt. 11:29–30).

Some say that Christians who don’t cheerfully endure trials and persecutions are not genuine believers. Yet none of the epistle writers exhort us to carry our cross. Instead, they remind us, “You died with Christ” (Col. 2:20), “We died with Christ” (Rom. 6:8), and “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20).

When you were baptized into Christ, you were baptized into his death, and his cross became your cross (see masuk for Rom. 6:3). This may be the most important thing that has ever happened to you, yet many Christians remain unaware of it. Because they do not know they died with Christ, they keep trying to carry their crosses and die to self. But no cross you bear and no trial you endure can ever substitute for the cross of Christ.

(b) Cannot be my disciple; lihat ayat sebelumnya.

Luke 14:28

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?

(sebuah) Which one of you? Just as you would not begin a tower you could not finish, neither should you try to make yourself acceptable to God. The cost is more than you can pay. To illustrate the impossibility of “completing” our discipleship, Jesus tells two short parables—the Tower Builder and the Warring King.

(b) Build a tower. In ancient Israel, towers were sometimes used for agricultural purposes (e.g., Is. 5:2, Mic. 4:8). In the Wicked Tenants, a man builds a tower in a vineyard (Matt. 21:33, Mark 12:1).

(c) Calculate the cost. The cost of following Christ is more than we can bear, but Christ has paid the price in full. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb (Eph. 1:7).

Luke 14:29–30

“Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

(sebuah) Ridicule. A half-finished tower is useless and a cause for mockery.

(b) Not able to finish. It would be foolish to start a tower you could not finish. In the same way, it would be foolish to think you can make yourself a disciple of Christ. The cost (see verses 26–27, 33) is more than you can bear. No one can save or sanctify themselves. No one can say, “It is finished,” except Christ alone. It is the Lord who began a good work in us and carries it all the way to completion (Php. 1:6).

A misreading of these parables has led some to conclude that there are levels to Christianity. “There are elite-level Christians who are ‘all in,’ and then there are half-hearted Christians who have not counted the cost.” But God does not rank his children on the depth of their commitment or on the hardships they endure. Every one of us stands by grace alone.

Luke 14:31–32

“Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

(sebuah) What king? The mini-parable of the Warring King repeats the point of the Tower Builder: don’t start what you cannot finish.

(b) Ten thousand men. Someone who relies on their own strength to save themselves is like a king who goes to war against a much stronger army. You are going to lose. A smarter strategy is to surrender and seek peace.

(c) Peace. Those who strive and struggle to pay the impossible price of discipleship will never know peace. They will toil every day and never get any closer to their goal. But those who surrender and submit to God’s righteousness will receive peace and find rest.

Luke 14:33

“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

(sebuah) None of you can be my disciple. For the third time, Jesus says we cannot be his followers (verses 26, 27, 33). The cost is too great. Even if we surrendered all our possessions, we could not go where he is going (to the cross) or do what he is doing (redeeming us from our bondage to sin). Only Christ can save us and raise us from the dead.

(b) Disciple. Learner or student; see masuk for Luke 14:26.

(c) All his own possessions. Jesus made a similar demand to the rich young ruler (Matt. 19:21, Luke 18:22). The ruler could not heed it, and neither can we. The bad news is that you cannot buy your redemption, no matter how much you give away. The good news is that Christ gave everything to ransom you (Php. 2:6–7, 1 Tim. 2:6). Because of his costly sacrifice, you have been set free.

There may be times when we lose our possessions because of trials and persecution. But the loss of our things does not save us or make us more holy.

The message is clear: If you set out to make yourself a disciple of Christ, you will fail. “None of you can be my disciple” because none of us can pay the price. To try is as foolish as going to war against a stronger army. So give up, surrender, and ask for peace. Those who come to God carrying crosses and boasting about all they have sacrificed will be turned away. But those who come empty-handed, trusting in the sacrifice of the Son, will be welcomed, justified, and received into the family of God.

Luke 14:35

“It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Ears to hear. “You need to hear and receive this.” See the masuk for Matt. 11:15.

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Luke 14