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Luke 14:1-11

Luke 14:1-11 The Message (MSG)

One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?” They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. Then he said, “Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn’t rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?” They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that. He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, “When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Embarrassed, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left. “When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m saying is, If you walk around all high and mighty, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

Luke 14:1-11 Amplified Bible (AMP)

It happened one Sabbath, when He went for a meal at the house of one of the ruling Pharisees, that they were watching Him closely and carefully [hoping to entrap Him]. And there in front of Him was a man who had dropsy (extreme swelling). And Jesus asked the lawyers and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. Then He took hold of the man and healed him, and sent him on his way. Then He said to them, “Which one of you, having a son or an ox that falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” And they were unable to reply to this. Now Jesus began telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been selecting the places of honor at the table, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down [to eat] at the place of honor, since a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by the host, [Prov 25:6, 7] and he who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place,’ and then, in disgrace you proceed to take the last place. But when you are invited, go and sit down [to eat] at the last place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; and then you will be honored in the presence of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled [before others], and he who habitually humbles himself (keeps a realistic self-view) will be exalted.”

Luke 14:1-11 The Passion Translation (TPT)

One Sabbath, Jesus was on his way to dine with a prominent Jewish religious leader for a festive meal. Everyone was watching him to see if he would heal anyone on the Sabbath. Just then, standing right in front of him was a man with his limbs suffering from edema. Jesus asked the experts of the law and the Pharisees who were present, “Does the law permit a man to heal on the Sabbath day? Is it right or wrong?” No one dared answer, so Jesus turned to the sick man, released healing to him, and sent him on his way. Jesus said to them all, “If one of your children or one of your animals fell into a well, wouldn’t you do all you could to rescue them even on the Sabbath?” There was nothing they could say—all were silenced. When Jesus noticed how the guests for the meal were all vying for the seats of honor, he shared this story with the guests around the table: “When you are invited to an important social function, don’t be quick to sit near the head of the table, choosing for yourself a seat of honor. What will happen to you when someone arrives who is more distinguished than you? The host will bring him over to where you are sitting and ask for your seat, saying in front of all the guests, ‘You’re in the wrong place. Please give this person your seat.’ Disgraced, you will have to take whatever seat is left. Instead, when you’re invited to a banquet, you should choose to sit in the lowest place. When your host comes and sees you there, he may say, ‘My friend, come with me and let me seat you in a better place.’ Then, in front of all the other guests at the banquet, he will honor you by seating you in the place of highest respect. “Remember this: everyone with a lofty opinion of who he is and who seeks to raise himself up will be publicly humbled. And everyone with a modest opinion of who he is and chooses to humble himself will be raised up before all.”

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