The Saints Gospel 100

The Lowest Place and the Great Supper

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And it happened that He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, and they were watching Him closely. And behold, a certain man suffering from dropsy was before Him. Jesus spoke to the experts in the Law and the Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they were silent. And He took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “Which of you, if his son or ox falls into a well, will not pull him out at once on the Sabbath day?” And they were unable to answer these things. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they chose the foremost places at table. He said to them, “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not recline in the foremost place, lest someone more honored than you has been invited by him, and the one who invited both you and him comes and says to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then you will begin, with shame, to occupy the last place.

“But when you are invited, go and recline in the last place, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor before all who recline at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” He also said to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a midday meal or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you receive repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they have nothing with which to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

When one of those reclining at table heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is whoever shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But He said to him, “A certain man was giving a great supper, and he invited many. At the hour of the supper he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because things are now ready.’ And they all alike began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to go out and see it. I ask you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I married a wife, and for this reason I cannot come.’ The slave returned and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring the poor, the disabled, the blind, and the lame in here.’ And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room.’

“And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and along the fences, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my supper.’”

← 99 The Feast of Dedication · The Saints Gospel: all scenes · 101 Counting the Cost →

Saints Translation · The Saints Gospel · a harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts 1 · words of Christ in red · working draft awaiting specialist review.