Luke 14:15-35

15Now when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “1Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16But He said to him, “2A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’ 18And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; 3please consider me excused.’ 19And another one said, ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; 4please consider me excused.’ 20And another one said, ‘5I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21And 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 those who are poor, those with disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping.’ 22And later the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.’”

25Now 6large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, 26“7If anyone comes to Me and does not 8hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27Whoever does not 9carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28For 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? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’ 31Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and 10consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace. 33So then, none of you can be My disciple who 11does not 12give up all his own possessions.

34“Therefore, salt is good; but 13if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be 14seasoned? 35It is useless either for the soil or the manure pile, so it is thrown out. 15The one who has ears to hear, 16let him hear.”