Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 14: Compel Them to Come In
Luke 14 finds Jesus at a Pharisee's table, watched by hostile eyes, and there He teaches the way of humility, mercy, and whole-hearted discipleship. He heals a man with dropsy on the sabbath and silences His critics; He rebukes the scramble for the chief rooms, 'whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted'; and He tells the host to invite not the rich who can repay but 'the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,' for the reward comes 'at the resurrection of the just.' When a guest speaks piously of eating bread in the kingdom, Jesus answers with the parable of the great supper: the invited make excuses, so the master sends for the poor of the streets and then out to the highways and hedges, 'compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.' Then, turning to the great multitudes, He sets the cost plainly: unless a man love Christ above father and mother and his own life, bear his cross, and forsake all that he has, he 'cannot be my disciple.' Count the cost, He says, like a builder before he builds and a king before he goes to war, and be salt that keeps its savour. The chapter calls us to humble ourselves, to show mercy to those who cannot repay, to answer God's invitation without excuse, and to follow Christ with all we are.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 14. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus teaches humility and mercy at the Pharisee's table, tells the parable of the great supper with its urgent 'compel them to come in,' and lays out the full cost of following Him. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Is It Lawful to Heal?
Jesus heals a man with dropsy and silences His watchers.
Sit in the Lowest Room
He that humbleth himself shall be exalted; the proud abased.
Compel Them to Come In
The invited make excuses; the poor and outcast fill the house.
Count the Cost
Forsake all, bear the cross, and follow Christ above all.
He That Humbleth Himself Shall Be Exalted (Luke 14:1-14)
At a Pharisee's feast Jesus heals on the sabbath, rebukes the scramble for honour, and calls His host to feed those who cannot repay.
Call the Poor, the Maimed, the Lame, the Blind
"And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
Word Study
"humbleth," Greek tapeinoo (ταπεινόω). The word means to make low, to bring down, to humble. Jesus lays down the abiding law of God's kingdom: "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." To humble oneself is to take the lowest place willingly, to refuse the scramble for honour, to think of oneself soberly and of others first. This is the very path Christ Himself walked, who "humbled himself, and became obedient unto death" (Philippians 2:8), and was therefore highly exalted. In God's economy the way up is down; He gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.
Explanation
At a Pharisee's table Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath and again silences objectors with common sense -- who would not pull an ox from a pit on the Sabbath? Then, watching guests scramble for the best seats, He teaches the way of the kingdom: "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Take the lowest place and let the host raise you. And invite not those who can repay but "the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind," for the reward comes "at the resurrection of the just." Kingdom generosity looks not for return but gives to those who cannot pay it back.
Gospel Focus
Jesus dines at the house of a chief Pharisee on the sabbath, and every eye is on Him, "they watched him," hoping to catch Him in a fault. A man with dropsy stands before Him, and Jesus takes the initiative, asking the lawyers and Pharisees plainly, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" They will not answer, so He heals the man and sends him away whole, then exposes their inconsistency: every one of them would haul an ox or ass out of a pit on the sabbath, so why begrudge mercy shown to a suffering man? "They could not answer him again." Then, watching the guests jockey for the best seats, He teaches humility with a homely parable: do not seize the highest room, lest a more honoured guest arrive and you be sent down in shame; rather take the lowest place, and let the host say, "Friend, go up higher." The point is not mere table manners but the law of the kingdom: "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." God brings down the self-important and lifts up the lowly. Then Jesus turns to His host with a searching word about the motive of our kindness. Do not, He says, invite only friends and rich neighbours who can return the favour; that is mere exchange, and "a recompence be made thee" here and now. Instead, "when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind", exactly those who cannot pay you back. "And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." True mercy gives without hope of return, looking not for repayment in this life but for reward from God in the next. So the section binds together sabbath mercy, personal humility, and generous love: Christ heals the afflicted, humbles the proud, and calls us to serve those who can never repay, laying up our treasure for the resurrection.
Compel Them to Come In (Luke 14:15-24)
The invited excuse themselves from God's feast, so the master fills His house with the poor and the outcast.
That My House May Be Filled
"And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper."
Word Study
"compel," Greek anankazo (ἀναγκάζω). The word means to constrain, to urge strongly, to press. The master commands, "compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." This is no forcing of the will against itself, but the earnest, urgent pressing of the gospel invitation upon those who would never presume they were welcome, the outcasts of the highways and hedges. The poor and despised might think such a feast could not be for them; the servant must overcome their hesitation with warm insistence. So the gospel is to be pressed upon all with holy urgency, constraining sinners by the love of Christ to come in and be saved, for there is yet room, and the Master will have His house full.
Explanation
When a guest sentimentally blesses those who eat bread in the kingdom, Jesus tells the parable of the great supper -- and its sting is that the invited guests all make excuses: a field, oxen, a wife. So the master fills his house with the poor and crippled from the streets, and then with strangers from the highways, declaring, "none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." The feast of grace is free and full, but it is despised by those preoccupied with lesser goods, and their places are given to the outcasts. To trifle with God's invitation is to forfeit it forever.
Gospel Focus
A pious-sounding guest, warmed by talk of the resurrection, exclaims, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Doubtless he counts himself among the certain guests. Jesus answers with a parable that turns the easy assumption on its head. A man prepares "a great supper" and invites many; when the hour comes he sends his servant to call them, "Come; for all things are now ready." But "they all with one consent began to make excuse." One has bought ground and must see it; another has bought oxen and must prove them; another has married a wife and simply "cannot come." The excuses are telling: land, livestock, and family, good things in themselves, but here made into reasons to despise the King's table. None of them is prevented; all of them prefer their own affairs to the feast of God. The master is rightly angry, but his anger becomes grace toward others: "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind", the very ones the world overlooks and the ones the Pharisees despised. And when there is still room, the order goes wider still: "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Here is the sweep of the gospel: first to those near, then to the poor and outcast, then far out to the highways, a picture that reaches to the Gentiles and to the ends of the earth. God will have His house full. But the parable ends with a sober warning: "none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." Those who slight the invitation, preferring their possessions and pursuits, shut themselves out. The gospel comes freely and urgently to all, and grace presses in even the least likely; but the invitation refused is the feast forfeited. Come, for all things are now ready.
Whosoever Forsaketh Not All (Luke 14:25-35)
To the eager crowds Jesus sets the full price of following Him: love Him above all, bear the cross, count the cost, and keep your savour.
Whosoever Doth Not Bear His Cross Cannot Be My Disciple
"And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
Word Study
"hate," Greek miseo (μισέω). The word ordinarily means to hate, but here it is used in the Hebrew manner of comparison: to love far less by contrast. Jesus is not commanding malice toward family, for He upholds the honour of father and mother and calls us to love even our enemies. Matthew gives the plain sense: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37). To "hate" one's own father, mother, wife, children, "and his own life also" means to subordinate every other love, even the love of self, so completely to Christ that by comparison they seem as nothing. Christ must hold the first and supreme place; no rival love, however dear, may come before Him.
Explanation
To the great crowds following Him Jesus speaks bluntly of the cost: unless a man "hate" -- love far less by comparison -- father, mother, and even his own life, and "bear his cross," he cannot be His disciple. He urges them to count the cost like a builder estimating a tower or a king weighing a war, for a half-committed discipleship collapses. And salt that has lost its savor is fit only to be cast out. Jesus does not lower the terms to swell the crowd; He raises them, calling for a wholehearted allegiance that surrenders everything to follow Him.
Gospel Focus
Great crowds throng after Jesus, and rather than flatter the numbers, He turns and lays the true cost of discipleship squarely before them. Three times He states the terms with the same solemn refrain, "he cannot be my disciple." First, supreme love: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children... yea, and his own life also." He does not forbid love of family; He forbids letting any love outrank love for Him. Christ must be first, above the dearest human tie and above self. Second, the cross: "whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." To follow Christ is to take up the instrument of death to self, to be willing to suffer and die for His sake. Then He presses the point with two shrewd pictures that urge a man to think before he begins. A builder who starts a tower without reckoning the cost, and cannot finish, becomes a laughingstock: "This man began to build, and was not able to finish." A king who marches to war against a stronger foe without first weighing whether he can win had better sue for peace. The lesson is not to discourage discipleship but to make it clear-eyed and deliberate: know what you are undertaking, for it will cost you everything. Hence the third statement of the terms: "whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." The disciple holds nothing back, surrendering all rights, possessions, and claims to Christ's lordship. Finally the warning of the salt: "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour," it is useless, fit neither for land nor dunghill, but cast out. A disciple who loses the very distinctiveness that makes him salt, the whole-hearted devotion Christ demands, is worthless to the kingdom. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." The call is not to a comfortable, half-hearted attachment but to a costly, count-the- cost, forsake-all following of the crucified Lord. Yet what He asks, He first gave: He forsook all, bore the cross, and laid down His own life for us. To follow such a Saviour with all we are is the only response worthy of Him.
Chapter 14 in Review
Luke 14 gathers Jesus' teaching on humility, mercy, and the cost of following Him around a Pharisee's table and the crowds on the road. He heals a man with dropsy on the sabbath and silences His critics, then teaches that "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted," and that true generosity feeds "the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind" who cannot repay. In the parable of the great supper the invited make excuses over land, oxen, and marriage, so the master fills his house with the poor of the streets and the wanderers of the highways, "compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." And to the eager multitudes He sets the full price of discipleship: love Christ above father, mother, and self, bear the cross, count the cost like a builder and a king, and forsake all, or else be like salt that has lost its savour.
For the Apostolic reader the chapter is both invitation and summons. The great supper is the gospel feast, prepared and ready, freely offered first to the covenant people, then to the poor and outcast, then pressed out to the highways, a picture of grace reaching the Gentiles and the ends of the earth. God will have His house full, and the gospel is to be urged upon all with holy constraint, compelling sinners by the love of Christ to come in. Yet the same chapter tears away every illusion of cheap discipleship. To follow the crucified Lord is to give Him the first place above every love, to take up the cross, and to forsake all; the crowd may throng, but only those who count the cost and pay it are His disciples indeed. Humble yourself, for God exalts the lowly; show mercy to those who cannot repay, looking for reward at the resurrection of the just; answer God's invitation without excuse, for the feast is ready now; and follow Christ with all you are, for He forsook all and bore the cross for you. Do not lose your savour, but be the salt that keeps the kingdom's flavour to the end.
- Christ shows mercy on the sabbath and silences the fault-finders (14:3-6).
- Humble yourself; God abases the proud and exalts the lowly (14:11).
- Show kindness to those who cannot repay; the reward is at the resurrection (14:13-14).
- God's feast is ready; excuses forfeit it, and grace fills the house (14:17-24).
- The gospel is to be pressed on all: "compel them to come in" (14:23).
- A true disciple loves Christ above all, bears the cross, and forsakes all (14:26-33).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you seek the lowest room, or scramble for honour among men?
- Do you show kindness to those who can never repay you?
- What excuses have you let keep you from God's supper?
- Have you counted the cost, and given Christ the first place above all?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Christ Lord of the sabbath and mercy over ritual: Luke 6:9; Matthew 12:11-12; Hosea 6:6. Humility exalted and pride abased: Proverbs 25:6-7; James 4:6-10; Philippians 2:3-11. Mercy to the poor rewarded at the resurrection: Luke 6:35; Proverbs 19:17. The great supper and the gospel to all: Matthew 22:1-14; Acts 13:46; Romans 11:11-12. The cost of discipleship: Matthew 10:37-39; Luke 9:23; Philippians 3:7-8. The salt losing its savour: Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Humility and mercy at the table: Luke 14:1-14; Proverbs 25:6-7; James 4:6-10.
- The parable of the great supper: Luke 14:15-24; Matthew 22:1-14; Acts 13:46.
- The cost of discipleship: Luke 14:25-35; Matthew 10:37-39; Luke 9:23.