Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Luke, chapters 14 through 16. Chapter 14.
Now it happened, as he went into the house of
one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread
on the Sabbath, that they watched him closely.
And behold, there was a certain man before him
who had dropsy. And Jesus answering, spoke to
the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful
to heal on the Sabbath? But they kept silent,
and he took him and healed him, and let him go.
Then he answered them, saying, Which of you,
having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into
a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the
Sabbath day? And they could not answer him regarding
these things. So he told the parable to those
who were invited, when he noted how they chose
the best places, saying to them, when you are
invited by anyone to a wedding feast do not sit
down in the best place lest one more honourable
than you be invited by him and he who invited
you and him come and say to you give place to
this man and then you begin with shame to take
the lowest place but when you are invited go
and sit down in the lowest place so that when
he who invited you comes he may say to you friend
go up higher Then you will have glory in the
presence of those who sit at the table with you.
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and
he who humbles himself will be exalted. Then
he also said to him who invited him, When you
give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends,
your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors,
lest they also invite you back and you be repaid.
But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the
maimed, the lame. the blind, and you will be
blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you
shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
Now when one of those who sat at the table with
him heard these things, he said to him, Blessed
is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
Then he said to him, A certain man gave a great
supper and invited many, and sent his servant
at suppertime to say to those who were invited,
Come, for all things are now ready. But they
all with one accord, began to make excuses. The
first said to him, I have bought a piece of ground,
and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me
excused. And another said, I have bought five
yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I
ask you to have me excused. Still another said,
I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot
come. So that the servant came and reported these
things to his master. 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 here the poor and the maimed and
the lame and the blind. And the servant said,
Master, it is done as you commanded, and still
there is room. Then the master said to the servant,
Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel
them to come in, that my house may be filled.
For I say to you that none of those men who were
invited shall taste my supper. Now great multitudes
went with him, and he turned and said to them,
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father
and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whoever does not bear his cross and come
after me cannot be my disciple. For which of
you, intending to build a tower, does not sit
down first and count the cost, whether he has
enough to finish it? lest after he has laid the
foundation and is not able to finish all who
see 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 does not
sit down first and consider whether he is able
with ten thousand to meet him who comes against
him with twenty thousand or else while the other
is still a great way off he sends a delegation
and asks conditions of peace So likewise, whoever
of you does not forsake all that he has cannot
be my disciple. Salt is good, but if the salt
has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunkel,
but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear,
let him hear. Chapter 15 Then all the tax collectors
and the sinners drew near to him to hear him.
And when he comes home, he calls together his
friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice
with me, for I have found my sheep. which was
lost. I say to you that likewise there will be
more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety -nine just persons who need
no repentance. Or what woman, having ten silver
coins, if she loses one coin, does not light
a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully
until she finds it? And when she has found it,
she calls her friends and neighbors together,
saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the
peace which I lost. Likewise I say to you, There
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner who repents. Then he said, A certain
man had two sons, and the younger of them said
to his father, Father, give me the portion of
goods that falls to me. So he divided to them
his livelihood. And not many days after, the
younger son gathered all together, journeyed
to a far country, and there wasted his possessions
with prodigal living. but when he had spent all
there arose a severe famine in that land and
he began to be in want then he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country and he sent
him into his fields to feed swine and he would
gladly have filled his stomach with the pods
that the swine ate and no one gave him anything
but when he came to himself he said how many
of my father's hired servants have bread enough
and to spare and i perish with hunger I will
arise and go to my father and will say to him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and before
you and I am no longer worthy to be called your
son. Make me like one of your hired servants.
And he arose and came to his father. But when
he was still a great way off, his father saw
him and had compassion and ran and fell on his
neck and kissed him. And the son said to him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your
sight and I am no longer worthy to be called
your son. But the father said to his servants,
Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and
put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet,
and bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and
let us eat and be merry. For this son was dead
and is alive again. He was lost and is found.
And they began to be merry. Now his older son
was in the field, and as he came and drew near
to the house, he heard music and dancing. So
he called one of the servants and asked, what
these things meant. And he said to him, Your
brother has come, and because he has received
him safe and sound, your father has killed the
fatted calf. But he was angry and would not go
in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded
with him. So he answered and said to his father,
Lo, these many years I have been serving you.
I never transgressed your commandment at any
time, and yet you never gave me a young goat
that I might make merry with my friends. But
as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured
your livelihood with harlots, you killed the
fatted calf for him. And he said to him, Son,
you are always with me, and all that I have is
yours. It was right that we should make merry
and be glad, for your brother was dead and is
alive again, and was lost and is found. Chapter
16 He also said to his disciples, There was a
certain rich man, who had a steward, and an accusation
was brought to him that this man was wasting
his goods. So he called him and said to him,
What is this I hear about you? Give an account
of your stewardship, for you can no longer be
steward. Then the steward said within himself,
What shall I do? For my master is taking the
stewardship away from me. I cannot dig. I am
ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that
when I am put out of the stewardship, they may
receive me into their houses. so he called every
one of his master's debtors to him and said to
the first how much do you owe my master and he
said a hundred measures of oil so he said to
him take your bill and sit down quickly and write
fifty then he said to another and how much do
you owe so he said a hundred measures of wheat
and he said to him take your bill and write eighty
so the master commended the unjust steward because
he had dealt shrewdly for the sons of this world
are more shrewd in their generation than the
sons of light. And I say to you, make friends
for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when
you fail they may receive you into an everlasting
home. He who is faithful in what is least is
faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in
what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore
if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous
mammon, who will commit to your trust the true
riches? And if you have not been faithful in
what is another man's, Who will give you what
is your own? No servant can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money,
also heard all these things, and they derided
him. And he said to them, You are those who justify
yourselves before men? But God knows your hearts.
For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination
in the sight of God. The law and the prophets
were until John. Since that time the kingdom
of God has been preached and everyone is pressing
into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth
to pass away than for one tittle of the law to
fail. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery. And whoever marries her who
is divorced from her husband, commits adultery.
There was a certain rich man who was clothed
in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously
every day. But there was a certain beggar named
Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell
from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs
came and licked his sores. So it was that the
beggar died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was
buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted
up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus
in his bosom. Then he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that
he may dip the tip of his finger in water and
cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that in your
lifetime you received your good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things. But now, He is comforted
and you are tormented. And besides all this,
between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed,
so that those who want to pass from here to you
cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.
Then he said, I beg you therefore, Father, that
you would send him to my father's house, for
I have five brothers that he may testify to them,
lest they also come to this place of torment.
Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the
prophets. Let them hear them. And he said, No,
Father Abraham, but if one goes to them from
the dead, they will repent. But he said to him,
If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded, though one rise from
the dead. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.