Chapter
Verse

Luke 14:15

ESV When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
NIV When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
NASB Now when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, 'Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!'
CSB When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"
NLT Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, 'What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!'
KJV 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.
NKJV 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!”

What does Luke 14:15 mean?

A banquet at the home of a Pharisee includes Jesus and other noble guests. Bystanders are probably lining the walls, listening in. The mood has been tense. It seems Jesus created the tone when He healed a man suffering from edema before He even reclined on the dining bench. Normally, healing wouldn't be a problem except that it's the Sabbath. He then told a parable to encourage the guests to stop grasping for honor and allow others to decide their importance. Then He explained to the host that if he had invited the poor and injured—like the ill man—God would have given him an eternal reward instead of the temporary, worldly honor his guests can offer (Luke 14:1–14).

One of the guests, it seems, senses the awkwardness Jesus' teaching is creating and tries to lighten the mood. The man deflects away from Jesus' exhortation to interact humbly with peers and serve the disadvantaged and latches on to the idea of the great feast at the resurrection (Isaiah 25:6; Psalm 22:26).

The guest ignores the hard truths Jesus taught to focus on future rewards. Jesus doesn't let him minimize the sacrifices required to live in the fulfilled kingdom of God. Those in presence at that heavenly banquet will not be exactly who the world would expect. God will invite those who are blessed in the world's terms, but many well-off people will be too wrapped up in their happy, prosperous life and will refuse to respond. God will also invite the poor, crippled, blind, and lame, as well as the homeless and the travelers (Luke 14:16–24).

God's economy turns the natural earthly worldview on its head. Honor doesn't come from humans; it comes from God. Humility and service bring God's favor. Honoring the least of these honors God. And it is the least of these who are most likely to honor God.
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