Salt , &c. See note on Matthew 5:13 . if , &c. A contingent assumption. App-118 . lost his savour = become tasteless. Compare Matthew 5:13 . wherewith = with (Greek. en App-104 .) what. seasoned . Only here, Mark 9:50 . Colossians 4:6 . read more
Salt therefore is good: but even if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill; men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.For a more detailed study of the salt metaphor, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 5:13. The use of the metaphor here is different from that in Matthew. Christ used many of his illustrations on various occasions and for the purpose of making different points. Spence declared that:Here... read more
34, 35. Salt, c.—(See on :- and Mark 9:50). read more
E. Instruction about the kingdom 13:18-14:35The larger division of the Gospel that records Jesus’ ministry on the way to Jerusalem and the Cross continues with more teaching about the coming kingdom. The parables of the kingdom that begin this section (Luke 13:18-21) introduce this section. The difference in Jesus’ teaching in the present section is a matter of emphasis rather than a clear-cut change. The subtlety of this distinction is observable in that the commentators differ over where they... read more
5. The cost of discipleship 14:25-35Luke had just recorded Jesus’ teaching about God’s gracious invitation to enjoy the messianic banquet in the kingdom. It was free for all who would respond. Jesus taught elsewhere that responding meant believing on Him. Now Luke recorded Jesus’ teaching that though salvation was free, discipleship was costly. This is important balancing revelation. Salvation guarantees heaven, but it also calls for complete commitment to Jesus, not to secure heaven but to... read more
The importance of following Jesus faithfully 14:34-35In conclusion, Jesus compared a disciple to salt. Salt was important in the ancient East because it flavored food, retarded decay, and in small doses fertilized land. [Note: Eugene P. Deatrick, "Salt, Soil, Savor," Biblical Archaeologist 25 (1962):44-45.] All of these uses are in view in this passage. Most salt in the ancient world came from salt marshes or the like rather than from the evaporation of salt water, so it contained many... read more
The Dropsical Man. The Great Supper. Divers Sayings and Parables1-6. The sabbath question again. The man with the dropsy healed (peculiar to Lk).1. To eat bread] So far from being abstemious on the sabbath, the Jews carried the pleasures of the table to excess. ’The Hebrews honour the sabbath chiefly by inviting each other to drinking and intoxication’ (Plutarch). ’Rabbah Abba bought flesh of thirteen butchers that he might be sure to taste the best, and paid them at the very gate, that he... read more
(34) Salt is good.—The words are all but identical with those of Matthew 5:13, and resemble those of Mark 9:50. (See Notes on those passages.) They appear now, however, in a very different context, and the train of thought is not at first sight so clear. The common element in all three instances is that salt represents the purifying element in life, the principle of unselfish devotion. Here, the special aspect of that element is self-renunciation. In proportion as that is incomplete, the salt... read more
The Men Without a Sabbath Luke 14:3-6 The Lord delivered His primary challenge to the Jews through the Sabbath Day. It was, as it were, His gauge of battle, His test case. For His own personal significance turned on His relation to this Sabbath Day question. Not that in this He challenged the validity of the older Covenant. On the contrary, He always claimed the authority of the older Covenant on His own side. He appealed for His own justification to the principles established in the Law of... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Luke 14:25-35
101. More about discipleship (Luke 14:25-35)The crowds that followed Jesus thought he was on the way to a throne. Jesus told them he was on the way to a cross. If they wanted to follow him they had to understand what his kingdom was like and what his followers could expect. They had to love him above everything else, and had to be prepared for self-sacrifice and even death (Luke 14:25-27).Like a farmer building a tower or a king going to war, the person wanting to be a disciple of Jesus had... read more