The Bryce Crawford Podcast

Episode 162: Luke Series Chapter 14

Host: Bryce Crawford
Date: December 14, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Bryce Crawford explores Luke Chapter 14, examining the teachings and parables of Jesus regarding humility, self-sacrifice, and the true cost of discipleship. Bryce reads directly from Scripture, offers pastoral insights, and encourages listeners to internalize the words and values of Jesus—not just as podcast content, but as a daily guide. The episode centers on key lessons: radical humility, deep inclusivity, the necessity of personal sacrifice, and the imperative of full reliance on Christ.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Healing on the Sabbath and the Value of Mercy

• [04:17] Bryce recounts Jesus healing a man with dropsy at the Pharisee ruler’s home on the Sabbath. The religious leaders remain silent when questioned about the lawfulness of such an act.
  • Jesus challenges their legalism with a practical question:

    "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on the Sabbath day, would not immediately pull him out?"

• Insight: Jesus consistently prioritizes mercy and compassion over rigid law-keeping.

2. Humility in Honor and Status

• [06:50] Bryce shares the parable of the wedding feast:
  • Instead of seeking places of honor, take the lowest place, so that you might be honored later.
  • Memorable Quote (Bryce):

    "Jesus is encouraging this lifestyle of humility and living a low life. Doesn’t mean think less of yourself, means think of yourself less. Does that make sense?"

3. The Radical Guest List – Who Should We Invite?

• [08:42] Jesus instructs: Don’t only invite friends, family, or wealthy neighbors to your feasts, lest you simply receive invitations in return.
  • Instead, invite "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind"—those who cannot repay you.
  • Bryce’s commentary:

    "Treat everyone with the utmost respect, value and love. The same value that you show Bill Gates, you show the homeless man… because the price that God has put on both of their lives was His own."
    [09:45]

4. Parable of the Great Banquet – Responding to God’s Invitation

• [10:32] Many invited guests decline, offering excuses (new land, oxen, marriage). In response, the host invites the outcasts.
  • Jesus’ point: He desires people who truly need, depend on, and seek Him—not just those who make empty professions.
  • Bryce:

    "If you don’t want me, it breaks my heart. But I respect that wish."
    [12:08]

5. Counting the Cost of Discipleship

• [13:05] Jesus outlines the deep level of commitment required:
  • “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
    (Bryce highlights this passage and discusses its hyperbolic nature—putting Jesus above all else.)
  • The metaphor of building a tower or waging war: One must count the cost before committing.
  • Bryce:

    "Count the cost to follow Jesus. It costs something to follow Jesus. Come without reservation, come without hesitation."
    [14:12]

6. The Call to Full Reliance and Lasting Impact

• [15:40]
  • Jesus: "Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
  • Salt losing its saltiness: Believers are called to preserve their distinctiveness and effectiveness; otherwise, they become "of no use."
  • Final encouragement from Bryce:

    "Let us be impacted by the words of Jesus in chapter 14. And tomorrow we will see you guys for Luke chapter 15."
    [16:35]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Doesn’t mean think less of yourself, means think of yourself less.”
  — Bryce Crawford, commenting on humility, [07:15]

• “Treat everyone with the utmost respect, value and love… because the price that God has put on both of their lives was his own.”
  — Bryce Crawford, on radical inclusivity, [09:45]

• “If you don’t want me, it breaks my heart. But I respect that wish.”
  — Bryce paraphrasing Jesus’ attitude toward those who reject His invitation, [12:08]

• “Count the cost to follow Jesus. It costs something to follow Jesus. Come without reservation, come without hesitation.”
  — Bryce Crawford, reflecting on discipleship, [14:12]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:17] Healing on the Sabbath and the Challenge to Legalism
• [06:50] Wedding Feast Parable: Humility and the Place of Honor
• [08:42] Who to Invite: Loving Without Expecting Return
• [10:32] Great Banquet Parable: God’s Open Invitation and Our Response
• [13:05] The Cost of Following Jesus—Radical Commitment
• [15:40] Salt, Distinctiveness, and Final Encouragement

Episode Tone and Closing

Bryce’s tone is warm, pastoral, earnest, and approachable. He urges listeners to not only be hearers but doers of the Word, and not to depend on the podcast as a substitute for personal engagement with Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

Closing Encouragement:

“The ultimate heart is so that you go and read this word daily. You don’t rely on the podcast; you rely on the word of God and the Holy Spirit.”
— Bryce Crawford, [16:45]

For Next Time: The Luke Series continues with Chapter 15.