“Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'” Luke 17:7-10 (NIV)
Evidently, these emerging apostles were displaying an attitude. Or at least Jesus understood the attitude behind the request for increased faith (v.5). It was not just about having more faith, but about having an easy life. Guarding oneself against being obstacles to others requires submission and love; difficult issues when applied to all people. Forgiving every trespass requires humility and maturity; difficult issues when applied to all people.
Would a larger amount of faith really make it easier to not be the cause of other people’s failures? Would greater faith really make it easier to forgive other people’s trespasses against us? Did the apostles (or other believers) deserve rewards for placing faith in Christ? The Lord’s words focus on the servant’s attitude of what was considered to be the servant’s deserved reward.
From the view of the request for increased faith, our Lord’s words should not be ignored. Faith, large or small, is about being a servant of the one in whom we place our faith. Faith then is the servant’s duty as he/she serves Christ. It is the duty of Christ’s servants to not be the cause of another person’s sin. It is the duty of Christ’s servants to forgive every trespass.
A servant is not rewarded for doing his/her duty (i.e. feeding sheep; plowing the field; preparing supper). A servant’s duties are not made easier because some tasks are completed and others are still to be achieved. The duty of the servant is to serve his/her master. As servants of Christ, we are simply doing our duty to Christ by guarding against being the cause of another person’s sin. As servants of Christ, we are doing our duty to Christ by forgiving every trespass. Despite the size of our faith, we are expected to serve Christ. We are following Christ, so our duty as disciples is to replicate Christ’s example.
Dear Father, thank you for calling us to serve Christ. Empower us to be faithful in our duties as servants of Christ. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today as you serve Christ,