October 10, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Joy in Duty

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Lord, You are the Divine Potter in my life. Today is in Your hands. Teach me and lead me.

Read Luke 17:1–10

For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

[1] Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. [2] It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. [3] So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. [4] Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” [5] The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” [6] He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. [7] “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? [8] Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? [9] Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? [10] 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.'”

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Christianity preaches not only a crucified God, but also crucified men and women” (Brennan Manning, 1934–2013). For Christians, our ego is sacrificed (crucified) for our God.

Someone once described “ego” as “Edging God Out” and this remains stubbornly at the heart of the human condition, even when someone has experienced God’s grace-filled redemption. In verses 7–10 we have a unique Lukan parable describing the attitudes of a master to his servant or slave. On returning from working in the fields, the servant is not invited to sit and relax, but rather told to prepare the food for the master. Decency might hope that the master would thank the servant for his hard work—but the implication is that this was not likely to happen, and that the servant simply “did what servants do.”

Jesus applies this logic to the relationship between kingdom-followers and the King. He expects obedience for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. We are not to serve for praise, perks or position, but rather the joy of being able to serve the Master of our souls, the King of the universe. This unique parable fits with the flow of Jesus’ teaching on kingdom inclusion and also with his challenge to those of religious position and influence who believe their righteousness has earned them status and a place near the Master. In a later passage, we have another unique Lukan parable about the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector, praying in the Temple: one going home “justified,” the other ignored (Luke 18:9–14).

As Brennan Manning suggests, Jesus must not be the only crucified figure in Christianity. The kingdom of God demands that ego is sacrificed to the Servant-God who poured himself out for us. Though we are sons and daughters, we must also remember that “we are unworthy servants” (10), empowered to live and serve through his grace alone. When we remember this, God will never be edged out, but will always be established at the center.

Apply

Whatever the reward (or not), serving God remains the highest honor of any human being. How can you celebrate and serve?

Closing prayer

Merciful Lord, my natural inclination is to be served, rather than to serve. Help me to embrace the reverse, and to be a faithful servant of Yours.

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