Last month, I started a new series examining passages in the Bible that appear deeply puzzling. This month, we shall look at a passage in Luke.
Puzzling Passage: Luke 17:7-10
7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
Why it is Puzzling:
The passage seems to suggest that we believers ought to view ourselves as unprofitable servants even after living a life of obedience to God and therefore we should not expect any sort of thanks or reward from God. This is somewhat at odds with how the whole council of God in His word, paints a picture of a generous God who rewards us for our service and obedience.
Believers are called to be more than servants:
“I no longer call you servants but friends” (John 15:15)
“But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to be children of God” (John 1:12)
The promises of rewards to believers:
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:21)
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)
Alternative interpretation #1:
The servant in the passage does not refer to believers. It is a picture of a believer’s faith. This means Jesus is asking you to put your faith (servant) to work.
>> This explanation does flow well from the previous section (v5-6)
Passage BEFORE:
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
However, in v10, Jesus concludes with: “So you also…” Thus we see that Jesus is addressing the disciples rather than addressing the disciples’ faith.
Alternative interpretation #2:
The focus of the passage should not be that we ought not to be counting on God to fulfil His promises to us, but rather how we ought to be guarding against an entitled attitude as though God owe it to us to thank us and reward us.
>> This is a better explanation as it flows well from the following section about Jesus cleansing the ten lepers (v11-19):
Passage AFTER:
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Things start to make better sense when we interpret the parable of the unworthy servants in the context of the account of the grateful foreign leper.
– The nine Jewish lepers did not give thanks, while the one foreigner leper did.
– The foreigner leper put his mustard seed faith to work (v5-6)
– The foreigner leper did not have an entitled (God owes me) attitude and so accepted his healing as: all by grace; undeserving.
– The foreigner leper has the unworthy servant attitude (underserving, and not entitled), therefore received his healing by faith through grace (not of works – Eph 2:8-9) and therefore can be grateful (unlike the nine Jewish lepers).
– The parable of the unworthy servants answers the question of (Subject): How can one be grateful to our generous, promise-keeping Heavenly Master. Answer (Complement): By considering the fair treatment of a normal servant-master relationship and allowing that thought to shape our attitude.
– So in essence, the parable is really trying to tell us: the moment I think “God owes me”, “I’m entitled to it”, we become like the nine Jewish lepers – ungrateful. That is what the parable of the unworthy servants wants us to guard against.
Conclusion: God is a Promise Keeper, and therefore, God’s children are certainly to expect rewards. However, be mindful not to do so with an entitled “God owes me” attitude, but with a “it’s all by grace”, “we don’t deserve it but we receive by grace” attitude. Only then will there be gratefulness in our hearts like the foreigner leper.