Luke 17: 5 – 10
Now Hiring – ‘Slaves’
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”
If you have been study God’s word with us, then you will know that I like to see if there are any other Gospels that talk about the same incident that we come to. However, I want to show you this time that though the other Gospels at first seem to list the same situation they are different. Let’s take a look at the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
Matthew 17:19-21, “19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Mark 9:28-29, “28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
We see in both Matthew and Mark’s Gospel that they are writing about the same event which involved the casting out of a demon. Our Lord used similar words because He was dealing with the disciples ‘faith’. Now that we come to this portion in the Gospel of Luke we see that our Holy Majestic Ruler is dealing with another issue all together yet the major lesson for His disciples is again dealing with ‘Faith’. Can you see this point?
If you remember from our last study our Lord Jesus has made His Apostles aware the spirituality that they are lacking. So with absolute confidence in their Maser they ask Him to give them increased faith. He had previously given them faith to preach, heal and cast out evil spirits. This is the lesson that was taught in Matthew and Mark’s Gospel. Now they are asking for more faith so as to enable them to walk without causing others to stumble, and so as to enable them to continually forgive, to say nothing of the other attributes that they are going to need. They want to be men of such faith that they do not fail Him.
Our Holy Master and King Lord Jesus therefore points out that what they need is not a greater faith, but faith in Him. If their recognition of the greatness of The Son Of God is sufficient they will be able to do remarkable things, for they have been chosen for that very purpose.
But while guiding them in this our Lord Jesus recognizes the dangers for them in what He now says of overweening pride, and thus seeks to bring home to them the need to recognize that they will only have the power that He is describing because they are doing what they are commanded to do, and that they do it as servants and not as masters.
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” 6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
The Apostles are growing in their awareness of the importance of their position, and of their own weakness for the task. They feel therefore that they need their faith to be made stronger. But our Holy Adoni Yeshua, Lord Jesus, Who sees much further ahead, wishes to bring home to them that it is not the strength of their faith that matters. What matters is the One in Whom they have faith. If their faith is in the right Person, and they see Him for what He is and recognize their own position within His purposes, then even the tiniest faith will accomplish mighty things.
Our Lord knows that now is the time for them to stop looking at their own faith and to recognize that they serve the One Who can do great things, and because He has chosen them, will do even greater things through them. For as they serve God in obedience to His commands even the tiniest of faith will accomplish the impossible. If they have faith as small as a mustard seed they will be able to command a ‘mulberry tree’ to be rooted up and replant itself in the sea.
7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
Like today our Lord Jesus is well aware that power as well as wealth can corrupt people and prevent them from keeping their minds on things above, and He therefore introduces a Parable saying in order to counteract this, a saying which reminds them that what they will accomplish will be accomplished because they are men under orders, they are servants who are only doing their duty. What will be accomplished will all be the result of God’s personal involvement.
Now here is an important fact for you to consider regarding certain religious denominations who presently rule over people. What master, asks The only True Master, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has a servant who is out in the field working or keeping sheep will invite his servant on returning to the house to immediately sit down and eat with him?
What is the lesson? The lesson is that for them and all who are permitted to serve Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High - must beware of putting themselves on a par with God. No man stands here on earth as God’s representative.
8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
Will the master not rather tell the servant to get the meal ready, and serve it up to the him and his family, until they are satisfied, and only then can they be released to be able to go eat their dinner? The servant will be made to acknowledge that he is a servant. He is not invited to the formal meal.
You see in our culture this treatment seems harsh by the Master. However, you have to realize that a servant is a slave who has no rights. He or she is lucky to even be able to get some food to eat.
However, overall this is one of our Lord Jesus’ constant stresses, that just as He has come as the Servant of the Lord, so must they recognize that they too are servants, and that the highest honor is found in serving. It is in direct contrast with man’s view that he indicates his superiority by being served.
A Minister is not suppose to have his own parking spot. He is the flock’s servant. You don’t like the rules then don’t join up.
9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
The servant will recognize his place. He is merely doing what as a servant is his duty. It was a generally held view that servants must be kept in their place. But while we should certainly thank those who serve us in any way, it is perfectly reasonable to suggest that we do not deserve God’s thanks - For He is our Creator and Redeemer, and all the gratitude is due from our side. The wonder is that He uses our frail services in the accomplishment of His mighty purposes. After all He could just as well achieve them without us. So we not only do no more than it is our duty to do, but our success is also wholly due to His gracious working.
10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”
In the same way when the Apostles are carrying out all the commands given to them, they are to be the same. They are to say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done that which it was our duty to do.’ Thereby they will be saved from the dangers of pride and arrogance and of thinking of themselves more highly than they ought to think.
The term ‘unprofitable’ means that all their labor does not lead to profit. We need to look at our current work culture to understand this point. Everyone who works 40 hours per week is due ‘Overtime’ for any work over the 40 hours. If you are on ‘Salary’ then the 40 hour requirement does not hold sway.
So, as a Pastor or minister of the Lord and you happen to work 60 or 70 hours per week, you are not entitled to anything extra. You are only entitled to what your church pays you. Do you see my point?
So, anyone interested in apply to be a slave? For those of us who have chosen to give our all for our Holy Creator, that in itself is ‘Great Reward’.
