Unworthy Servants Series

The answer to this question is yes.

And the third question is in verse 9, “Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?”

And the answer to this question is no.

In the ancient world, it was simply unthinkable for a slave to sit and eat with his master. Only family members and invited friends ate meals together. Slaves had to serve their masters, and only after their masters had completed their meals were slaves allowed to eat.

Many of you have watched the popular TV show Downton Abbey. It is a show set in the early twentieth century with the upper class eating and living upstairs, with the servants working and serving from downstairs. Can you imagine what Old Lady Grantham would say if one of the servants from downstairs decided to sit down and have dinner upstairs with her and the family one evening? Or, even more outrageously, can you imagine Old Lady Grantham serving dinner to the servant? That would be highly improper. It is just not done!

And the reason is simple: It is a servant’s job to serve. Masters do not serve their servants.

Now, perhaps some of you may have wondered about Jesus’ last question in verse 9, “Does the master thank the servant because he did what was commanded?” It may strike you as bad manners not to say “Thank you!” to the servant for his service. Jesus’ point, however, is not about manners or proper etiquette.

Jesus’ point is about a servant’s action regarding service. The required action of a dutiful servant is to serve his master day and night.

That brings us to our second point.

II. The Required Attitude of a Dutiful Servant (17:10)

And second, notice the required attitude of a dutiful servant.

The required attitude of a dutiful servant is to do his duty joyfully and with gratitude.

That is why Jesus said in verse 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.’ ”

What may be a little confusing is the adjective “unworthy” in “unworthy servants.” We may think that Jesus means that the servant has no worth or value. Obviously, the servant does have worth to the master, and so that is not the emphasis here. Another way to translate the Greek adjective for “unworthy” (achreios) is “unmeritorious” or “unprofitable.” When interpreted this way, Jesus is saying that a servant has no merit or profit of his own. In other words, a servant never gives his master a profitable return on his investment. He is simply doing what his master has commanded him to do.

Suppose you are gifted, skilled, and able to build a brand new car. You build a car that is able to travel 75 miles on each gallon of gasoline. If the car performs in such a way that it travels 75 miles per gallon, it would simply be performing as it is supposed to perform. That is how you designed the car.

Similarly, a servant is required to obey his master’s commands. When he obeys every single command of his master, he is simply performing as he is supposed to perform. There is nothing meritorious at all in doing what he is supposed to do.