Duty or Servant



Luke 17:5-10
5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6And the Lord said, “If you have 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. 7Will 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’? 8Will 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’? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”



Jesus now addresses His Apostles. These words are meant for the 12 (and for us.) Just by making this request for an increase in their faith, His followers are displaying a small measure of growth. They see what their Master is doing and want more of whatever is going on for themselves. They are probably still very much in the dark as to Jesus' final destination, but they are seeing His ministry of healing, forgiveness, and victory over darkness. Of course they want to have more of this in their own lives – I do!



Jesus returns to the parable of the mustard seed. It is a great illustration when it comes to the faith and it is something they would all be able to relate to easily.



Jesus used the picture of the mustard seed to show both the hiddenness of the kingdom (represented in the small size of the mustard seed) and the fullness of the kingdom that comes when that seed grows into a tree. The hiddenness of the kingdom in their preaching, healing, and forgiving may make them feel as if they do not have enough faith, but like a mustard seed, the smallness of their faith in Christ conceals Christ’s great power and through them Christ will produce great wonders for the kingdom.

Just, A. A., Jr. (1997). Luke 9:51–24:53 (p. 645). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.



How often do we feel like our faith is not worth much and doesn’t seem to accomplish things for God’s Kingdom? I frankly feel that way all the time. But with those attitudes I am showing the backwardness of my own thinking. Those kinds of thoughts begin with me – I am the center of attention and thus I begin with a wrong premise, leading me to wrong conclusions. Jesus is the center and His power alone is what is at work here. When seen in proper order, we realize that we are indeed the servants of those around us because of Jesus Christ in our lives. When I serve others I am merely doing what I’m supposed to be doing. There are no accolades for moving forward in my assigned tasks. When others are served, Jesus gets the glory. That’s the proper order of things. Now, with Jesus as the start point for my tasks, that tiny seed of faith can grow into something great for the Kingdom.



Jesus Christ also saw Himself as the servant of us all, as amazing as that is to realize. He stayed focused on the task of winning our salvation through His death and resurrection, the greatest act of service to ever happen on our planet. Because of His redemptive work, I too can live in my purpose and serve as I have been called, bringing glory to Him and praise to the Father.

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