Unprofitable servants
Published Nov 8, 2022 12:05 am
REFLECTIONS TODAY
Jesus pointedly tells his disciples that in relation to God, they are servants and they do not deserve thanks from him after they have done their work. Nor should they expect special treatment after they have fulfilled their grueling work for the entire day.
This teaching sounds disturbing, as though portraying God as a cruel taskmaster. Here, Jesus goes against the beliefs of the pagans who thought that they could placate their gods and goddesses by offering gifts and, at times, even sacrificing human lives. Even the religious leaders in his time, like the Pharisees, had fostered a merit-based type of faith. They added regulations to the Ten Commandments and gave lengthy and complicated interpretations to the Law. They believed that the stricter they adhered to the Law, the greater their merits.
As we are servants, Jesus is telling us that we actually have a choice. We either obey Jesus like slaves, or we can follow him as his beloved friends. Jesus calls us his friends, not slaves (Jn 15:15). We can spend a lifetime complying with God’s commandments, but it is really tragic if we still consider ourselves mere slaves rather than friends of Jesus. We ought to grow in our personal friendship with the Lord, realizing that even such friendship is a gift from him.
Gospel • Luke 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all, you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
Jesus pointedly tells his disciples that in relation to God, they are servants and they do not deserve thanks from him after they have done their work. Nor should they expect special treatment after they have fulfilled their grueling work for the entire day.
This teaching sounds disturbing, as though portraying God as a cruel taskmaster. Here, Jesus goes against the beliefs of the pagans who thought that they could placate their gods and goddesses by offering gifts and, at times, even sacrificing human lives. Even the religious leaders in his time, like the Pharisees, had fostered a merit-based type of faith. They added regulations to the Ten Commandments and gave lengthy and complicated interpretations to the Law. They believed that the stricter they adhered to the Law, the greater their merits.
As we are servants, Jesus is telling us that we actually have a choice. We either obey Jesus like slaves, or we can follow him as his beloved friends. Jesus calls us his friends, not slaves (Jn 15:15). We can spend a lifetime complying with God’s commandments, but it is really tragic if we still consider ourselves mere slaves rather than friends of Jesus. We ought to grow in our personal friendship with the Lord, realizing that even such friendship is a gift from him.
Gospel • Luke 17:7-10
Jesus said to the Apostles: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all, you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2022,” St. Pauls, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.