Context No. 3768 of 4322 · Luke

Luke 17:6-10: in context

6The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table’? 8Wouldn’t he rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? 9Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. 10Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’”

Jesus teaches two lessons that at first seem unrelated but belong together. First, that even faith as small as a mustard seed can do what seems impossible, uprooting a tree at a word; it is not the size of our faith but the greatness of the God we trust that matters. Then he tells of a servant who comes in from a long day's plowing and is not thanked or waited on, but simply told to prepare his master's supper.

When the servant has done all that was commanded, he has only done his duty. The point guards against a subtle pride. When we have obeyed God, even at real cost, we have not put him in our debt or earned special credit; we have only done what was ours to do. So the servant is to say, we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. This is not to belittle our service but to keep it humble. We serve a God to whom we owe everything, and even our fullest obedience is simply what we owe, offered in gratitude, never as a claim on him.

When I have obeyed and served God, even at cost, do I keep the humble heart of a servant who has only done his duty, rather than imagining I have earned a claim on him?

Sources

Luke 17:6: "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, Be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you."
Luke 17:10: "When you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty."
Luke 17:7: "Who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, Come immediately and sit down at the table?"