Unworthy Servant?

Luke 17:7-10

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

This isn't a heartwarming promise of gratitude. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Jesus, talking to his disciples, has some lessons to heed.  

The story is that of a servant, and by servant I mean someone bound to another. Metaphorically this is someone who has given himself up wholly to another's will. The servant does something ordered or prescribed and basically Jesus says not to expect that these actions suddenly change the nature of the relationship. The teachable point is to us, Jesus actually says, "So you"... that means me and you, we should say to ourselves "we are unworthy". 

The Greek for the word unworthy is achreios which also means unprofitable, useless and unneeded. Another humility reminder. We live in a society that tells us we are special so often, that I think at times this is our approach to God. It's a hard to remember that actually, we are not needed. There's a great quote by CS Lewis that speaks to this, "He who needs nothing, chose to need us, because we need to be needed".  

The next truth in this passage reminds us of our relationship to God. 1 Corinthians 7:22 says it well, "..likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant".  When we turn over our lives to Christ, we are essentially becoming bound, a bond-servant, to him. As such, this passage reminds us there are things expected for us to do.  These expectations aren't done to earn affection, or improve status, but are merely our duty. 

Here comes the great paradox of Christ. Though we are meant to be slaves unto him, shifting our will to his will, astonishingly he molds that bond into that of adoption. Galatians 4:7 specifically says, "So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

Paradoxes are confusing! I think the message from Christ is this: We are unneeded slaves who should do good things not to earn his love or improve our status. Reading the Bible, going to church, serving our neighbors, this is expected. If we do those things to get a seat at his table we are missing the point.  The secret is, though unworthy bond-servants, we are already at his table, adopted as heirs, welcome to his riches because of love and not from doing our duties.

Time to check my actions. Why do I do what I do? Am I expecting thanks? Am I expecting blessings? Do I think this will move me closer to God? And can I really identify with being unworthy? Until I recognize I am not needed, I won't grasp how profound it is that God has actually chosen to need me. 

Heaped or Stricken?

Luke 6:37-38

New International Version (NIV)

Judging Others

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

When Jesus spoke these words, he said the message plainly as above, but also went on in parable form. There is no excuse then, written or in story form for hearing this message. 

The way this is spoken is in an affirming way, meaning he is not saying "You are going to be judged" but instead tells us positive things to do for our own well being. First, the 4 things he is talking about:

     1) Judgment - this is an act that requires reason. The Hebrew definition is "to separate, pick out, select, choose" It implies thought, examination, a weighing of two or more things. We obviously can't go through life with out selecting things. But we can go through life not selecting out individuals or people as "deserving" and "not deserving". 

     2) Condemnation - throwing out reason, condemnation deals with emotions. The definition being a public expression of disapproval. Condemnation is often the outcome of our judgment. Clearly, we need to let our emotional reactions and public disapproval go. 

     3) Forgiveness - literally in Hebrew "to set free, release". For me as I meditated on the idea of forgiveness I was reminded that I need to release people of my impractical expectations. Forgiveness comes when I set others free of that standard of perfectionism. 

     4) Giving - pretty straightforward. Our generosity determines what we get in return. The next verse really jumps into this specifically:

A little background first. In the time of these words were spoken, there was a system in the temples in which people brought offerings. Often these were measured out, some meant for God, some given to the priests. In the Talmud it indicates that some of the measuring jars were purposefully heaped up and others leveled off, depending on who was getting the offering. The other thing to know is the phrase "poured into your lap" - the original really indicates people giving a material gift to someone (they would carry gifts in their long robes/cloaks close to their chests). 

Taken together then, we see Jesus warns us, there are 3 ways to give things - pressed down and leveled off (the precise amount), shaken up (loose, so that less is actually given) and running over (more than required).  Our motives catch up with our giving, and he's pretty clear that we will get from others in the same way we give. 

I'd like to think we should apply this second concept of motives to the whole passage. Am I forgiving with an overflowing heart, or just doing what's required? Is my lack of condemnation just fluffed up to look like it's the right thing, yet in my heart it's otherwise? Am I living my life in a shaken up, stricken/packed down, or heaped and overflowing way?