“Greatness is not found in possessions, power, positions, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character.”
— William Arthur Ward
Today, Jesus offers us the parable of the unworthy (or unprofitable) servant, in which He teaches His disciples about humility, duty, and the proper mindset for serving God. He discourages or rejects spiritual entitlement. He says: “When we have done everything commanded of us, we must confess: ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what our duty was.’”
Jesus illustrates the fact that our relationship with God is such that we don’t have a claim on God or special favors through obedience; rather, serving God is a privilege and an obligation. Obedience and service to God are expected duties rather than achievements that earn special rewards or entitlement.
Faith Without Expectation
When the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, He responded that genuine faith requires humble, wholehearted obedience without demanding spiritual credit or thinking God owes them a favor.
Where I come from, we are not familiar with giving tips, since most of the time, we carry just about enough to take care of what we might need to do. I arrived in Dacca, Bangladesh, for the first time, and this gentleman in a uniform that indicated he was an employee in the luggage department at the airport voluntarily offered to carry my suitcases to the bus outside. When we reached the bus, I thanked him and even shook hands with him. As I was walking away, he asked where his payment was. I got a little confused. Thank God, the brother who had come to pick me up gave him something, since I had no change on me, only a Visa card. My verbal appreciation did not matter; he felt entitled to cash payment.
Serving God Through Selfless Love
Jesus uses this parable of the dutiful servant to explain that we can never put God in our debt or make the claim that God owes us something. We must regard ourselves as God's servants. We are called to serve God through our lives. We serve God through our worship and our efforts to walk in the way of His Son and to love one another as Jesus has loved us. We try to be faithful to this calling as best we can, day in and day out.
Our efforts to be faithful do not place God under any obligation to us. At the end of the day, we have no claim on God, even after we have done all God asks of us. What makes our service pleasing to God is the love we express in the gift of self-giving. True love is sacrificial, generous, and selfless. We must guard against spiritual pride or self-righteousness. Serving God in humility is our duty, and all blessings flow from His grace rather than a transactional debt owed by God to us.
Let us pray that the Lord may fill our hearts with love, gratitude, and generosity, and help us remain faithful and zealous, humble servants for Him.
