Luke 17:5-10 (New King James Version)
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? 8 But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.' 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"
The apostles came to Jesus with a request to increase their faith. It is probably a faith to trust God so that they were able to do greater miracles or bring forth healing. However, Jesus gave an interesting reply of how a mustard seed size of faith is all that is required to the extent of commanding a tree to remove itself and it would be done. It seems almost magical. However, there seems to be a change of topic and Jesus began to focus on the duty of a servant. Is that a connection between faith and duty? And why did Jesus change the focus to the rightful duty of servants.
Jesus being around the disciples knew the them inside out and the bible recorded that the disicples were highly competitive in nature. It was recorded that they were in constant debate of who is the greatest to the extend of making requests to seat on the right and left hand of Jesus when He rules in His kingdom. It could be that Jesus must have felt that while the request was valid, the motive behind that request was not. It was rooted in competiveness, pride and insecurity.
Jesus addressed the issue by directing their focus on being a servant, a theme and guiding principle which how He lived His life. He was reminding the disiciples that the authority came from the Master to do the will of the Master and it was not meant to be trophies and medals which they use to boast of their achievements.
Thus the duty of the disciples and us likewise is to understand the gifts, position, status, financies, power, influence that God has bestowed upon us to do His will which is to bring restoration of all things by to God through Jesus Christ. They are not meant for coercing the weak or decorated like medals to prove our value being greater than others.
We lived in a world where much intimidation and bullying occurs through flaunting of affluence, political power, social status, violence, coercion, social pressure, economic pressure for personal gain. Jesus came as our example by assuming the position of a lowly servant by serving man thus declaing that the kingdom of God has a whole different set of ethics.
When we decide to serve, it means that we are secure enough to do the lowly things and that our self-worth lies not in the clothes we wear, the position we hold, the money we have, the size of our church membership nor the apprasial of man. our self-worth is based on the cross which He beared and died on to set us free that we may truly live.
Amen.
5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."6 So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? 8 But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.' 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'"
The apostles came to Jesus with a request to increase their faith. It is probably a faith to trust God so that they were able to do greater miracles or bring forth healing. However, Jesus gave an interesting reply of how a mustard seed size of faith is all that is required to the extent of commanding a tree to remove itself and it would be done. It seems almost magical. However, there seems to be a change of topic and Jesus began to focus on the duty of a servant. Is that a connection between faith and duty? And why did Jesus change the focus to the rightful duty of servants.
Jesus being around the disciples knew the them inside out and the bible recorded that the disicples were highly competitive in nature. It was recorded that they were in constant debate of who is the greatest to the extend of making requests to seat on the right and left hand of Jesus when He rules in His kingdom. It could be that Jesus must have felt that while the request was valid, the motive behind that request was not. It was rooted in competiveness, pride and insecurity.
Jesus addressed the issue by directing their focus on being a servant, a theme and guiding principle which how He lived His life. He was reminding the disiciples that the authority came from the Master to do the will of the Master and it was not meant to be trophies and medals which they use to boast of their achievements.
Thus the duty of the disciples and us likewise is to understand the gifts, position, status, financies, power, influence that God has bestowed upon us to do His will which is to bring restoration of all things by to God through Jesus Christ. They are not meant for coercing the weak or decorated like medals to prove our value being greater than others.
We lived in a world where much intimidation and bullying occurs through flaunting of affluence, political power, social status, violence, coercion, social pressure, economic pressure for personal gain. Jesus came as our example by assuming the position of a lowly servant by serving man thus declaing that the kingdom of God has a whole different set of ethics.
When we decide to serve, it means that we are secure enough to do the lowly things and that our self-worth lies not in the clothes we wear, the position we hold, the money we have, the size of our church membership nor the apprasial of man. our self-worth is based on the cross which He beared and died on to set us free that we may truly live.
Amen.
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