One of Jesus’ parables has bothered me for decades. It suggests God values status over freedom, which is inconsistent with how the rest of the Bible depicts Him. This parable reads, “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” Luke 17:7-10 (ESV).
Yes, the culture when Jesus told the parable was different from ours. However, we must also remember that the ‘incidental props’ or characters in a parable are not the message; they are only used to communicate the spiritual intent of the message. Could it be that this parable was about the intangible yet deplorable attitude of entitlement?
In our culture, the servant/slavery motif first grabs our attention because we are so repulsed by that ideology. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul made it clear He considered himself a “slave” of Jesus Christ. This should make us think twice before jumping to a conclusion.
What is deeply embedded in our culture that we overlook is an entitlement mindset. Could it be that we misinterpret what God plans or does by thinking all of it is done for ‘me’—something very self-centered, even egotistic. In reality, entitlement is repulsive and deplorable in God’s eyes. It is what destroyed King David. He thought as such a strong king, he was entitled to get whatever he wanted. This led to his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.
When we interpret Christ’s crucifixion as being just about us, it leads to us having an entitlement attitude towards all the rest God provides for us. Isn’t it noteworthy that Jesus said nothing specific in His prayer in the garden about our sins? He only references His Father’s will. Indeed, His death and resurrection paid for our sins, but could it be we were only beneficiaries of God’s much greater purpose of glorifying Himself? (note Ephesians 2:7,) It is when we think or feel ourselves to be the center of attention, our sin nature quickly adopts an entitlement attitude.
What is remarkable about Jesus’ parable is the absence of entitlement in the servants. They didn’t even hint at their rights or what they deserved. Is this the attitude that everyone in God’s kingdom increasingly takes on? Are all our endeavors undertaken exclusively to glorify our King, making His glory our foremost concern?
Have you experienced the sense of offense that someone else was elevated above you for a position of authority? Have you sensed that your ‘rights’ are being abused or ignored, and it put you in a funk? Or perhaps you’ve felt your acts of service went unnoticed. Are those feelings a subtle sign of entitlement instead of gratitude for just being a part of the accomplishment? Isn’t just being a lowly servant in God’s kingdom work privilege enough to bring you joy and fulfillment?
Yes and Amen. We are but servants to The Most High King of Kings! And blessed to be such!!!