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"

 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." 

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  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. 

"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'?  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'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  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."

- Luke 17:1-10

On Saturday, we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

  Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."  The lectionary takes us to chapter 17.  Here, little ones refers primarily to children, says my study bible, and by extension to anyone whose heart is humble and dependent upon God.   Jesus is speaking about the humble who will follow Him, and be in the charge of the apostles as leaders of the Church.  He is reminding them again of their own necessary humility, and what kind of shepherds they must be.

"Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  Seven is a number that represents fullness.  Jesus uses it as an illustration of unlimited forgiveness. We note that He includes the recognition of the sin, and what we understand to be a sincere statement, "I repent."  He is giving a recipe for humble conduct in the Church, even on the part of those who will be its leadership -- it is a recipe for peace and right-relatedness with fellow-members, whom we call brother or sister. The word here for forgive is the same as we pray in the Our Father prayer (Matthew 6:12); it means to "let go."

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  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."  My study bible says that the mulberry tree is symbolic of the devil's works.  Silkworms feed on the leaves of the mulberry tree, worms being an image of hell (Mark 9:42-48).  This is a patristic interpretation of this passage, which is confirmed by the many scriptural images of evil which is destroyed in the sea (8:33, Exodus 14:27, Matthew 21:21, Revelation 20:10).  This is an image of spiritual power over the works of the evil one.

"And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep . . ."   The servant plowing is mentioned first, and the one tending sheep second.  My study bible suggests that Christ shows one must first work out his or her own salvation (Philip 2:12) before one can become a shepherd to others.

". . . will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  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'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  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."  To be an unprofitable servant (the word for unprofitable literally meaning "without merit") does not mean that the servant lacks intrinsic value.  What it means is that all that we have comes from God and is therefore owed back to Him.  Nothing that we can offer God is not already God's.  It is an important facet in the recognition of our true reality.

"Unprofitable" is a word that we have to think about.  First of all, we note that the apostles to whom Jesus speaks are characterized here by Him as servants.  It gives us a sense of where they are and who they are.  They are in the positions as future leadership of the Church as servants.  They have a Master to serve.  Not only that, but at the Last Supper, He will Himself bathe their feet, giving them an idea of just what kind of servanthood characterizes His Church, where the Master Himself is a servant of all.  Service, then, becomes a byword of the Church, an image of what it is to be a leader but also a follower of  Christ, all who are His disciples.  But we have to keep in mind whom it is we serve, and what it is we serve.  We don't serve just any agenda someone else desires us to serve.  That's not being a truly "profitable" servant.  We seek to fulfill the commands of God who is love, of Christ, to do the Father's will in the world.  Too often we seem to substitute a kind of sentimental notion of service for that which is truly called upon within us.  Our loyalty is above all to God whose love is so much greater than ours, wiser than ours -- and we are called to grow in that service.  Thereby do we serve others as ourselves (see Jesus' two great commandments, and note which is first).  To be a truly profitable servant, then, requires many qualities or characteristics of discipleship:  discernment, humility, endurance, persistence, patience, and so much more.  We remember the words of St. Paul, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal."  Read all of the passage at 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, and it will tell you all about what it is to be a truly profitable servant, who seeks to grow in likeness to our Master.  The word for "unprofitable" in Greek might translate as used in modern language to something like "useless."  That is, one who really is of little value or necessity to others (as my study bible says, not intrinsically but in terms of what one does).  Do we produce good?  Do we want to be a light in the world somehow, that helps the light shine in the darkness?  For this, we learn what it is to be a good servant, and always know and grow in awareness of God whom we serve.  We are called to grow in that likeness, and every part of our lives from the deepest heart to all that we do becomes a part of that call.