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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus:   "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be bed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'  Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

 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."  We note that these sayings, coming after the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, are directed to the disciples, and they are also warnings that have to do with humility and how that lends character to our relationships with others.  There is first here a dire warning -- as these will be the bishops and pillars of His Church -- about offenses that may come, particularly to the "little ones."  My study bible suggests that little ones refers primarily to children, but also by extension to anyone whose heart is humble and dependent upon God.    In other words, this warning applies to their care of all those who will be in their charge, and in particular the "least of these" in the Church, those with little power or stature, as well as children.  Most certainly that includes all those who are "poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3).  And powerfully, this leads to Jesus' teachings on forgiveness and repentance, also in this context, a powerful affirmation of the need for humility on the part of those who will be leaders of His flock.

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."  It puts things into perspective when we realize that these sayings of Christ still come in the context of His encounters with the Pharisees, to whom He also preached humility -- and who now criticize Him for the fact that tax collectors and sinners come to hear Him.  But now, His teachings on humility are directed to His disciples.  The Gospel tells us something really quite important here, hidden in the text:  the disciples as well have problems and struggle with this difficult notion of humility.  Immediately after the teaching on forgiveness and repentance, they ask him, "Increase our faith."  Jesus does so with a powerful affirmation of just what faith can do.  But in patristic tradition, the interpretation of this saying has a particular kind of meaning.  My study bible says that the mulberry tree is symbolic of the devil's works.  It is on the leaf of this tree that silkworms feed, and worms are an image of hell (Mark 9:42-48).  There are numerous scriptural images of evil being destroyed in the sea (8:33; Exodus 14:27; Matthew 21:21; Revelation 20:10).  In this context, then, we should understand that the demand, "Increase our faith," is given in the context of the faith that it will take to overcome their own selfish tendencies, to achieve the kind of humility and service asked of them.  Jesus is explaining that even faith as a mustard seed is strong enough to overthrow personal tendencies that hinder real discipleship for those who will be in positions of authority, and therefore facing temptations for abuse of power.

"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."  My study bible explains that the servant plowing is mentioned first and the one tending sheep second, illustrating in this symbolic way that one must first work out one's own salvation (Philip 2:12) before one can become a shepherd of others. 

"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.'"  My study bible explains the word unprofitable as literally meaning "without merit" in the Greek.  Other ways to understand this word are as if one would say "useless" or "good for nothing."   The word doesn't convey that the servants are without intrinsic value.  Instead, it focuses on the need for service and the attitude of those whose necessary value is based on the model of service.  The word translated as duty here really indicates service in payment of a debt, what is owed.  My study bible says that it means that all that we have comes from God and is owed back to God.  There is nothing that we can offer to God that does not already belong to God.    In effect, discipleship, to be appropriately effective, is entered into in the spirit of service.  These words to the disciples at this stage of His ministry say that this applies in particular to those who would be leaders of the Church.

What does it mean to be a good servant?  Why should one who has done all that it was commanded to do still call oneself an unprofitable servant?  Even if one has done one's duty, why does this still merit the understanding that one is unprofitable?  This is a far cry from the modern age in which merit is demanded to be recognized in each person, or awards given to schoolchildren regardless of standing or achievement.  Rather, Christ stresses an entirely different kind of struggle for one who wishes to serve Him in real discipleship, and in particular for those who will hold positions of power.  Not only is real service and the following of His commands expected, but it is to be met with an attitude of acceptance that understands there is always more to do.  Moreover, with an understanding that to do one's duty is a basis for all the rest of life, a kind of minimum standard or expectation.  I wonder how we who approach life so differently in a modern mindset can understand the one that Christ offers us for discipleship?  The real key here is how discipleship actually demands of us more than we think we are capable of doing.  It is a key to Christianity itself, which holds a promise for us:  that as human beings we are understood by our Creator to be capable of so much more than we expect from ourselves.  Heroism and service go hand in hand.  To go above and beyond the call is part and parcel of the definition of one who calls him or herself "an unprofitable servant" who has done simply what is one's duty to do.  This is an understanding of ourselves as dynamic and not static beings.  We are always on call to go beyond, to struggle more deeply, to increase our faith so as to meet new challenges.  It is the opposite of complacency.  At the same time, there is no shrinking back from looking clearly at the difficulties of this life of service and particularly of humility which Christ asks from His servants, the disciples.  There is no fudging the struggle against one's own tendencies for abuse of power.  And this is the brilliance of Christ as loving Creator and Master.  He knows full well our struggles and He knows what He asks of us.  But He insists that we are equipped to meet our temptations, even with faith as tiny as a mustard seed.  For faith is the key to our connection to Him, the sharing of His power, His capacities, His strengths, so that we may be the kind of servants He asks us to be.  The temptations to power are never glossed over in the Gospels.  Jesus rails at the Pharisees for their lack of humility and hard-heartedness, but He also warns His own disciples against the same.  (Indeed, there are several times when they display undesirable character traits for correction, especially when it comes to position and rank.)  He prepares all of us for a life in which we consider ourselves to be servants, whose meaning and value in life is the readiness to follow the commands of our Lord, to live our lives in service to Him as the basis for our sense of ourselves.  What a different and challenging way to assert meaning, to find purpose and strength, and most of all to give us a sense of who we are as beings created for things so much greater than we would ask of ourselves.  This is the key question here:  How does humility characterize our faith and give us the capacity for so much more than we think we're capable of?  In the ancient world of Christ's time, into which His faith and teachings would go, there were myriad competing faiths in the Roman world and the extent of its empire.  The one thing that truly distinguishes Christianity from all the rest is Jesus' championing of humility as virtue.  If we think of ourselves as servants, we will be surprised at how much this does for our true nature and our sense of ourselves.  Think of it, try it, and keep in mind the face of the One who loves and cherishes us, and thereby calls us to a home and true sense of self much greater than we can know.