Luke 17 begins with two hard sayings of Jesus. The first is a warning to heed. Verses 1-2 say, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.” 

The second hard saying is a command to obey. Verses 3-4 say, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Verse 5 records the disciples’ response: “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!” Luke calls the disciples “apostles” to emphasize that Jesus was talking to the foundational leaders of the church. Yet, when Jesus instructs them to avoid offensive behavior and to practice radical forgiveness, they replied, “Increase our faith!” This seems like a sincere response and request. Jesus saw their hearts beyond their words. In verse 6, Jesus says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” 

Jesus’ response shifts the conversation from the quantity to the quality of faith. They said, “We need more faith to obey.” Jesus said, “If the faith you have is real, obey.” The Lord’s response is a stern rebuke. Do not confuse maturity and obedience. Genuine faith practices obedience without excuses. 

Verses 7-10 drive home this point with a mini-parable about a master and servant. Most parables are told in story form. This parable raises three rhetorical questions and then draws a conclusion. It is a one-point parable that issues a high calling: It is our duty to do whatever Jesus tells us to do. 

When I was a young pastor, a member gave me a bumper sticker that sits on a shelf in my study to this day. It reads: “If it’s God’s will, I will.” 

Are you doing your duty? Let me show you four ways the text shows us what to do when duty calls. 

The Harsh Reality 

Verse 7 records the first of three rhetorical questions Jesus asks: “Will any 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?’” This opening question sets the stage for the rest of the text. It establishes the master’s authority and priority. 

The Master’s Authority. Jesus asks each disciple to imagine they were a master who had a servant. The servant is a bondservant. He is a slave. Modern translations avoid this terminology for obvious reasons. But the parable does not make sense if the roles are not clear. Jesus is not talking about an employer and his employee. He is talking about a master and his slave. 

The servant works alone. Jesus presents a scenario of a master who has one servant who works alone. He is solely responsible for the master’s field, flock, and food. This picture stresses our individual responsibility to Christ. We often fail to do our duty because we are busy comparing, criticizing, and criticizing others. Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.” 

The servant works all day. This is no 9-to-5 job. The servant works around the clock. 

• He works in the field all day. 
• He works in the house at night.

The servant cannot coast through his work. His servant for the master is all-consuming. This is what it means to serve the Lord. There is no such thing as a part-time Christian. Our duty to him is a twenty-four/seven commit. Your Sunday morning devotion to Jesus is counterfeit if you are not devoted to him the rest of the week. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 

The Master’s Priority. Verse 7 asks, “Will any 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?’” The rhetorical question assumes a negative answer. When the servant comes in from plowing the field and tending the flock, the master does not tell him to kick off his shoes, take a load off, and grab a bite to eat. No master would prioritize his servant’s hunger over his own.

Don’t push the parabolic language too far. The Lord does not get hungry. He does not need you to feed him. Psalm 50:12 says, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” Yet our text exposes a spiritual conflict of interest. The Lord will meet the needs of those who serve him. But your unmet needs are not the Lord’s ultimate priority! Psalm 100:1-2 says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” 

The Chief Concern 

• The rhetorical question in verse 7 assumes a negative answer. 
• The rhetorical question in verse 8 assumes a positive answer. 

Jesus asks, “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’?” In this verse, the master and servant both eat and drink. The chief concern is seen in who eats when.             

The Master Eats First.  Verse 7 tells us that no master would invite his servant to sit and eat when he comes in from working in the field. Verse 8 tells us what the master would do. He instructs his tired and hungry servant to feed him.

• The servant is a cook: “Prepare supper for me.” 
• The servant is a host: “Dress properly.” 
• The servant is a waiter: “Serve me while I eat and drink.” 

The master does not prioritize the servant’s hunger. No matter how famished he may be, the servant must cook and clean for the master. He is in no position to think or talk about his needs until the master is satisfied. This is what it means to do your duty for Jesus. The Master eats first. Christianity is about God and his glory, not man and his needs.

Of course, our heavenly Father meets our needs. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” He first teaches us to pray, “Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.” Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The Master eats first.

The Servant Still Eats. Jesus asks, “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’?” The master eats first. Yet the servant still eats. In John 6, the lad who gave Jesus his lunch of five loaves and two fish did not have to go home hungry. Jesus took it, fed the multitude, and collected twelve baskets of leftovers. This is the Lord’s assurance to all who trust and obey him. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” The master eats first. But the servant still eats. Don’t try to eat before the master eats. 

Matthew 20:1-16 tells of a landowner who negotiates with workers early in the morning to work in his field. Throughout the day, he kept going to the marketplace to hire workers. He even picked some guys up an hour before quitting. At the end of the day, paid the early birds and late comers the same. The point is blunt: Do not negotiate with Jesus. Just answer his call to serve and trust he will treat you right at the end of the day. Matthew 20:16 says it this way: “So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The Thankless Tasks 

• Verses 7-8 address the servant’s responsibilities. 
• Verses 9-10 address the servant’s rewards. 

The shift of focus begins with one more rhetorical question. Verse 9 asks, “Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?” Like verse 7, this rhetorical question assumes a negative answer. Jesus does not paint the master as ungrateful. He describes the way things are between a master and servant. No master would thank his servant for doing what he commanded him to do. The servant’s acts of obedience were thankless tasks that teach two critical lessons about Christian service. 

The servant is obligated to obey. In school, there are required classes and elective classes. Required classes teach the core curriculum that is mandatory for the degree to be earned. Elective classes are student-selected courses to explore interests, gain skills, or pursue work. 

How many Christians confuse requirements and electives? We know that salvation is mandatory. We think service is optional. Service is essential to discipleship. A disciple follows Jesus to learn from Jesus to become like Jesus. What does it mean to be like Jesus? Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

• To follow Jesus, we must serve. 
• To be like Jesus, we must serve. 
• To obey Jesus, we must serve. 

That’s the point of the hard sayings that begin this chapter. Discipleship is not about you and Jesus. We are called into community as followers of Christ. We must avoid saying or doing what would cause others to fall into sin. We must forgive our brother seven times a day when wronged. As we look for loopholes, Jesus reminds us that the servant is obligated to obey. What does it mean to be obligated to obey? 

• There should be no one you are not willing to help for Jesus.  
• There should be no task you are not willing to do for Jesus. 
• There should be no place you are not willing to go for Jesus. 

The master is not obligated to reward. A theater group produces a play. The story is formulated. The script is written. The cast is chosen. The lines are rehearsed. The stage is set. You would think the show would be a smashing success. But it bombs on its opening night. As the show proceeds, an actor takes his place on stage only to announce that he does not want to perform his role. In a greater, deeper, and higher way, the work of the church often fails to succeed as designed because too many actors want to be the director and change their roles. The text exhorts, “Know your role!” 

Verse 9 asks, “Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?” This is the heart of the parable. The question in verse 9 directly corresponds to the request in verse 5. The apostles said, “Increase our faith!” As only he can, Jesus saw in this request a sense of entitlement. He rebukes that wrong attitude by clarifying the role between master and servant. The master does not thank the servant when he has done what was commanded. Romans 11:35 says, “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

• The servant is always a debtor of service. 
• The master is never a debtor of reward. 

The Great Confession 

 Verse 10 shifts the perspective of the parable. 

• Verses 7-9 speak from the perspective of the master. 
• Verse 10 speaks from the perspective of the servant. 

Jesus set the disciples up. He gets to pretend to be a master who has a servant. Without any suspicions, they agree with assumptions about how they would act if they were in charge. Then he flips the switch on them. Verse 10 concludes, “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.’” This is the Christian servant’s great confession. 

When We Should Confess. Verse 10 says, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded.” The word “commanded” links verses 9 and 10. Verse 9 says the master does not thank his servant for doing what was commanded. Verse 10 places the disciples in the role of the servant to tell them how they should respond when they have done all they were commanded.

The servant was commanded to plow the field, tend the sheep, and cook the meal. At some point, his duties were complete. He did what was commanded. That is not our testimony. We have a sin problem that causes us to fall short of the glory of God. “When you have done all that you were commanded” is a timeline, deadline, or finish line that we will never reach. It sinks us all. None of us has done all that God has commanded us. We don’t live up to our own standards, much less God’s righteous standards. 

• We think our service earns us some reward with God. 
• In reality, our service puts us further in debt with God. 

Romans 4:4-5 says, “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”

A man died and appeared before the pearly gates. St. Peter told him that he needed 1,000 points to enter heaven. The man was convinced his good works would surpass that total. He told Peter about his moral behavior, ethical conduct, and good works. Peter gave him one point. He told Peter how he was a faithful husband, loving father, and excellent employee. Peter gave him another point. He told Peter about his church membership, ministry participation, and generous giving. Peter added another point. Falling to his knees, the man cried out, “But for the grace of God, no one can get into heaven.” “Congratulations!” St. Peter replied, “You have just received 1,000 points.” 

What We Should Confess. Verse 10 says, “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.’” “Unworthy” does not mean we are worthless. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”We are not worthless. We are unworthy. Unworthy servants are unprofitable servants. No one owes us anything. 

Why? Verse 10 says, “We have only done what was our duty.” F.B. Meyer said, “The profit does not begin until the servant goes beyond his obligation.” The Lord does not owe us anything. But here’s the good news. The Lord is a benevolent Master who loves to bless his servants with rewards that we do not deserve. Even though we have not obeyed all that he has commanded, we have a good Master. 

Luke 12:37 says, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.” If you serve Jesus now, he’ll serve you later. 

About 2 AM, September 8, 1860, the steamship Lady Elgin collided with the sailboat Augusta in Lake Michigan. Lady Elgin carried more than 300 passengers and crew on a sightseeing tour from Milwaukee to Chicago. Not knowing the damage, the captain continued to Milwaukee. About a half-hour later, the ship’s hull broke, and it began to sink. Most of the passengers and crew died in the water. When Edward W. Spencer, a student at Northwestern University, heard about the incident, he sprang into action. Being an expert swimmer, he rescued 17 people from the chilly waters until he passed out. When he woke up, his first words to his brother were, “Will, did I do my full duty – did I do my best? Are you doing your duty?