Verse by Verse with the Word
Luke 17:7–10: Detailed Explanation.
Welcome to our newly introduced verse by verse with the word. Let us break down the gospel of today Luke 17:7–10 — “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty” —
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Flash Summary
In this passage, Jesus uses a short parable about a servant and his master to teach a lesson on humility, service, and the right attitude in discipleship.
“Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, ‘Come and have your meal immediately’?”….. Verse 7
Background: In the time of Jesus, servants (or slaves) had a clear duty to serve their master before themselves.
Meaning: It means that the master wouldn’t immediately invite the servant to eat; instead, the servant was expected to complete all tasks first.
Lesson: Here, Jesus is introducing an image that His audience would understand well. The image is that a servant does not expect privileges simply for doing what is required.
The point: In serving God, we should not expect rewards or praise simply for doing what is our duty as His followers. It is our duty to serve Him.
“Would he not be more likely to say, ‘Get my supper laid; make yourself tidy and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink yourself afterwards’?”… Verse 8
Background. This reveals the order of duty at that time. The servant first ensures that the master is cared for. The servant prepares the meal, serves it, waits on him then attends to his own needs.
Meaning: This symbolically means that the servant’s first concern is the master’s satisfaction, not his own comfort.
Lesson: This indicates that as disciples, we are called to put God’s will first. We are called to serve Him faithfully before thinking of our own comfort or recognition.
This indicates that true discipleship means selfless service that is motivated by love and obedience, not by a desire for reward.
“Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told?”…. Verse 9
Background: In that culture, a master wasn’t obliged to thank a servant for simply fulfilling his duty.
Meaning: Jesus is not endorsing ingratitude but is emphasizing that obedience to God is our rightful duty. It is not something that puts God in our debt.
Lesson: We do not earn God’s favour by doing what we are supposed to do. God’s favour is not by merit. It is a privilege. Grace is a gift, not a payment for our service.
Serving God is a privilege, not a transaction.
“So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.’”…. Verse 10
Meaning: When Jesus says “So with you”: Jesus now applies the parable directly to His disciples.
By saying “Merely servants”: Jesus wants us to understand how lowly we should be before God. This is a call to humility. We have to recognize that we are God’s servants, not His equals.
By saying “No more than our duty”: This is saying that Whatever good we do, either through prayer, charity, obedience, generosity etc, it is not something extraordinary but the natural duty of those who belong to God. This means that it is our responsibility to do so. Therefore we have to avoid pride in our good works or faithfulness.Even when we have done great things, we still depend entirely on God’s mercy and grace.
This is saying our attitude to God and to others should be one of humble service, not self-importance or entitlement. We should not feel so entitled to God’s grace.
Conclusion:
1.We must apply humility in our service. We must serve God with humility, recognizing that all we have and do comes from Him. It is our rightful duty to do the will of God. We do not do them because we are expecting something to return. Prayer, charity, justice and mercy are what we ought to do.
2.We must stop feeling so entitled of God’s grace, because we are doing one prayer or the other, God attends to us through His merciful and compassionate heart. God’s grace is unmerited. He gives to us freely. There should be no entitlement to His reward. Salvation is a gift from God, it is not God paying us because He is owing us. God is not owing anybody a wage.
3.This eventually means that every service we render to God is our responsibility as His disciple. So, following Christ means serving with love without seeking recognition or repayment
4.Therefore, when serving others, don’t seek thanks or admiration, serve because it is right. In prayer or ministry, remind yourself: “Lord, I serve You because You are worthy, not because I want reward.” When tempted to pride, remember that our best efforts are small compared to God’s mercy. Always Cultivate gratitude, not entitlement: even the ability to serve is itself a grace from God.