Friday, October 16, 2009
Sitting At The Table...
Howdy y'all! I should just say hi to Everett; pretty sure he's the only sucker that reads this thing. But if this does meet your eyes, you should go read Luke 17:7-10. Seriously, go do that now, then come back....... done? Now, you're most likely feeling a little uneasy. This passage doesn't portray Jesus as the big softie we've made Him out to be, does it? In fact, Jesus seems a little callous, a little cold, a little unloving. What He essentially tells His disciples is that if they perfectly execute on every command given to them, then they should still have no expectancy of special reward or thanks for their actions, but should have an attitude of humility. Why? Because they have only done what they were asked to do. In his book Holiness By Grace, Bryan Chapell uses the analogy of a good waiter to make Jesus' illustration understandable to the modern reader. If you had a superb, flawless waiter who was attentive to every need and served cheerfully with a seemingly effortless poise, as good as that waiter may be, would you not still be a little vexed if he sat down and asked you to pass the rolls and butter? And why is that? Because as perfect as said waiter may be, he is always just that; a waiter. He is not a member of the dinner party, and would be overstepping his bounds expecting to be treated as such. Jesus says the same of His disciples, no matter how well they execute on His commands, they are still servants, and He is still God. They cannot change that relationship, no matter how righteous their deeds. And it's not like the commands that Jesus lays out for His disciples are even easily attainable. Check out the preceding verses. Jesus essentially teaches them to not tempt others to sin, to watch (not allow) the sin in their own life, rebuke others for their sin, and endlessly forgive the repentant sinner. And it would help to have the kind of faith that uproots trees with a word. This is no easy checklist (may I posit impossible?), and yet adherence to it will not seat them at Jesus' table. Now here's where the love comes in. Since you have your Bible by you, read Matthew 7:11, and John 1:12, and Hebrews 2:11-13, and especially Galatians 4:4-7. Are you getting the picture? For us who love Jesus, who put our faith and trust in Him, we are fallen servants sitting at the table of the King. In fact, one of the last scenes of the Bible is that of the marriage supper of the Lamb (Jesus) and His Bride (the church), in which the reigning King Jesus is perfectly united with His people. We are invited to this not because we have perfectly fulfilled the tasks given to us, in fact we don't even come close, and even if we were perfect, we are still servants. But we sit at the table because Jesus chooses to love the ill-deserving; it is a free gift to those who could never earn it. He makes slaves family. That's grace.
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Hi Aaron! I did read it... I can't vouch for anyone else.
ReplyDeleteHello, (by the way Everett, keep doing the link on Facebook thing, reason why I read this)
ReplyDeleteThe first time I read this passage--at least while willing to struggle with it instead of passing by it in fear or dejection--I did feel pretty uneasy. However, I think the uneasiness came from a misunderstanding of what "thanks" are. Thanks COULD be something you give to someone for a job they do beyond their expectations. This would not apply to the 'waiter' analogy because in our cultural context we thank waiters. Interestingly, some other cultures do not (e.g., China). They figure that the waiter is doing their job; therefore no thanks are needed. One thing I feel is important to keep in mind is that being thankful is not synonymous with being pleased (though one must be pleased to give thanks). I think Jesus is not intending to say that the master is not pleased by the work the servants do. With this thinking, this could possibly be a discouraging passage--thinking that our Father is never pleased with our works. That said, it is an absolute miracle that we should do anything to please him--"even our tears of repentance need to be soaked in the blood of the lamb," "God, [..] when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ [..] by grace" (unknown; Eph 2:4-5)--and any work we do that pleases him is a prompting and work of his Spirit anyway. But we can rejoice and be glad that we can, by his grace, do works that are pleasing to our Father. We just should not expect any praise, gift, or reward for doing something servants by definition are expected to do.
Good points Greg, I agree in that I think this is more about the attitude that is appropriate before God because of the nature of the relationship between God and man, rather than whether or not He takes pleasure in our actions. And I just was moved by the fact that a passage like this clearly states how far below Him we are, not even by sin but on the basis of being created by Him, and yet He makes us part of His family.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember one time Dad expressing thankfulness for the miracle that any offering he brings to God may be one that is accepted by him.
ReplyDeleteI do want to say I was just pointing out a potential reason why this passage may be interpreted in a discouraging way. Another reason is probably that we are just down right prideful and too often feel the need for praise, praise that we do not deserve. I do however agree with you that this passage, and other passages like it, purpose to produce a godly humility in our serving the Lord, one that has no lack of joy because of the grace we have that we should even be called a servant.
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