The Importance of Maintaining a Servant Attitude
The modern world often operates on a transactional mindset: you do a job, you expect a reward; you help out, you expect a favor in return. Unfortunately, this “entitlement psychology” has seeped into the Christian life, leading many to believe that their spiritual duties automatically entitle them to blessings, recognition, or a life of constant enjoyment. Jesus’s challenging parable in Luke 17:7-10 confronts this attitude head-on, reminding us that the Christian life is fundamentally a life of selfless duty and humble servanthood.
The Parable of the Unworthy Servant
In this passage, Jesus paints a picture of a typical master-servant relationship. A slave works all day in the field, either plowing or tending sheep. When he finally comes in, the master doesn’t immediately say, “Go rest and eat.” On the contrary, he instructs the servant to prepare his meal, serve it, and only then eat his own meal. Jesus then asks the pointed question: Does the master thank the slave for simply doing what was commanded? The implicit answer is no.
Jesus applies this scenario directly to His disciples: “So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
The message is clear: the servant’s attitude is one that understands his duty and does not expect a reward for simply executing what is required of him.
Christian Duty and the Call to Forgiveness
The context of this parable is critical. Jesus tells it immediately after giving instructions about forgiveness (Luke 17:3-6). He commanded His followers to: “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
The apostles’ response was, “Increase our faith!” They knew that forgiving, especially repeat offenses, was difficult. It takes genuine faith. Jesus’s point is that forgiving a repentant brother—as difficult as it is—is not a heroic act deserving a medal; it is our Christian duty. When we successfully extend this grace, we are simply doing what we ought to have done as disciples of a forgiving Lord. At best, we are “unworthy servants.”
The temptation today is to look at going to church, serving in ministry, or caring for one another as activities that build up a merit badge for heaven. The servant attitude crushes this notion. It states: What I do for God is my baseline responsibility, not an option for which I am owed a reward.
The True Purpose: Pleasing God, Not Ourselves
Adopting a servant attitude is essential because it reminds us of the true purpose of this life. The life we have is not ultimately for our own enjoyment or self-actualization; it is to please God.
- We are created for God’s pleasure. The heavenly chorus declares in Revelation 4:11: “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Our very existence finds its purpose in God’s will and pleasure.
- We are God’s “workmanship.” Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10 that we are “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God saved us and made us new (Ephesians 2:4-9) not so we could boast or lounge in our salvation, but so that we could work for Him. God works in us so that we may work for Him.
The Path to Humility and Obedience
The servant attitude is fundamentally about humility, the most Christ-like of all virtues.
Jesus exemplified perfect servanthood. He declared, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Paul explains that Christ “emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant” (Philippians 2:7) and “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).
Humility brings us to the same place: the posture of a servant who seeks to obey God’s will, regardless of the cost or the recognition.
The Necessity of Waiting on God
Finally, the servant attitude teaches us to wait. Learning to wait is not passive idleness; it is active readiness. It means:
- Our priority is God’s will, not ours. As Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).
- We are ready to receive instruction. Like young Samuel who waited for the Lord’s voice, we learn to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”
- We are ready to act the moment the command is given. We wait to follow God’s lead, like Israel in the wilderness who only moved when the pillar of cloud or fire moved.
A true servant is not rushing forward to do what they think is best, but waiting on God to instruct and empower their actions.
Conclusion: Serving Without Expectation
Doing activities in the church does not automatically equate to having a servant attitude. Some serve because they like the activity; others do it out of human obligation. The Apostle Paul exemplified true servanthood when he preached the Gospel not for the right to be paid or for the sake of a reward, but because he was “under compulsion; for woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). He willingly relinquished his rights as an apostle so that no one could accuse him of serving for personal gain.
The call for every believer is to recapture the heart of a simple, unworthy servant. When we serve, help, forgive, and obey, let us do so not with the expectation of earthly reward or divine favor, but with the quiet acknowledgement: “We have done only that which we ought to have done.” This is the attitude that honors God and reflects the humility of our Savior.
What area of your life or service do you need to surrender to the simple, humble attitude of an “unworthy servant?”
