A Thought for the Brain

Probe deeper.

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”-Luke17:7-10

If I was there and Jesus asked, "Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?" I would say automatically, "Yes, Lord. I would ask my servant to eat and drink with me." But upon probing deeper, I realized I wouldn't say it. It's not because I am particular with class distinction, rather, I am exposed to the norm that masters/mistresses should not be together during meals if it can be helped. I say this because there are certain things that the family cannot discuss in front of servants, and servants have certain things that cannot be shared as well with the masters/mistresses. Don't get me wrong. Let's face it. There are matters we cannot do or say in front of our bosses. There are matters we cannot do or say in front of our subordinates.

Jesus, though seemingly harsh, is right when He said that after doing everything, we should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." God cannot be bribed by our good works, accomplishments and awards. God cannot be bought by our money or acts. The blessings that we have are not because we are so good, brilliant and talented that whatever we touch turns to gold. We cannot say, "I did it, Lord. I finished the job. Now You should give this to me." No. What we have and the blessings that we receive every day comes from His bounty. We should remember that whether we do much or less, God still blesses us with gifts and graces because He loves us so much. We should humble ourselves as we remember that whatever we do - small and great alike - comes from Him, through Him, and from Him shall its result come forth.

Image courtesy: Colourbox, artist