What is the Biblical perspective on self? How did Jesus instruct His disciples as to how they should view themselves? With the extreme emphasis on self-esteem and self-love in the church, it is surprising that Jesus taught us to confess that we are slaves, unworthy, and undeserving of special thanks.
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Unworthy Slaves
Luke 17:7-10
The Navigators have long been known for their emphasis on having a servant’s attitude. Once, a businessman asked Lorne Sanny, the President of the Navigators, how a person could know if he had a servant’s heart. Lorne replied, “By how you act when you are treated like one.” When you are treated like a servant, are you offended? Or, do you reason that you have just been treated better than you should, because you are not just a servant, but an unworthy servant?
In fact, Robert Schuller, in his book, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, made this statement, “Sin is any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem.” Is that true? Is sin robbing yourself or someone else of your self-esteem? That seems an odd statement when Jesus said we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Paul lists “lovers of self” as the first of a long list of sins which will be prevalent in the last days.
The emphasis in this passage is humility. In it, Jesus tells us what our view of ourselves should be before God. You might call verse 10, “A Biblical Perspective of Self.”
Now, let’s recall the immediate context. Jesus has instructed His disciples that if a brother or sister is committing serious sin, we must rebuke them. If they repent, we must forgive them, even if they come back to us seven times in a single day saying that they have repented. When the disciples heard this from the lips of our Lord, they cried out, “Increase our faith!” They felt what Jesus was asking them to do was utterly impossible. So, the Lord tells them that they don’t need more faith. They need to exercise the true faith they already have. By doing so, they can uproot mulberry trees and cast them into the sea. In other words, even a little true faith in God can result in miraculous things taking place.
At this point, the Lord knows that He needs to warn His disciples of pride in their ability to forgive, and in their faith that would enable them to do it. And so he asks His disciples a series of three questions, followed by a concluding application in verse 10.
Remember, also, that Jesus is teaching His disciples to not follow in the footsteps of the Pharisees. The Pharisees put stumbling blocks before young believers by veering them away from Christ. They did not forgive and restore sinning believers. And they were filled with pride and self-conceit. Jesus said in Matthew 23 that they did all their deeds to be noticed by men. They broadened their phylacteries and lengthened the tassels of their garments. They loved the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called “Rabbi” by men (Mt. 23:5-7). When they were about to put money in the Temple offering, they would sound a trumpet before them, so that everyone saw their righteous deeds. When they prayed, they would stand and pray in the synagogues and street corners to be seen of men. When they fasted they would put on a gloomy face, so that everyone would know that they were fasting. The Pharisees had been infected with pride and self-conceit, and Jesus is teaching His disciples to flee from these sins, and to have a completely different perspective of themselves.
The Bible says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). If there is one thing I never want, it is for God to be actively opposed to me! However, if I will humble myself, He will give me His grace. God seems to be the sin that He hates the most. Proverbs 6:16 says, “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes.” The very first sin that God hates is haughty eyes. It was pride that caused Lucifer to aspire to be like the most High, and got him kicked out of heaven. It was pride which caused Adam and Even to eat the forbidden fruit and plunge this world into sin and destruction. Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.”
However, just as God hates pride wherever He finds it, so He loves humility wherever He finds it. And He found it supremely in His own Son. Jesus said of Himself in Mt. 11:29, “I am gentle and humble in heart.”
In order to promote the virtue of humility in the hearts of His disciples, Jesus tells them a little story comprised of three different questions.
He asks, “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?” Of course, all of Jesus’ listeners would say that none of them would tell their slave to come in from the fields and immediately sit down and eat. All of them would naturally expect the slave to serve them their meal first, and then afterwards get themselves something to eat. None of them would think to thank the slave for doing those things that were his duty to do.
Then Jesus ends with a very pointed conclusion and application – “so you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”
In this little story, we discover three important truths.
1. We Should Confess That We Are Slaves
Jesus speaks of a slave serving his master, and then turns it around and tells them that when they do everything that God commands are to say, “We are unworthy slaves.”
The Biblical truth is that every Christian is a slave of Jesus Christ. Paul, and James, Jude and Peter all began their epistles by referring to themselves as bondslaves of Jesus Christ. When Gabriel told Mary that she would bear the Son of God she replied, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
In our culture today we don’t have slaves. Perhaps the closest thing would be a maid or a servant that is hired and guaranteed a wage at an agreed upon price. However, that maid or servant can quite any time they choose. A slave in the first century did not have that option. Sometimes prisoners of war would be auctioned off to the highest bidder to become slaves in a foreign country. When that took place, their freedom was gone. They lost everything in this world. They were taken to their new master’s home, and a hole was bored in their ear, so that a ring with their master’s name would be worn there. He or she was now the property of another human being, a living tool. The purchasing of a slave was just like purchasing an animal. The slave was paid nothing for his work. Of course, the master provided his room and board. However, if the master told the slave to get up and start work at 6:00 a.m., that’s when the slave would start work. If the master told him he must start work at 4:00 a.m., that’s when he would have to start work. If his master wanted him to do something at midnight, he had to get up and go do it. He had no freedom and no independence.
When Jesus told this little story about the slave eating before his master, the disciples must have laughed. The very thought was ridiculous. The slave always served his master before serving himself. When he came in from the fields, he had to wash up, change clothes, make the meal, serve the meal, wash the dishes after the meal, and then finally eat the leftovers before going to bed. We are told over and over that Jesus died and rose again for us. Well, that’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. Romans 14:9 says, “For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Jesus died and rose again in order to be Lord of all of us slaves! 2 Cor. 5:15 says, “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
Often preachers will tell you that to be saved means you are free. Again, that’s only a half-truth. Yes, we are free from sin and its penalty. However, Romans 6:18 says, “Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
The truth is that there are two Masters of two opposing kingdoms in this world – the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Jesus is the king of the kingdom of light, and Satan is the king of the kingdom of darkness. Salvation is to be rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col.1:13). Salvation is not becoming free from all rule. It is simply being transferred from the rule of Satan to the rule of Christ.
We were all born into the kingdom of darkness. This is a kingdom in which Satan lets his subjects do whatever they want. Ephesians 2:3 says, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” The kingdom of Satan is like Titanic. It has struck an iceberg, and is sinking fast. The captain knows that his ship is lost, and so he tells all the passengers that they can do whatever they want on the ship. They can have whatever they want to drink at the bar. It’s all free. They can play football in the dining room. If they break any of the lamps, it’s okay. They don’t need to worry about it. Of course the passengers say, “What a wonderful captain we have. He lets us do whatever we want.” In the kingdom of darkness, Satan allows his subjects to have all the drugs, alcohol, and lust that they want. They think that they are the king, but in actuality they are lost, and it’s only a matter of time until they are destroyed.
The kingdom of Christ is very different from the kingdom of Satan. In Christ’s kingdom, you can’t do whatever you want. Christ is the King. He rules and reigns. We do what He wants. In fact, the testimony of a true believer is, “Before I came to Christ, I ran my own life. Since I met Christ, He runs my life.”
Some people think that a Christian is someone who doesn’t cuss, and smoke, drink and watch R rated movies. No, it goes way deeper than that. A Christian is someone who does whatever God says – period.
Sometimes a Christian may think, “I have put in my eight hours of work, so I’ll take a shower, have some dinner, and then watch a few hours of television before going to bed. After all, I’m entitled to a little rest and relaxation.” Wait a minute! You are entitled to what, Mr. Slave? A slave is entitled to nothing, but to serve his master and do his will. A slave doesn’t have rights.
We must regain this Biblical perspective that the Christian is a slave of Jesus Christ. What is important is not what I want, but what He wants. I am successful living the Christian life in so far as I am putting my own desires to death and doing the will of my Father in heaven.
2. We Should Confess That We Are Unworthy
Not only did Jesus teach His disciples to say that they were slaves, but that they were unworthy slaves. The word “unworthy” really means “unprofitable, or no use.” The basic meaning is that even when we do everything that God commands us, we do not profit God. The truth is, that no human being can profit God. God is absolutely perfect in Himself. There is nothing I can do to make God any more glorious or complete.
And notice that this perspective is after we do all the things which are commanded of us! Who of us here this morning has done everything God has commanded? No one! But, even if we had done everything God had commanded us to do, we would still be unworthy or unprofitable slaves. The truth is that no matter what we have done, or how well we have done it, we have never done what God is worthy of. Let’s say you always did whatever God commanded you to do. We could have a graduation ceremony for you and give you a diploma that says, “Unworthy Slave.”
We must never imbibe the lie that God somehow needs me, or that I can somehow enrich God by what I do for Him. God is the great fountain, from which all blessing flows. I am just one who takes my tin cup to that fountain, and drinks. He is the Giver, and I am the receiver.
Friends, there is absolutely nothing you can ever do to put God in your debt. You can never do anything to make God bless you. If you receive blessing from God, it will be pure grace. God is a debtor to no man. Romans 11:35-36 says, “Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
The fact that you and I have not done everything God has commanded, but instead of done many things that the Lord has forbidden, ought to fill us with a sense of shame and unworthiness. We have sinned away any right to God’s blessings.
I have sometimes heard Christians introduced at conferences or special meetings as though they were some kind of celebrity. This long list of accomplishments is rehearsed, and then they say, “And now, the great servant of God…” No. If he was great, he was not a servant. And if he was a servant, he was not great. We have turned everything upsides down, haven’t we?
Paul confessed that he was the least of the apostles, the least of all saints, and the foremost of sinners. Job repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me, for I am undone. Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5). Let’s follow in the train of these great saints of God and say “I am an unworthy slave.”
3. We Should Confess That We Do Not Deserve Thanks
Jesus said in verse 9 that the master does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded. That only makes sense, doesn’t it. If God has commanded you to do something, then when you do it, you are only fulfilling your duty, not doing something really special.
When my employees show up on time, I don’t run up to them, and thank them. When we pay our bills, we don’t expect the President of Verizon to call us up and personally thank us for mailing our check that month.
The truth is, that every good thing you have ever done was by God’s grace. God gave you any gifts that you possess. God put His Spirit within you, who prompts you and moves you toward holiness. God provides you with the strength and will to obey. “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil.2:12-13). Paul says in 1 Cor. 4:7, “For what do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” When God gives us crowns in heaven as reward for our faithful service on earth, what do we do with them? We take them off and throw them at His feet, because only He is worthy (Rev.4:10).
This means that any special praise or thanks we receive from God will not be by our merit, but by His grace. It will all be undeserved, because He has given us the ability to do anything good we have ever done.
Conclusion
Pride is an insidious and subtle enemy in the Christian life. We are all naturally proud people. We tend to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. In any situation, it is easy for us to think of reasons why we are right and the other person is wrong. This disease shows up in our lives in hundreds of different ways. We are even proud of our humility!
How can we combat the sin of pride in our lives? Jesus tells us.
- Confess that you are a lowly slave of Jesus Christ. You are not a high and mighty individual with all kinds of rights. No, you are a slave.
- Confess that you are an unworthy slave. Your and my works before God are far, far from perfect. They are shot through and riddled with sin, and weaknesses. Nothing you and I have ever done is worthy of Him.
- Confess that you don’t deserve special praise or thanks from God. Rather, God deserves praise and thanks from us, because apart from His grace in our lives, we would never have served Him faithfully, or done any good works in His name.
So, let’s go to Him this morning with thanks and praise. Let’s renounce all pride, self-conceit, and unbiblical self-esteem. Let’s repent of all self-absorption, self-love, and self-centeredness. Let’s turn to Jesus Christ, as the only One worthy of all adoration, forever and ever!
(some of the ideas in this message were suggested by Juan Carlos Ortiz’ book, Disciple)
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