An Honor to Obey Him

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty'” (Luke 17.10; 1-9).

We generally want to receive something for our efforts. We want to be paid for putting in a hard day’s work. We want a parent to say, “I’m proud of you,” when our grades improve. We love to hear the fans cheer when we hit the winning shot. We want our boss to say, “You’re doing a great job.” We want our spouse to say, “Thank you for what you do.” There is in each of us a desire to be acknowledged, to be affirmed, and to be appreciated.

In and of themselves, these are not illegitimate desires. However, what the Lord might be getting at in this passage is the real motivation behind what we do. A friend of mine once told me that he often did things around the house in hopes that his wife might repay him with sex. Though he did not want this to continue to be his motivation, he admitted that it had been true of him in the past. And it is often true of us in one form or another. Sometimes we do what we do just to get something we want.

Jesus had given his disciples some pretty tough instructions; among them, how they were to forgive someone who had sinned against them if he repented – even if it happened seven times in the same day! And Jesus left no room for bargaining. He said, “You must forgive him.” Why must they, and what would be their reward for doing such a difficult thing? What would they get for their efforts? The little parable in this passage makes clear the “why” behind obedience to this command and all other commandments from our Lord. They would not do this to get something. No, they would do it because they were servants and Jesus was their Master. This was their duty.

In John 14.15, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The motivation behind our obedience to Christ is not the promise of reward or recognition. We are servants, Jesus is our Master, and, therefore, obedience is our duty. We seek no honor for obeying him; we seek only the honor to obey him, and thus show that we love him.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that I am your servant, You are my Master, and that obedience is not only my duty, but is also the way I show that I love You. Amen.”