Bible Study (Luke 17 & 18)

In today's Bible study we again find ourselves in a rich portion of scripture filled with practical wisdom and teaching from our Lord Jesus Christ about a variety of issues. Here is an outline of the two chapters:

Luke 17

• Temptations to sin
• Woe to the one who causes temptation
• Rebuke brothers caught in sin
• Forgive without limit
• Faith
• Faith as small as a mustard seed is strong enough, if it is aligned with the will of God.
• Unworthy Servants
• Jesus cleanses ten lepers
• The incident shows the rarity of gratitude.
• The coming of the Kingdom

Luke 18

• The Parable of the Persistent widow
• Pray without ceasing
• Promise that God will hear and answer the prayers of those who cry out to him day and night.
• Blessing of the little children
• One must become as a child to enter the kingdom.
• The Rich Ruler
• Once again Jesus reminds his disciples how wealth can keep one out of the Kingdom
• Jesus foretells his death
• Jesus heals a blind beggar

As you can see there are so many topics covered in this chapter. But, as I mentioned in yesterday's post I would like to focus on just one section of these two chapters for the sake of brevity. 

Today, I want to focus on the parable of the unworthy servants. In a sense this is not a parable but a rhetorical question asked by Jesus so that he can explain the dangers of entitlement.

"Will any of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at the table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 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 17:7-10

Many Christians reckon that since they lead a "Holy life" they are entitled to certain special rewards while on this earth. Jesus through this mini parable comes against this type of thinking. The feeling of entitlement has its origins in pride as one focuses on their 'achievements' while overlooking their many failures. If God were to give us what we deserved according to our merit, we would all be in sever judgement. But, the proud soul forgets this and demands that God give him what he has earned. This can also lead to many people calling God unfair when they don't get what they want. In reality, God is merciful to not give us what we deserve, which is judgement. So, let us not fall into the trap of entitlement especially in this "me, me" culture and understand that being a disciple is our duty, our calling and our privilege.