Bible in 90, Day 74: Unworthy servants

Luke 10-20

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They mean well.

I’ve had the opportunity to preach here and there over the years.  Each time, I’ve stood at the back door to greet people as they left.  Some have remarked that God really spoke to them through my message, but most have said something like, “Good sermon preacher!” or “Good job!”  I’m not faulting anyone who’s ever said this to a preacher.  But, for a long time this was hard for me to take.  My thought was, “I didn’t really do anything, it was God!”  I’m a perfectionist and highly self-critical, so at the end of most sermons I’ve preached I can only see where I went wrong and how I could have done better.  I used to point out these errors as people complimented me.  One day, a wise woman looked me in the eye and said, “Just be gracious and take the compliment!”  I love that woman.

My perfectionism aside, my concern was/is somewhat biblically based.  You see, I’m just a servant doing what I’ve been instructed.  I am nothing special.  Jesus reminded us of this today in Luke 17:1-10.  He tells a parable about a servant who is expected to serve his master at the table after having spent all day working in the field.  Now, the servant has done well, and has followed one task with another.  Does the master thank him?  No.  The master expects the servant to follow his commands, he does not thank him for his obedience.

In the same way, Jesus tells His disciples, we are not to expect applause, thanks, praise, or reward when we have simply done what was expected of us.  Our mindset should be that we are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.  Does this mean that it is wrong for us to express gratitude to a Sunday School teacher who faithfully leads his class, or a preacher for faithfully preaching the word, or to a deacon for faithfully serving his church, or a custodian to who faithfully maintains the grounds, or an usher who faithfully watches over those entering the building each week?  No.  It does mean that the teacher, preacher, deacon, custodian, and usher should not expect any praise or admiration.  They should not serve in order to get such applause from people.  They should serve faithfully because they are servants of a great Master.

Note that we are unworthy servants.  Truly, we are not even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals (Mark 1:7), let alone serve Him in the great ways that He commands us to.  Our mindset should that of gratitude for being allowed the privilege of serving Christ.

Let’s give thanks to God for His goodness and His faithful love which endures forever!  We are not worthy, yet God has seen fit to call us into His service for the expansion of His Kingdom.  Let’s serve faithfully, not for applause or awards, but because Christ has called us to.

Originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 75: I find no fault

Luke 21 – John 5

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Fear of man is a terrible thing.  It can lead a perfectly rational man to do irrational things.  Take Pilate for example (Luke 22 and following).  He was a Roman governor and therefore had a great deal of power in his region of influence.  The Romans withheld capital punishment from local authorities, reserving it for Roman officials use only.  They could not legitimately find Him guilty of blasphemy in their own court, so, when the scribes and Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus, they brought him to Pilate on trumped up charges of treason.

Pilates dilemma was complex.  First of all, he saw right through the plot.  Had he been actually convinced that Jesus was guilty of treason, he would have had no problem putting Him to death.  But the governor had enough sense to see that they were simply trying to have this man killed out of fear for their own power.  Secondly, Pilate was afraid of the Jewish leaders.  If he had confidence in his own leadership, authority, and ability to keep the region under control, he would not care that they wanted Jesus dead and would have sent them away.  Third, and most difficult of all, Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent.  He affirms this three times in Luke’s account of the trial (23:4, 14, 22).  He declared, “I find no fault in this man” (23:4, KJV).  Matthew tells us that Pilate’s wife even had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate to stay away from that innocent man (Matthew 27:19).

What, then, is Pilate to do?  Does he judge according to the truth, the truth he openly confesses?  Or does he condemn an innocent man because of the crowd?  Mark tells us the answer – he wanted to please the crowd (Mark 15:15).  He let his fear overrule his knowledge of the truth.

It is interesting to read all four accounts of this trial and note how violently Pilate wiggled to try and get out of this nasty situation.  He knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that this man Jesus was not worthy of death.  Jesus was a sinless man, so far above reproach that even false charges that were planned ahead of time could not stick (Mark 14:53-64).  It would be one thing for His disciples to assert Jesus’ sinlessness after His death, but for a Roman governor to affirm it in open court should speak volumes to us.  The Pharisees claimed that Jesus’ testimony concerning Himself was not valid (John 8:13), but here an official judge has declared Him innocent and they did not accept it.

Jesus lived the sinless life that none of us can.  He was truly the sacrificial Lamb who was without spot or blemish.  He came and lived out the Law, and fulfilled all the Law.  He died in our place, and He could do so because He did not have to die for Himself.  He did not deserve to die, not only by Pilate’s Roman standards, but even by God’s holy standards.  He was not only innocent, He was sinless.

Let’s look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  Let’s examine his sinless life and follow in His steps as closely as possible.  We will never be sinless while we still live on this earth.  Try as we might, we will still fail.  This should drive us to Christ all the more!  Let’s fall at His feet, knowing that we still need the gospel of His grace today.

originally at Words of Reason