When the Bible speaks of slavery, it does so because it was a common practice at that time and to illustrate a point so we can understand our relationship to the Lord. Let me say that this doesn’t condone slavery.
In Luke 17:5-10, Jesus is speaking about faith. He told His apostles, those closest to Him, that faith is like a mustard seed. Now, the mustard seed was one of the most minor things known at that time. It is barely visible to the naked eye. Every person has faith. Romans 12:3 tells us, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” God has given each believer a measure of faith. This faith comes to us when we hear the Word of God for the first time. When we repent and receive God’s Word, faith comes into us. The word measure means simply an amount. God has given every believer an amount. He doesn’t give some more than others. He provides a measure for each.
Then Jesus tells the apostles how to use their faith. He simply said to say to the mulberry tree. The tree that Jesus spoke of was a contrast to the mustard seed. The mulberry or sycamore trees have substantial root systems. They are very difficult to kill, let alone uproot. Yet, Jesus said you can speak in faith to this hugely rooted tree, which will be first uprooted and cast into the sea. In other words, it would die. That tree will obey you!
There is much we can say about Jesus’ teaching of
faith in these verses. But what Jesus said next is what I want to draw your attention to. It seems that Jesus changed the subject, but He did not. He now compares faith to another thing that was very prevalent in that society and that is slavery. Jesus says in verse 7 and 8 that if a slave is out plowing or tending sheep all day and the day ends, then the master does not say to the slave come and sit down and eat. Instead, he says a few things to the slave. First, prepare something for me to eat, second cloth yourself, and third serve me while I eat and drink. All those things are done to serve the master personally. After the slave had served the master, then he could go and eat and drink.
We need to understand that in the culture that Jesus lived in it was considered improper for a slave to associate with the master. What does this tell us? Faith is our slave, but it is not what we fellowship with. Many people have put faith in a place in which it was not made to fill. They end up serving faith instead of faith serving them. Faith is important but only in the place that it was meant to fill. That is serving the believer.
We tell faith what to do. It is standing there like a waiter wanting to serve us. It has the ability to do just that. Nothing is impossible for faith to do. Right now, faith is standing beside you. It is waiting for you to say something to that tree that is rooted deeply. Speak in faith and it will do what you said.
In verse 10, Jesus compares us to faith. When we do what God commands us to do we need to say, we are unworthy slaves. What does that mean? The word unworthy means useless. We can only do useful things when commanded by God to do them just like faith can only work when we speak.
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