![]() They are not to look for some expression of gratitude. Having served they are not to expect a reward for their service. In this morning’s gospel reading from Luke, Jesus speaks a parable that reflects the practice of slavery in his time. As a result, in Luke’s gospel Jesus says to his disciples, ‘if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much again’. He did not want the prevailing ways of the culture to characterize this new kind of community, what came to be called the church. Jesus formed around himself a community which was counter cultural in many ways. The patron who gave material assistance to his client expected that the client would give him in return some recognition and loyalty. ![]() Those who were in a position to give expected some kind of return. Giving with a view to getting was very much part of the culture of Jesus. We may always be ‘unworthy servants’, in the language of the gospel reading, even after we have lived well, but God does not ask us to be worthy before showering his grace and mercy upon us. Jesus has shown us that God’s grace and mercy awaits us in this life too, indeed, every day of our lives. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom declares that, in eternity, ‘grace and mercy await’ those who have been faithful to God. God will always be more generous towards us than we are towards God. Similarly, although we never have a claim on God, we don’t need to have such a claim. His father gave to his son out of the enormous generosity of his love. That son certainly had no claim on his father, but he didn’t need to have any claim on him. God is more like the father in the parable of the prodigal son who lavishes his love on his undeserving son. However, elsewhere Jesus makes clear that God does not relate to us as a master to his servants. No matter how well we live, God is never in our debt. Jesus seems to be suggesting that even after we have lived in the way God calls us to live, that in itself does not give us any claim on God. Jesus’ little parable simply reflects the reality that when such a servant had done his duty, he has no claim on his master’s gratitude and his master in under no obligation to thank him. In Jesus’ day, very wealthy people had many servants, and even reasonably well-off people had at least one servant. Jesus’ images and parables are always drawn from his own time, place and culture.
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