Due-Nothing

October 7, 2007     Proper 22 C

Lamentations1:1-6             Psalm 137

2 Timothy 1:1-14         St. Luke 17:5-10

The Gospel opens with a kind of complaint that is asking for more faith. The apostles would be feeling the sting of the previous chapter's teachings about the dangers of riches and the blessedness of poverty.

They are wondering how they can keep listening, following, and being called to conversion. So they ask for an increase (in faith). Obviously they would like the increase be poured into their souls or Jesus snaps his fingers and "presto" it all becomes clear. Instead, Jesus hits them with an image and then a rhetorical question.

Even a little bit of faith could move tall trees out of the ground and deposit them into the sea. Did you see the eyes of the apostles blink at that one? They might be standing next to a tree near the shore and they all do a "faith-flush" but the tree remains and they have a "face-blush."

After all their time with Jesus, they do not have even faith the size of a little mustard seed.

In following Jesus, doing dramatic things is not the issue. After all, the master does not order his servant to move a mulberry tree by faith, but to meet ordinary expectations?serve at table, wait on him, do whatever is commanded.

The issue is to be faithful to the master and his commands. It is by such fidelity that faith increases.

The little story Jesus relates to his disciples seems harsh, but you have to admit that it gets us thinking. The master comes into the kitchen and gives orders to the servants who have just come in from their day's labor in the master's fields. Instead of thanking them and inviting them to sit down for dinner with him, he orders them to get out in the kitchen and fetch his meal. After he is finished they can eat. They should not expect gratitude, but actually reflect that they had been doing that which was expected by the master.

The image of the mustard seed is easy to relate to faith, but this story leaves us with some questions. Perhaps Jesus is the harsh master? The apostles are the hungry, but dutiful workers? If they spend their lives doing what Jesus orders them, then after the Resurrection to the heavenly banquet, they can follow, but only as  "unprofitable servants"? This is an easy reduction.

Believing in Jesus and what he is saying about life's meaning and life's invitations is that to which we are called. It is a God-given gift so in exercising that gift we are actually doing nothing resounding to our personal credit. We say that there is no rest for the "wicked." There is no rest for living our gift of faith either.

Jesus is inviting his apostles, and Luke invites us, to keep relating with Jesus so that living with faith becomes a usual way of living and acting. In the story, the laborers are expected to respond to the master's request as a usual rather than harsh demand. Everything and everyone is a gift, life itself is undeserved.

When we believe this, then we move easily from a sense of our being  "entitled" to a posture of our being "entrusted". There is a huge difference and when understood, our life's actions will change from being deeds of obedience to expressions of grateful reverence.

Faithful service is not something extraordinary that merits praise and recognition; disciples are expected to be faithful in their service of the Master. Further, servants are servants for life.

Whether a menial servant or a chief servant, there does not come a time when the master says, "your service and seniority entitles you to be served."

 "Entitlement" is a stance toward all things and all others in which we figure that all things ought to be able to be figured out, made clear and that our persons are "special," because, well, just because we are who we are.

 "Entrusted" is a posture of humble acceptance of our deepest truths. We are created of love, for love and are returning to that love. We are "special," but by this Creator's love. Gifts are given to each, entrusted to each, but what makes us "special" is not the giftedness, but the grateful distributedness in which we engage.

All in the Church, even the "apostles" to whom Jesus is speaking, are servants of the Master, and they are servants for life.

In the ancient Middle-Eastern world every family, even relatively poor ones, had at least one servant. The very poorest families gave some of their children to other families as servants to ensure that they would be fed.

The master in this parable apparently has only one servant who both tends the fields and does the cooking. The thrust of the story is clear and straightforward. Good servants do what they are told. A master never has to thank a servant for doing what was expected.

Most translations cause confusion with their rendition of Jesus' final advice to disciples: "When you have carried out all your orders, learn to say: we are worthless servants; we have only done our duty" (v. 10). "Worthless"?

Literally, the Greek adjective means "without need." The New English Bible captures this sense in its rendition: "We are servants and deserve no credit."

The title for this sermon ("due-nothing") reflects the pun-oriented sense of humor that Jesus exhibited (in Aramaic) on many occasions. While this servant clearly is not a "do-nothing" person, it is also clear that a servant is "due nothing" for services rendered.

Jesus' demands of forgiveness, loyalty, and the surrendering of an entitlement mentality still challenge his American disciples.

We think we are entitled, and we really are entrusted. We are due nothing, for we have already received more than we deserve. We have received our lives. And here at the Lord's Table those lives are fed so that we may continue to live and to serve.