Ready to be Served?

One of the many paradoxes of the Bible is the role reversals. The king may become a servant or someone in a lowly position may be raised to a new level of authority. Luke 12:35-40 describes one such role reversals.
This passage is undoubtedly about being ready for the masters' arrival. Just like the story of the ten maiden (Mattthew 25:1-13) this passage also talks about being ready with the lamps filled with oil. The servants should be watchful for the arrival of the bridegroom who may come unannounced to the party at an hour he chooses. He may keep the people waiting late into the night. However, the servants must be ready with their lamps, awake so that they can open the door at his first knock on the door.
It is not just opening the door and showing him the way in with the lighted lamp that is involved here. The master should be convinced that they had been awake all night. The master expects them to be awake and ready for action throughout the night ( Luke 12:37).
The master will reward them for their diligence. Here comes the role reversal. The servants are supposed to serve the master. However, God the master is different. If he finds that his servants had been waiting for him the whole night, he will reverse the role. They had been waiting without food and rest. So, God the master then decides that he should serve them first before being served himself. So, Jesus said: 'Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.' (Luke 12:37, ESV).
Discipleship involves readiness for action. Readiness will be rewarded in the Kingdom of God. Five of the ten virgins were not ready. They were cast out. However, the five who were ready joined the bridegroom in the party.
Though God expects us to do is being 'ready for action' (Luke 12:35), the real action belongs to God. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son (Genesis 22). Abraham had never offered a human sacrifice and he was sure that God does not expect a human sacrifice. Still, Abraham was ready for action. God tested his readiness to the point of lifting his hands. God acted just before the knife slitted Isaac's throat. Some point between Abraham began swinging his knife and it touched Isaac's throat, God intervened. God was ready with a lamb in the place of Isaac. The lamb was trapped in a bush so that Abraham did not has to chase it. God had held it in place to be lifted up by Abraham.
This is in line with God's character. The master of the household is always diligent so that he will not let the thief break in (Luke 12:35). Thus God expects us to be like him diligent and watchful. At his coming at a time that no one expects, Christ expects us people waiting for him. He will, then, according to his promise will care for us. The master we wait for is also a servant who loves to serve us. But are we ready to be served?

Unworthy Servants

In Luke 17:7-10, Jesus told a very short parable of a master and his servant. It was a story that everyone who sat around him could easily connect. That is why he introduced it as, 'Will any one of you ... say?' The listeners might have nodded in agreement.
The story is of a person who might have owned a small farm, some sheep and just one servant in charge of all these and his household. Jesus said that when this servant returns from work--may be it ploughing, or tending the sheep--the master will expect him to cook and serve him before he finds sometimes to eat and rest at night. No master will not allow him to take rest when he returns from work. Serving the master is topmost priority. The master will not thank him for the work he done. The servant doesn't expect him to thank him because he has done only what he is supposed to do.
Jesus concluded this short story with an command: 'So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.' (Luke 17:10 ESV).
Jesus was teaching about the relationship between his disciples and God. They should not expect anything from God in return to what they have done for God. They are only following orders and only doing their duties.
The most important lesson here is contrary to the dominant motive of our Christian culture. People follow Christ for favours--healing, prosperity, deliverance. However, the servant here is not expecting any favours from his master but he serves the master because he has received favours from him. Moreover, he is not expecting any more favours than the privilege of serving the master. Serving God for favours and serving God because of the favours are two different things.
The disciples of Christ considered their role as servants of God and Jesus Christ as the most covetable status in the world. There are many metaphors in the Bible that explains the relationship between God and believers--Children of God, friends of Jesus, etc. However, the apostles preferred to describe themselves as 'servants.'
Paul is the one who elaborated the doctrine of adoption that is behind the metaphor of 'children of God.' However, in his epistles he preferred himself to be called, 'servant of Jesus Christ.' John was the beloved disciple of Jesus whom he trusted most, even to entrust his mother's care. However, John preferred to be known as 'servant John.'
The most important observation in this regard is the case of James and Jude. They are considered to be the sons of Jesus' mother Mary. Thus his brothers in his earthly family (Matthew 13:55). However, though they were his brothers and might have spent their childhood and most of their adulthood together they never claimed that status. James would call himself, 'a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ' (James 1:1). Jude would identify him as the brother of James but not of Jesus! He would call him, 'a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James' (Jude 1:1).
Being the servant of God was such a great privilege. The psalmists longed that they would love to dwell in the presence of God even in the capacity of a humble doorkeeper (Ps 84:10).
Jesus' portrayal of the servant is remarkable. No doubt he is the master storyteller. Not a word is found in the mouth of the servant in the story, though some indirect speech is attributed to the master. We get the picture of a silent, uncomplaining, dutiful servant.
The word translated as 'unworthy' or 'unprofitable' has various shades of meaning. It could carry the sense of a person who sold himself into slavery to pay of a financial debt. He owes the master a lot, no claims. There is no better picture than this to represent all of us who are redeemed by Jesus and set free. We are set free to serve God.
The master image suggests that our service to God is a submission to his sovereignty over our lives. Expecting nothing but the opportunity to serve him.