Jesus Himself came to serve! He was foretold to come as the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12). He did not come to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28) (Philippians 2:7). Jesus exemplified the servitude He desires of His disciples – (John 13:12-17). What an honor, if God were to look upon us as His servants. As His faithful and wise servants. As disciples of Christ – we must consider ourselves as servants – “do you?” We see this clearly in this parable since it is about a servant. Let us understand this point well – You and I are servants of God – not just metaphorically – but in a real sense (Romans 6:22). There is no verse more explicit in teaching us that being saved from sins we have become God’s servants. Many people think of evangelist, missionaries, preachers, pastors as being God’s servants – because these are doing what is expected in their calling. But have you thought of yourself as being a servant of God? You should – because that is exactly what we are. The Christian is a person who has been called to serve God. We have been “saved to serve” (Hebrews 9:14) (Hebrews 12:28). It is only “reasonable” that we be expected to serve God (Romans 12:1).
Each Christian has a ministry (service) we are expected to fulfill (Colossians 4:17) (2 Timothy 4:5). Therefore – the concept of “servanthood” is a significant part of what it means to be a Christian. The servant knows no law but his master’s word. He has no rights of his own. He is the absolute possession of his master. He is bound to give his master unquestioning obedience. Does this describe our relationship to Christ? It should – especially in light of (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Servanthood involves absolute humility. When we have a humble opinion of ourselves we are receptive to complete obedience (1 Corinthians 15:9-10) (Ephesians 3:8) (1 Timothy 1:15). Does this describe our relationship to Christ as His servant? If we murmur or complain about what Jesus tells us to do – can we really be considered servants?