October 6, 2013
Reflection
In the ancient society of which Jesus was a part, most families—even relatively poor ones—had someone in their household who would be classified as a “servant.” For some, this type of service was a temporary phase, not terribly unlike an apprenticeship. For others, it might be that the individual was a prisoner of war or alien from another land, that is, someone who lacked the legal rights of a local.
Young women would have joined the women of their family in tending to the children. They were, in a sense, being apprenticed for motherhood. Young men, by contrast, would have been learning the family trade—perhaps shipbuilding or stonemasonry—or, if the oldest son was by his father’s side preparing to inherit the family business, the younger sons might have been sent to work for other families. It would have been these young men who were considered “servants” like the one mentioned in the story by Jesus today. In exchange for their service, these men usually were not paid—their recompense was to be provided with food, shelter, and safety. (In contrast to the adult male day-laborers of, for instance, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, who are depicted as all being paid the same wage at the end of a day’s labor.)
The job of these young men would have been to attend to various tasks around the house. In the instance Jesus cites, the family appears only to have one servant, and so it is up to him both to take care of the manual labor (plowing the field or tending the sheep) and to come inside and prepare food. Quite a lot to ask! And yet, that is what the relationship entailed—the young servant was receiving food and shelter that he could not have procured otherwise, and the family whom he served was gaining his labor. It was a relationship that involved both sides owing one another something as part of the arrangement. Moreover, it was most likely only a phase for the young man—once he was older, he would have a household of his own.
It isn’t hard to translate this metaphor to a modern setting. Imagine Jesus had said: When you go to a restaurant, you expect to be seated and served by others. When the high school student or college kid shows up to serve you, you do not say to her/him, “Oh no! You look like you’ve been rushing around all evening! What’ve you been on your feet for? Eight hours? Twelve? Have a seat! Rest your legs a while. Can I get YOU anything?”
That seems silly because the job of a server is precisely to serve. It would be a very strange thing (inappropriate even) to try and offer to get food for the young waitress—after all, that is what she is there to do for you! It doesn’t matter that she probably spent the entire day in class and has been going for sixteen straight hours without a proper break. That’s just the way it is when you’re in high school or college! Then, when she is out with HER family for dinner, she will have the chance to be the one who is served.
Thus is the nature of the entire service industry in our culture. Waiters. Hotel housekeeping staff. Auto repair persons. Computer tech people. Anyone to whom we go for a specific type of service, we expect them simply to do their job (and do it well) without complaint or expectation for any sort of compensation beyond what the contract calls for. In some industries, like hair styling or table-waiting, we may be inclined to tip the person for an especially good experience, but we would be quite put off if, at the end of our meal or upon being handed our bags at the grocery store, we were told by the person serving us that it was pretty rude of us to expect that they bag our groceries FOR us or bring us all our food. After all… that’s what their job entails! Why should they be offended that we expected them to do it?
This is what Jesus is saying to His hearers today. Insofar as we, Christians, are all called to be servants of God and one another, why should that bother us? What more do we expect? God asks us to devote ourselves to Him, and in exchange, we receive the promise that He will take care of us. (Just like an RA who knows that it’s her job to keep order on her floor and, in exchange, she’ll receive free room and board; or a GSI who understands that he has to grad all of the final exams as part of his agreement with the University to be able to pursue his doctorate without paying!)
Jesus likely was responding to a sentiment that was common among His first disciples and continues to be a pervasive experience today for those who dedicate their lives to the service of God and His people: they feel under-appreciated and frequently put-off that they labor away, often without any “proper” recognition.
It’s unlikely that anyone will ever come give you an award for listening to a friend while she’s going through a tough breakup; putting up with your parents’ craziness when they’re stressed out about the finances; vacuuming the apartment for your roommates on a week when they’re all consumed with anxiety over an impending exam; or helping out with the dishes following an event at Church. It’s nice to be thanked for your efforts, and certainly, we all seek some level of appreciation, but what Jesus today reminds us is that we shouldn’t be doing it for the praise. We should be doing it because we love our friend, and we hate it that she’s miserable because of this breakup, and we want to try and assuage that pain in any way we can. We should be putting up with our parents not so that they’ll turn around and gush to us about how thankful they are, but precisely because part of being in a family is being there for one another through tough times—not to mention the fact that they raised, clothed, and fed you for all those years!
Just like it is the “job” of the waiter to serve us our food, it is our “job,” but more properly described, our vocation, our call as Christians, to be of service to one another. Not expecting any special acclaim… but because that’s what love entails.
Reflection Questions
1) Have you ever worked in some job that you felt you served others? Did you feel like your service was appreciated?
2) Are there any ways in your current life in which you serve others? Listening to friends? Dealing with drama? Cleaning up around the house?
3) Are there ever times when you wish people were more grateful? Do you feel as though you do not receive the recognition you deserve?
4) What do you believe the Christian vocation calls you to, in terms of service to others? Waiters get paid for serving customers. What do you think you get for being a Christian?
[This reflection originally published October 3, 2010]
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