Luke 17:7-10
"Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
People talk about their jobs. They talk about their endless list of activities. But what about one's sense of duty?
On October 21, 1805, at the famous battle of Trafalgar, the great British Admiral Horatio Nelson, ran up the mizzenmast a thirty-one flag signal to the rest of his fleet spelling out the now-famous phrase, "England expects that every man will do his duty."
After crippling one enemy warship, Nelson's flagship, the HMS Victory, closed on the French Redoubtable from which a sniper in the rigging shot down the greatest of all English naval heroes.
For four hours Nelson retained consciousness, but soon after the battle ended in British victory, he died. His final words were, "Thank God I have done my duty."
In our current age of entitlements, rights, and personal prerogatives, the topic of duty sounds almost old-fashioned, downgraded to the timely performance by Fido out in the back yard.
However, duty is a churchly and admirable word.
Duty is about principle. It suggests that one's beliefs are the marrow of his bones and not just a cosmetic.
Duty is more than having a job. To go "on duty" is to give service. It’s not just having an obligation to take your turn punching a clock. Truly giving service is dutiful. Just putting in your time means nothing.
I'm afraid in America we have gone a long way to devalue the honor of vocation and the sense of duty which is part of being truly human. Work too often is seen just as the means of getting the money to do things to please oneself. The job becomes just a necessary evil.
But when that happens, service loses all sense of duty and honor. Too often, ownership is only seen as having the financial reins or being the guy who holds title instead of the significance of making something consequential even if I'm only assigned the lowest rung of the ladder and someone else possesses me.
I would suggest that Horatio Nelson in his message to the fleet wasn't just sending a work memo to the seamen in nearly thirty ships under his command. His appeal to every man to do his duty was meant to inspire in them a remembrance of their privileges as free-born Englishmen.
The call to duty was to dignify the sacrifice they would be called upon to offer. Duty wasn't about being in the audience, being a spectator or bystander. Duty was the recognition that one's role has meaning and worth beyond the almighty dollar or getting something like the Stanley Cup where 30 guys are on the ice while 30 million are on the couch.
Don't get me wrong. I watch the Redwings and like it when they win.
But I'm talking about the loss to Christians who may not take their Christian duty seriously. The church in too many quarters has become a spectator sport where sanctuaries are being converted into arenas and pastors are cast as performers. Ministry is outsourced to other missionaries rather than me! Sermons are rated by the clock, and congregations become just another local convenience store.
But what are we Christians except servants with real duty to perform. There is nobility in the role God has given every Christian, but if we think we deserve to the thanked, ought to be indulged, or are worthy of the Name we are given just because we're on the rolls, think again.
We have a Captain who is Jesus Christ. We have a Master and Commander who knows what duty is. The Father sent his Son to be the savior of the world. (1 John 4:14). Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me." (John 9:4). Christ Jesus undertook our salvation as a call to duty. It is what he had to do. It never occurred to Jesus that he had options, rights, or ought to be entitled to something better than what His Father asked him to do.
Jesus is not a pro-choice kind of guy.
He was a man of duty and accountability. The Servant of all.
Yes, his motive was gracious, but His performance he took as obligation. He humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:8)
From the teachings of Christ comes this question, "Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
Unworthy servants. That is what we are.
Our worth is not in what we can do for God, but in the privilege He gives us to serve others in His Name.
It is from privilege that duty springs. We have the honor to serve, the distinction of even coming last if that is God's will.
Quite frankly, we expect something from those who call themselves Christian. We expect Christians to do their duty just as we expect a good tree to produce good fruit. We expect someone who is a member of the body of Christ not simply to function but to have this service of Christ, the living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) of our bodies deemed as pure privilege.
May you come to the end of your life and be able to say, "Christ fulfilled all God's commands for me. He set me free to serve. What I have done was only my duty. Thank God, I have a Savior who did His.
