Unworthy Servant: Your Duty Is Still Pure Grace

You've prayed, you've served, you've given your time. And sometimes a small voice whispers to you: "The Lord surely owes me something now." That's exactly where Jesus stops you in your tracks with a word that pricks your pride and frees your heart: "We are unworthy servants. We have only done what was our duty."

On June 15, 2025, Mikaël BEYNAT opened Luke 17:7-10 before the congregation. It's a short passage, unique in its kind, found nowhere else in the gospels. An antidote for the pride of those who, through years of serving, start to believe they're indispensable. This text doesn't minimize your work. It simply puts the glory back where it belongs: with God alone.

Here's what Jesus wants to tell you when he calls you an "unworthy servant," and why this hard saying is actually an immense relief.

Outline of the message

1. A unique text in the gospels

The passage in Luke 17:7-10 is a very short text, found nowhere else in the Bible. It's Jesus himself speaking: "But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down at the table,' and will not rather tell him, 'Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me, while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink'? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.'"

Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem for the last time. He knows he's about to die. He's teaching his apostles first, and then anyone who will be fully engaged in ministry: pastoring, teaching, evangelism. But the word "ministry" in the Bible simply means service. And every one of us has a ministry, whatever it may look like. We each have a place of our own, in serving our neighbor and in serving God.

The shape of the teaching is simple: three rhetorical questions from Jesus, followed by a conclusion. It's a rabbinic way of speaking, meant to help listeners arrive at a truth on their own. And this technique still works today: sometimes, rather than repeating what you believe to someone who disagrees with you, you can ask questions instead and let them work it out for themselves.

2. Why does Jesus compare his disciples to slaves?

In the 21st century, this comparison can be jarring. But in the Roman Empire, slavery was considered normal. Jesus in no way approves of slavery; the Bible condemns it clearly in three New Testament texts: 1 Timothy 1:10, where Paul puts slave traders in the same category as those who kill their father or mother; the letter to Philemon, where Paul asks a Christian master to free his slave who has become a brother in Christ; and Revelation 18:13, where Babylon is judged for trafficking human bodies and souls.

History actually tells us that during the first three centuries of the Church, most converts came from the four most despised categories in the Empire: women, children, the poor, and slaves. Christians were the first to recognize that slavery was wrong. The hymn Amazing Grace was written by a former slave trader transformed by an encounter with God, who spent the rest of his life fighting against that evil.

The Greek word translated "servant" in this text is actually the word slave, and it appears three times. Jesus describes a slave who plows, keeps sheep, serves at table, and who eats only after everything is finished. It's a harsh image, but it's there to make a very specific point about the posture of the heart.

3. What God is not, unlike this human master

Every parable has its limits. The human master in this story is not identical to God. God is not a ruthless, unjust, or oppressive master. Throughout the Bible, he presents himself as a good, merciful, just, and liberating master. As proof, Jesus says it himself: "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

God could have demanded to be served: our very breath of life depends on him. If you woke up this morning, that's entirely because of God. So he could easily have settled for treating us as mere slaves. But he doesn't. Jesus says: "You call me, 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you say so correctly, for so I am," and yet he immediately marks the difference: our slavery to God has nothing in common with human slavery, because we are not forced, we are free. We have chosen to serve the Lord. It's a paradox: a free slavery. Following Jesus' example, we have chosen to be his slaves.

But we chose this slavery for the sake of real freedom. Paul writes in Romans 8:15: "You didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" And in Galatians 4:6-7: "So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." And Jesus goes even further in John 15:15: "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you."

You are a son of God, an heir of God, a friend of God. This is a slavery truly unlike any other.

4. Four kinds of slavery Jesus has freed you from

In Christ, you are set free. Jesus came to free you from several kinds of slavery:

• The slavery of ignorance. "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:32).
• The slavery of sin. "Everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:34-36).
• The slavery of the fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells you that Jesus came to deliver those who, through fear of death, were subject to bondage all their lives. If this fear troubles you, hold on to this verse.
• The slavery of men. "Don't become bondservants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23). You are first and foremost a slave of God before being a servant of people. People can pull you into their projects, even ones that seem good on the surface. But if it isn't God's project, it won't work out. It's to God first that you'll have to give an account.

5. A God who made himself a slave

The other difference between God and this human master is that God made himself a slave. Jesus lived and died as a slave. Crucifixion, at that time, was the punishment reserved for slaves, which is why the apostle Paul, a Roman citizen, was beheaded rather than crucified. Our God chose to identify with slaves by dying on the cross for them, and for each of us.

Unlike the human master, the Lord doesn't just give orders: he carries them out himself. Jesus is the only man on earth whose words and actions have perfectly matched. You will never find a single contradiction between what Jesus says and what Jesus does. The people close to us (spouses, parents, children) quickly spot our inconsistencies. Jesus never sinned.

And there's something even more surprising. In Luke 12:37, Jesus announces that at his return, he himself will serve you at the table of the kingdom. He served people at his first coming; he will serve again at his second coming. When he washed his disciples' feet, he identified himself with a slave, since that gesture was reserved for slaves. It's easier to understand why so many slaves in the early centuries turned to Christ.

6. "Unworthy servant": what these words really mean

Jesus' conclusion is a command for you: "Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.'"

The word "unworthy" can also be translated as "not indispensable," or even, more bluntly, "good for nothing." On our own, we're good for nothing. We can't do anything good by ourselves. It's only through the Lord that we can produce anything good. Every good work we do is done by the Lord in us.

Take note: as uniquely created individuals, we are irreplaceable. There's no one else like you on earth. But we are not indispensable to the Lord's service. The Lord was never obligated to use us for his plans: it's only by his grace that he does. Jesus is telling us here not to claim the glory for ourselves, not to steal glory that belongs to God.

In the book of Acts, one of the Herods receives this praise from the crowd: "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" God then strikes him down with a terrible death, because he had not given glory to God (Acts 12:20-23). An excellent antidote to pride is found in 1 Corinthians 4:7: "For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn't receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"

Once again, Jesus asks nothing of us that he hasn't done himself. He said: "I am gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). Coming from anyone else, those words would ring false. Coming from Jesus, they ring true, because Jesus breathed authenticity. And Proverbs 27:2 reminds us: "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth." We don't have the right to sing our own praises.

7. Three possible attitudes toward God

To wrap up, there are three extreme attitudes you can take toward God: two bad ones, and one good one.

First bad attitude: doing nothing. Making excuses for yourself, telling yourself that since you're not indispensable, God will provide without you. Jesus is very harsh toward this attitude. In the parable of the talents, he calls the servant who buried his talent "wicked and lazy" (Matthew 25:26).

Second bad attitude: doing a great deal, but assuming God owes us something. This is the trap the older brother falls into in the parable of the prodigal son. When his younger brother comes home and the father throws a feast, he explodes: "Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends" (Luke 15:29). In saying this, he reveals that he was serving on a tit-for-tat basis. He's just as much a sinner as his younger brother.

Third attitude, the right one: doing everything for God, but in humility, giving him all the glory. When you're saved, you no longer do good works in order to be saved, but because you are saved. You do good works out of gratitude toward God. As Paul says, we are only jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7), a vessel God uses. In obeying God, we're only doing our duty. And we should consider that a privilege, not something to take credit for.

Jesus doesn't minimize your work; he said that even a simple cup of water given in his name will not lose its reward (Matthew 10:42). He doesn't rule out rewards. But he does confront spiritual pride and any inflated image you might have of yourself.

Key takeaways

• "Unworthy servant" means "not indispensable." You are irreplaceable as a unique person, but you are not indispensable to God's plan. He chooses you by pure grace.
• Your service flows from salvation; it doesn't earn it. As Paul reminds us, "What do you have that you didn't receive?" Every good work is done by the Lord through you.
• We are free slaves. No one forces us. We have chosen to serve a God who made himself a slave for us, all the way to the cross.
• Two traps: doing nothing, or doing it to get something back. The older brother in the prodigal son story served without real humility. The right posture is: do everything for God and give him all the glory.
• Your reward is real, but your merit isn't. Jesus honors every cup of water given in his name, while refusing to let you steal the glory that belongs to God.

Personal application

• When I served a lot this week, did I catch myself expecting special recognition from God or from others?
• Where do I find myself among the three attitudes: the lazy one who does nothing, the proud one who expects his due, or the humble one who gives all the glory to God?
• Do I realize that I am first a son, an heir, a friend of God, before being his "servant"?
• Is there a project I carry "for God" that's actually a human project I've let myself get swept into?
• Am I letting Jesus serve my life, rather than trying to serve him my own way and with my own strength?

Verses cited

• Luke 17:7-10 · You are unworthy servants
• Mark 10:45 · The Son of Man came to serve
• Romans 8:15 · A spirit of adoption
• Galatians 4:6-7 · You are no longer a slave, but a son
• John 15:15 · I have called you friends
• John 8:32-36 · The truth will make you free
• Hebrews 2:14-15 · Freed from the fear of death
• 1 Corinthians 7:23 · Don't become slaves of men
• Luke 12:37 · He will have them sit down and will serve them
• 1 Corinthians 4:7 · What do you have that you didn't receive?
• Matthew 11:29 · Gentle and lowly in heart
• Luke 15:29 · The older brother's anger
• Matthew 10:42 · A cup of cold water

FAQ

Does Jesus devalue my service when he calls me an "unworthy servant"?

No. The Greek word translated "unworthy" literally means not indispensable. Jesus isn't saying your service has no value; he even promises a reward for a simple cup of water given in his name. He's saying that God could accomplish his plan without you, and that it's by pure grace that he includes you in his work. It's a remedy for pride, not a dismissal of your labor.

If I'm not indispensable, why should I keep serving?

Because serving isn't a negotiation with God, it's a response to his grace. As Mikaël BEYNAT reminds us, when you're saved, you no longer do good works in order to be saved, but because you are saved. And Jesus warns in the parable of the talents that the servant who does nothing will be judged severely. You're not responsible for the whole world, but you are responsible for the sphere (family, friends, acquaintances, church) that God has entrusted to you.

How do I actually live out this humility day to day?

By actively giving God the glory for every good work accomplished: "What do you have that you didn't receive?" By letting others encourage you without singing your own praises (Proverbs 27:2). By remembering that Jesus, your Master, made himself a slave all the way to the cross for you. And by cultivating this inward prayer: "Lord, I am only a jar of clay, but what a privilege that you use me."