Introduction
We are all familiar with the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32. By meditating on this story, particularly on verses 17-19, where the son decides to return to his father and requests to be made one of his hired servants, we can ask ourselves: how can we become true servants of the Lord? Although the son initially rebelled against his father, he eventually reached a point in his life when he truly believed, from the depths of his heart, that the best course for him was to serve his father as one of his servants. To learn more about becoming true servants of the Lord, we can link the story of the prodigal son with the parable of the unworthy servants from Luke 17:5-10 and the parable of the man with two sons from Matthew 21:28-30. In this blog article, we will draw from these three parables and explore three essential requirements for becoming a true servant of the Lord.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Bible teaches us that there is rejoicing in heaven when sinners repent and come to follow the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. In Luke 15, the Bible teaches that God the Father Himself has shown mercy to all humans through the work of the beloved Son of God on earth, who shows love and mercy to all sinners. The beloved Son of God calls all sinners back to Him by teaching them and showing them the way to be saved. One specific teaching is found in Luke 15:11-32, which presents the parable of the father and his two sons, commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son. In this story, the father displays mercy and love toward both sons, dividing his property between them according to his judgment. He joyfully welcomes back the lost son and, with love, encourages the other son to forgive his brother. Our heavenly Father is like the father in this parable: He shows mercy and love to all His children and rejoices when any of them repent, seek forgiveness, and return to Him. What can we learn from the journey of faith experienced by the prodigal son? Let’s explore Luke 15:17-19.
Luke 15:17 But having come to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have an abundance of bread, but I am perishing here with hunger!
Comments Luke 15:17. “But having come to himself.” The Lord wants to tell everyone that when you come to yourself, it is when you realize that you, by yourself, can’t make it alone. But you have someone who loves you and will give you according to your needs, regardless of earthly or spiritual; come to that One: God Almighty is the merciful One who will help you when you repent and come to ask His mercy.
“How many hired servants of my father …” As this portion of the verse has told, all Christians should think again: when you come to the Lord with faith, do not look what someone else has, but go back to your God who has all of your needs, and you will have leftovers; don’t be proud of yourself, come back home to the Lord your true Father.
18 I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, Father, I have sinned to heaven, and before you;
Comments Luke 15:18. This verse clearly tells us that at this point, the son came to himself and admitted his sin against his father, as all humans should do: confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, and believe that your God is merciful and will forgive you all your sins if you repent.
“Sinned to heaven.” In this place, the saying “sinned to heaven” means sinned against the will of the Father. God created humans; children must obey their parents, and in this parable, the son did not obey his father. So, here it talks about children and parents who are believers.
When saying “sinned to heaven,” the person fights with God. When the person sinned against heaven, that person intended to fight against the Father Himself.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your servants.
Comments Luke 15:19. This verse is the heart of this parable: to see yourself as not worthy but still wanting to serve the Lord God Almighty. To be “a servant of the Lord” is what the heart of all believers should be, not just enjoying God’s creation. So, feel like God’s servant and do according to His will. A servant will wait for the master’s order; you, as Christians, also wait upon the Lord’s mercy and wishes.
The first essential requirement to become a true servant of the Lord, as we learn from this story, is to acknowledge our unworthiness because we are all sinners. Regardless of whether our sins seem large or small, we are all viewed as sinners in God’s eyes. Therefore, we need genuine, heartfelt repentance and a complete dedication of our hearts to serve the Master and to wait upon the Lord’s mercy and will. We must reach a point where we can say: “Father, I am not worthy to be called your child, but I come to you in the name of Your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and want to become Your servant. Please forgive my sins in His name and allow me to be a servant of the Trinity of God—God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit—by your grace and mercy, which are offered to us through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Parable of the Unworthy Servants
In Luke 17, the Lord Jesus, speaking to His disciples about faith, gives them the parable of the unworthy servants in Luke 17:7-10. When meditating on this parable, everyone will notice that the servant of man and the servant of God have different duties; the servant of God should not emphasize on the earthly things; the reward is not here to look for, but in heaven.
Luke 17:7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, having come in from the field will say to him, Come straightaway and recline;
8 but will not he say to him, Make ready what I may eat, and gird yourself, and serve me, until I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink?
Comments Luke 17:7-8. In these verses, the Lord wants to teach all readers that everyone should know their own position. Also, everyone should put the One who is important in their life first. Everyone must put the Lord their God first and, after that, their parents, whom the Lord has used in creating them to be alive. You must also consider your duties. Your first duty is always to serve the Lord your God, then after that, serve other responsibilities that God has given you.
9 Does he thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded?
Comments Luke 17:9. Let the reader understand: when the Lord has put something in your heart, do it accordingly and give thanks to the Lord that He has given you that duty. Even if that duty is very, very small, if you do it, it becomes big in the eyes of the Lord Himself.
10 So you also, when you may have done all the things having been commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
Comments Luke 17:10. “So you also, when you may have done all the things having been commanded you.” The first thing the Lord wants to see is: are you listening and obeying His commandments, not just a portion of them, but all of them? Regardless of what the commandment is, consider it as a duty that you must fulfill because that is what the Lord expects you to do.
“Say, We are unworthy servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.” According to the verse itself, the Lord wants all readers to realize that to be a servant of the Lord, you must humble yourself, do not think that you are better than others, do your duty as a good servant of the Lord, and all the rewards will be waiting. In this verse, the person wishes to do but does not; that is why we use the term “you must humble yourself.” Desire and ability are different, and here, you do as the Lord gives you the ability to do. This servant thought he did not have enough worth. That is why he only does what he was ordered to do. Still, if you think that you are not worthy of doing the work, then you have put the Lord on the wrong side for giving you a duty that you are not able to do; the Lord knows your ability as well. To do work for the Lord and not gain benefit for themselves, this also makes the servants not want to work beyond what they think is their duty. When you are serving the Lord, you must do all the work that the Lord has given you the ability to do. And, even if you do more work than what you have received, you will also receive the ability to do it. If you seek to do all the work the Lord has given you, the Lord will also give you joy and the ability to do it. Sometimes, you may do more than you think you should, but that is to glorify the Lord.
“We are unworthy servants.” One might wonder, when the servants say, “We are unworthy,” are they referring to being unworthy to their master or to themselves? The meaning here is that the servants say that they are unworthy (not bringing worth) to themselves; they will not gain anything for doing what they are commanded to do. They think that if they just follow orders, it will not bring them any worth. In order to understand this parable, the mind of the servant in the parable coming from the field needs to be related to the mind of a Christian serving the Lord. The Lord wants us to humble ourselves and do all His commandments first from our hearts, not just do the commandments mechanically as a duty, and think that there is no worth to serving the Lord because we do not have any earthly benefits.
The second essential requirement to become a true servant of the Lord is that we must serve Him sincerely from our hearts, rather than mechanically out of a sense of duty. We should joyfully follow the commandments He gives us, regardless of any earthly benefits He may provide. We should not expect any gains in return for being servants of the Lord, nor should we anticipate miracles. The mighty miracle the Lord Jesus did for the world, His resurrection from the dead, is recorded in the Bible and should be our primary motivation for serving Him. The Lord Jesus was crucified, died on the cross, was buried in the tomb, and rose from the dead on the third day. His resurrection is the only miracle we need to inspire us to serve the Lord Jesus, as we will rise with Him when He returns to the earth again (1 Corinthians 15:17-19, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The Parable of the Father and Two Sons
In Matthew 21:28-30, we find the parable of the father and two sons. This parable tells us that the Father gives chances to everyone at the same time. However, each person’s response to the Father’s call will determine where each one will go.
Matthew 21:28 But what do you think? A man had two sons; and having come to the first, he said, Son, go work today in the vineyard.
Comments Matthew 21:28. This parable has two parts. The first part tells the story of the two sons listening to the Father. The second part shows the actions of the two sons and the results of the mercy of the Father.
In this part, we will explain the significance of the characters and elements in the parable. “A man” here stands for the Father. The “two sons” stand one for the Pharisees and the other for those who listen to John the Baptist’s message. The “work” in this verse means to follow and meditate on the commandments, do as the commandments say, and let the world see you following the commandments. And, “vineyard” means the world.
29 And answering he said, I will not; but having repented, he went.
30 And having come to the second, he said likewise. And answering he said, I; but he did not go.
Comments Matthew 21:29-30. “... I will not; but having repented, he went. ... I; but he did not go.” The Father is looking at two types of people. The Father gives all of them a chance at the same time. The response of each individual to the call will determine where each one will go. Each one turned out in a different way, but the Lord gave them both the same chance.
31 Which of the two did the will of the father? They say, The first. Jesus says to them, Truly I say to you, that the tax collectors and the prostitutes go before you into the kingdom of God.
Comments Matthew 21:31. They can make the assessment, but they don’t know how to bring it to use in their walk of following the Lord.
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; however, the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; then you, having seen, did not even repent afterward to believe him.
Comments Matthew 21:32. This verse shows the plan of the Father for humans to come to the Lord. With the Father’s mercy, not just for His own people, but for the whole world, the messenger has come and pointed out to the Savior of the world. It is an easy way for humankind, but humans want to be as great as God and ignore His message and deny the Savior. The chosen ones will listen to the message, but the outcasts will ignore the true message from the Father. Even now, the disobedient ones still ignore the message.
The third requirement for becoming true servants of the Lord is to read and meditate on the Word of God throughout our lives and to follow His commandments. The Lord calls all His servants to work in His vineyard. This means we should engage with the Word of God, adhere to the commandments, spread the good news about the Lord Jesus, and allow the world to see us living according to His teachings. We are to embrace the Gospel of the Lord Jesus and share it with everyone we encounter, proclaiming that He is the Son of God who came into the world to bring salvation to all.
Conclusions
In conclusion, to truly become servants of the Trinity of God—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit—we must first acknowledge our unworthiness and sinful state, seeking forgiveness in the name of our Lord Jesus. Second, we must serve the Lord with all our hearts, without expecting any rewards in this world or any visible miracles, except for those described in the Bible, including the mighty miracle: the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead. Finally, we must remain faithful servants of the Lord throughout our entire lives by reading and meditating on the Word of God, practicing His commandments, and sharing the good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man, came to earth to bring salvation to all.
Meditation Tasks
- Let us all pray and ask the Lord to guide us in finding our call in serving Him; meditate on how to become better servants of the Lord Jesus, recognizing Him as our Lord, Master, and Teacher. We invite all readers to check out our blog article titled “Take Up Your Cross and Follow!”
- We can reflect on whether we consider ourselves worthy or unworthy servants in response to the call that the Lord has placed upon us. To assist with this meditation, we encourage you to read our other blog article titled “Are We Worthy or Unworthy Servants?”