“We Have Only Done Our Duty!”

“We Have Only Done Our Duty!”(Lk.17:7-10).
“The rich man in his castle. The poor man at his gate. God made them high or lowly. And order’d their estate.” This is a stanza that was later added to the poem, “All things bright and beautiful…” by Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848.
The added stanza is a social and theological asserton that the rich man and the poor man occupy social positions ordained by God.
There is a theological wrongness in this assertion because poverty to a larger extent is caused by *”empire”, “capitalism”, etc, in what Engelbert Mveng called *”anthropological poverty!”*
The rich get richer at the expense of the poor because the rich get richer only when they succeed to make the poor poorer and poorer. Even when the poor are helped through humanitarian agencies, only particles of such help reach those who deserve them. The process of sourcing for the funding and the chain of distribution only help to enrich the chain from the top rung of tbe ladder in descending order. What a world!
Truth be told, if you are not satisfied with the blessings that you have received at your level, if you keep looking only at what others have, you will be a disgruntled and frustrated person all your life.
Luke the evangelist gives the impression that Jesus thinks that it is not necessary to break this chain of social and capital disequilibrium! A servant or shepherd will labour all day in the field. When he returns home the master says to him, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink.” The master shows no appreciation for the work the servant does, because it is in the servant’s job description. This is not fair!
However, Jesus concluded,“So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'”
“We have only done our duty” is not a statement that liberates and uplifts the status of the downtrodden. However it is a profound theological statement which raises our awareness on the importance of service to humanity. For as scripture says, “whatever your task, work heartily as serving the Lord and not men,”
Bribery and corruption is born out of this moral and spiritual emptiness whereby we do our normal duty yet expect extra compensation for what we have been paid to do. This too is not fair!
We are servants at our ifferent levels and callings. We do the work for which we are paid for and which are listed in our various job descriptions.As Christians, at our work places we should not ask for extra favours to do what we are paid to do. Besides, when we engage in acts of love that help to enhance the gospel, we should not ask for compensation. We are only doing our duty!
Prayer: Holy Spirit help me daily to work heartily as serving the Lord and not for extra favours. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev. Babila Fochang