The Parable of the Master and Servant also known as the Parable of the Unworthy Servant or the Parable of the Unprofitable Servant is a parable told by Jesus in the New Testament, found only in Luke's Gospel (). The parable teaches that when somebody "has done what God expects, he or she is only doing his or her duty."
Narrative The parable reads as follows:
Interpretation This parable suggests that "even the best of God's servants are still unworthy because they have only done their duty and no more."Mark Black, Luke, College Press, 1996, , p. 285. Nobody, "no matter how virtuous or hardworking, can ever put God in his or her debt."Arland J. Hultgren, The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary, Eerdmans Publishing, 2002, , p. 251.
William BarclayWilliam Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, , p. 257. relates the parable to the last verse of the Isaac Watts hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross":
Were the whole realm of Nature mine, That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.WikiSource: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.
The phrase "unworthy servant" in the last verse of the parable is widely used liturgically, such as in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.The divine liturgy of our father Saint John Chyrsostom, Byzantine Seminary Press, 1965 , footnote 100.
Scottish biblical writer William Nicoll refers to this story as "the parable of extra service".Nicoll, W., The Expositor's Greek Testament on Luke 17, accessed 4 July 2018
See also Life of Jesus in the New Testament Ministry of Jesus Parable of the Two Debtors Parable of the Faithful Servant
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