Gospel commentary for Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

Greatness lies in service

In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares a parable unique to Luke, teaching us the essence of a life dedicated to service. Through three rhetorical questions, Jesus draws on everyday life to illustrate how we, like the servants in His parables, are called to serve without expectation of reward. He asks, “Which of you, with a servant ploughing or tending sheep, would say, ‘Come at once to sit down and eat?’” The answer is obvious: no one would. The master, instead, instructs the servant to prepare his meal first and eat only afterwards.

Jesus uses these questions to shift our perspective, encouraging us to approach our duties as acts of humble service. He concludes, “When you have done all you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Jesus Himself embodied this spirit of service: “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

This call to service aligns with the faith of the poor and humble in Jesus’ time, who awaited a Messiah not as a mighty ruler, but as a humble servant. In fact, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her fiat, embodies this ideal: “I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). Jesus, at His baptism and transfiguration, is affirmed by the Father as the Servant who fulfills Isaiah’s prophecies of God’s humble servant.

As disciples, we too are invited to embrace this role, serving others and awaiting the day when the Lord, our Master, will serve us at His heavenly banquet (Luke 12:37). Like St. Paul, we remember that in our work, God alone brings growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). True greatness in the Kingdom of God lies in service, where only God’s grace completes the work we begin.