The Orthodox Pages

 

 ASK AN ORTHODOX PRIEST

Homepage

 

   Back                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Question 431

Are we prodigal sons or unprofitable servants. How are we both?

 

 

Answer to Question 431

 

Indeed we are all prodigal sons because we have wasted the inheritance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit we were given at baptism, but like the Prodigal we can come to our senses and take that long and difficult journey back to our ancestral home. As for being unprofitable servants, this has get to be decided. We are all given our share of the talents and our life on earth is how we put them to use. If we use our talents to gain more then we will hear the lord say "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." But if we bury our talent and do nothing with it then we will have the reward of the unfaithful and unprofitable servant

 

Same member

Fr I was talking about Luke 17:10 unprofitable. Either he welcomes us back with open arms as sons or we are as servants

 

Reply

In the verse you have quoted the unprofitable servant means that we should always say that we are unprofitable servants because no matter what we do as our duty to God, he has no need of our service and like a servant we shouldn’t expect any reward. God is like the master he mentions and all we do is our appointed duty so shouldn’t expect anything in return. Thus he is not saying that we are unprofitable servants, but that our state of mind towards him should be as an unprofitable servant always doing what is expected of us without thinking that we are deserving of rewards for our actions