Jesus and Downton Abbey
/November 18, 2019
Scripture
“Won’t he rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? …. 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.” ’” (Luke 17:8-10 NIV)
“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will make them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” (Luke 12:37 NIVUK)
Jesus and Downton Abbey
I find the class structures of shows like Downton Abbey annoying, repressive and marvellously entertaining. But I root for the shoeshine guy and the laundress. I was reading Jesus’ parable about an upper-class Downton type who, after his staff have worked his fields, still has them serve his dinner. Then frees them to eat. He ends by telling his friends to just accept their duty and not expect applause.
In another story, Jesus envisions another Downton elite whose staff are waiting to welcome him home and rush out to the driveway to meet his coach and usher him in the door. Then he tells the staff to sit down and he will put on his serving apron and serve them dinner. Now I like this story better.
Noodling these two stories I realized Jesus was encouraging me to see that doing my duty – loving, forgiving, caring for the brokenness of our world - is just to be expected, not unusual. On the other hand he encourages me to see that I serve one who does recognize when we do our duty and desires us to be fed with what we need to do our work.
A Prayer for Today
Loving God, Jesus generated parables at speed and volume. Help me learn what he wants to teach me about my attitude to love and forgiveness as normal, not heroic, expressions of my obedience to you. But thank you for your love and care for us that as we follow you desire to feed us – with the forgiveness, vision and hope we need for the work you give us.…. For Jesus’ sake
