Jesus is a master teacher and a master communicator.
Sometimes, Jesus used parables to illustrate and to teach lessons about different things – the coming dispensation or to communicate some eternal truths. This he did because it was not time to fully unveil the mysteries of God and at other times because that was the best he could do in trying to communicate spiritual truths to men that were spiritually dead and could not understand the things of the spirit.
So the parables were illustrative and not descriptive and thus had facts, fiction, and lesson. Some of them were about Israel as a nation vs God; Jews vs Gentiles; Law vs Grace; the believer vs the world; different ways in which people respond to the word of God; how people treat Jesus and the free gift of God; or teaching the character of God – how much more God is gracious.
We can misunderstand and misapply these parables when we try hard to fix ourselves into all the characters of the stories or apply all the tiny details of the stories to ourselves.
In this parable, Jesus was talking to his disciples about forgiveness and walking in love. To them, the scenario Jesus painted was impossible, especially as mere men and with legalistic mindsets. In their helplessness, they cried out to Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus then told a story to teach the lesson that the issue was not the size of their faith but about them allowing their faith to be idle instead of engaging it as a master would engage his servant and the servant would readily carry out the task.
Notice that the disciples were the master in that hypothetical narrative (which of you having a servant) and not the unprofitable servant. Do not call yourself less than what God has called you. As a believer, you are not an unprofitable servant. You are God’s masterpiece (the very best, his greatest work) created in Christ Jesus for good works.
The love-walk is a faith-walk. Put your faith to work!
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