A Question Of Duty

by J. L. Ferguson, Barrhead | Category: General | Oct 1977

It all arose out of the Lord's word regarding forgiveness in Luke 17. It seemed to the apostles to place altogether excessive demands upon them. It was not the first time He had spoken on the subject. Very early in His ministry He had taught the disciples that there was no point in asking their heavenly Father for forgiveness if they themselves were not prepared to forgive others. On another occasion He had told them that so vast was the debt their Father had forgiven them, that any forgiveness shown by them to others was small by contrast. But now the word was even more explicit and expansive. "Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him". It is the only time that the apostles are recorded as replying in unison to the Lord. They said, "Increase our faith".

But the Lord pointed out that this was not a question of faith, it was one of duty. First rebuke the brother who has wronged you. But then, if he expresses his regret, forgive him. Thereafter there is to be no limit to recurrence of the procedure.

It brought from the Lord a very interesting parable on the subject of the sense of duty which prompted response to His commandments. He referred to the farmer who engages a servant to plough and to keep the sheep. At the close of the day it was not a question of the farmer calling the servant in from the field to the evening meal and attending first to his needs. Indeed it was just the reverse. "Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do".

Ploughing and keeping sheep - there is something very akin to this in our own commandments from the Lord. We have an outgoing commission to take the message of life and the word of truth to others. This "ploughing" is very, very often hard and seeming unrewarding work. Talks with neighbours, friends and colleagues; Bible messages from door to door; teaming up with brethren and sisters for outreach work. The servants of the Lord still plough in the steadfast hope of reaping someone, some day: still sow in tears in the dauntless faith that sheaves will yet be gathered in.

We have also the continual demands of assembly life. Sometimes it is

hard going, this matter of "keeping sheep". Caring for one another; avoiding offence; visiting the afflicted; constant in attendance while others seem to sit on the perimeter; some brethren in perpetual exercise; others with their talent hidden away; well instructed sisters maintaining their subjection though irksome many a time.

But our Master says that this is the path of duty. Sometimes we chafe our spirits, questioning our motives in all this. Are we doing it "for love's sake"? Well indeed when it is so. But the plain fact remains, that we have received certain specific commands from our absent Lord and in our loyalty to Him it is our unremitting duty to respond.

Then one day, at even-time. we shall all go in together from ploughing and keeping sheep. And on our way to whatever place of service may be assigned to us in infinite grace in the eternal Kingdom, we shall stay a little while at His Judgement-se at. Please God, we shall come there, in spite of all our failures, in that sense of accomplishment envisaged in verse 10 of our chapter, "Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you". And already, as it were, the Master has taught us what to be ready to say at the conclusion of our giving of account, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.

Amy Carmichael, you may remember, wrote very beautifully about India and duty:

When each duty crowds the other

Through the sultry days,

Plant the little flower of patience

By our ways.

When the slothful flesh would murmur,

Ease would cast her spell,

Set our face as flint till twilight's

Vesper bell.

On Thy brow we see a thorn-crown,

Blood-drops in Thy track,

O forbid that we should ever