servant

In the Gospel According to Matthew 6:24 (NABRE), Jesus makes a statement about what it means to be a servant of God: “No one can serve two masters.” The remainder of this passage goes on to explain what Jesus meant in more depth, but even with all that additional context, it’s easy to miss one of the more important implications of this passage because of the translation.

The verb translated here as serve is δοῦλος (doulos), related to the Greek word for slave. This word describes someone born into bondage and destined for a lifetime of slavery. Note that in this passage there’s no choice as to whether or not someone will be a servant or slave but only who will be the master. What do you think this suggests about Jesus’ view of humanity? Do you agree or disagree with this point of view?

related topics: humility; Letter to the Philippians; slave

you also may like our free Lenten study of Jesus’ Passion (digital only)
Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering is a five-lesson Catholic Bible study offering an in-depth look at the biblical foundations of the movie The Passion of the Christ. This revised study, which has been granted an imprimatur, contains all of the original material of the 2004 edition as well as many new features in an improved, reader-friendly format. Free digital lessons of Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering are available on our website during Lent. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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