What is the meaning of Luke 17:7?

Which of you

- Jesus often opens with a question that draws listeners into personal reflection (Matthew 7:9–11; Luke 11:5–7).

- By asking “Which of you,” He invites each disciple to examine his own expectations of authority and service.

- The form of the question assumes the answer is obvious: no one would do what He is about to describe.

---

Whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field

- The imagery is everyday first-century life—servants laboring hard in fieldwork, a picture of diligence and duty (1 Corinthians 9:7).

- Plowing and shepherding represent demanding, necessary tasks; the servant’s effort is assumed, not exceptional (Luke 17:10).

- Jesus underscores that the master-servant relationship is ordered: the servant’s responsibility is to work until the master’s needs are fully met (Luke 12:42–44).

---

Will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’

- Listeners know a master would not set aside his own authority by immediately serving the servant (John 13:16; Luke 22:27).

- Instead, the servant is expected to continue serving inside the house—preparing the master’s meal—before tending to his own hunger (Luke 17:8).

- The contrast heightens Jesus’ later point that disciples should view their obedience as the normal response to God’s lordship, not grounds for merit or reward (Romans 11:35–36; Ephesians 2:8–9).

---

summary

Luke 17:7 launches a short parable stressing that servants fulfill their assigned work without expecting special treatment. Jesus reminds disciples that wholehearted obedience is simply their reasonable duty to their Lord. Recognition and reward rest in His grace, not in any claim we make on Him.