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When He Has Come In From The Field

Keraza Magazine issue 5-6 January 30, 2015

When the disciples asked the Lord Christ to increase their faith, He first spoke to them of the faith of the mustard seed, then continued: "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat '? But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?" (Luke 17:7-8).

Note in this parable that the expression, "when he has come in from the field," is a transition stage between two timeframes in the spiritual struggle:

1. The timeframe of service in the field, in plowing and tending, which appears as a toilsome stage of struggle, full of labor, accomplished under many challenges: the sun’s heat, winter cold, storms, and winds: "In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes" (Genesis 31:40).
   
   
2. The timeframe of coming in from the field, that is, coming into the chamber of the heart, to the internal kingdom in the inner being. Yet, this entry, in and of itself, is not sufficient to announce the arrival of the era of solace, rather, the era of being girded up and serving the Master personally, and fulfilling His will. It is a stage of transferring the servant from entrustment with the Master’s possessions to entrustment with the Master Himself. It is the transition stage from worshipping in body to worshipping in spirit, from being concerned with many things to focusing on the good part.

In truth, here God asks his servants for proof of their faith. The servant’s soul, who suffered much toil and labor in the service lifelong, is impatient in seeking rest as a reward. Yet, that very moment is a test of faith, contentment, patience, and self-denial. This is a moment to correct erred understandings. The servant might assume in foolishness and wretchedness, being influenced by self-pity and self-love, that what was offered was as a loan to the Master, and so seeks repayment of this loan. In truth, this is the trap into which St. Peter fell when he said to the Lord, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" (Matthew 19:27), as if he is saying to Him, "Pay us back quickly. This is our right in exchange for what we have offered." Yet, Peter, who was still crawling along the way of faith, did not know that he still had a very long road ahead of him of struggle until bloodshed before being crowned. There are no demands for rights and rewards in faith, neither on the level of consciousness, nor on the level of unconsciousness and internal expectations. All those who stop at the stage of service in the field, imagining they have fulfilled all labor of struggle, are deceived by the enemy, who enlists these labors to cause arrogance and haughtiness. As for the way of perfection of faith, it is forgetting what is behind and entering into the deep with all humility to prepare the dinner for the Master. Yet, here is the Master, ever merciful, who will not be pleased, out of His compassion and humbleness, to dine alone without us. Although it might appear that the servant is the one who came in from the field and prepared the dinner for the Master, the mystical spiritual truth mentions that the Master is the one who comes in to us and dines with us, and we with Him (Revelation 3:21).

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States