Report to the Master

“When the fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their Master all that had taken place.” Matthew 18:31

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus responded to the question: “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” The story shows a servant, forgiven of a great debt by his master, but in return does not extend that forgiveness to another. Instead, he sends a man to prison who owes him a debt much smaller than what he was pardoned for. This shrewd action caused his “fellow servants” to go and report this to the master.

Injustice is all around us. Do we report to our King? When we “see” what has taken place are we “greatly distressed? Have we been desensitized to the horrors of death, murder, sickness, the poor, the hungry and fail to report as a good soldier to the King? Do we say at the fatality of another U.S. soldier, “Oh, that is too bad” and continue on with the day? Do we read or view the daily news with a heart not ready to jump to prayer because of the crumbling reality of this world? Are there things going on in our place of work, in our communities, with our children, and even within the Church that need an official detailed prayer manifesto to the Master?

When we do decide to go, as the servants did, we should likewise give an account of All that has taken place. The Scripture says “they went and reported to their Master ALL that had taken place.” Let us leave out no detail when we report to our High Official in prayer. When we know All that has taken place, this assumes that we are entrenched in the details, witnesses in some way, and concerned with the acute and finer points of the situation at hand. This reveals our true concern.

Let us make a great effort to stay sensitive to the hurting reality of others and problems we face daily. We ought to be wise and know the times, our culture, and the movements of global powers & world events. We preserve society by prayer and holy activity. Shall we not report to the King and in some mysterious way move Him to action and justice? I think we ought.