To illustrate the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him, consider what I might say on a pastoral visit when entering the hospital room of one of my people. They look up from their bed with a smile and say, “Oh, Pastor John, how good of you to come. What an encouragement.” And suppose I lift up my hand, as it were to deflect the words, and say matter-of-factly, “Don’t mention it. It’s my duty as a pastor.” Now, what is wrong here? Why do we cringe at such a thoughtless pastoral statement? It is my duty. And duty is a good thing. So why does that statement do so much damage?
It damages because it does not honor the sick person. Why? Because delight confers more honor than duty does. Doing hospital visitation out of mere duty honors duty. Doing it out of delight honors the patients. And they feel that. The right pastoral response to the patient’s greeting would have been, “it’s a pleasure to be here. I’m glad I could come.” Do you see the paradox here? Those two sentences would show that I am “seeking my own.” “It’s my please to be here. I’m glad I could come.” And yet the reason these statements are not selfish is that they confer honor on the patient, not on the pastor. When someone delights in you, you feel honored. When someone finds happiness in being around you, you feel treasured, appreciated, glorified. Visiting the sick because you are glad to be there is a loving thing to do.
-John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad
Here’s my question:
Does delight confer more honor than duty in all cultures? Is it a universal human value or something specific to certain cultures?