With Great Power …
In the lore of Spider-Man, Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben delivers an iconic line. Peter, still a high schooler, begins to experience remarkable abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Unsurprisingly, he uses these powers for self-promotion. Uncle Ben gently guides his unreceptive nephew: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The sticky hero ignores the counsel of his gray-haired caregiver. Soon, however, devastating events unfold that transform the egotistical Peter Parker into the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man—a hero who forever lives in the shadow of Uncle Ben’s enduring wisdom: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Ben’s keen advice, though, echoes a much older insight. Nearly 2,000 years before Spider-Man swung from Manhattan skyscrapers, Jesus of Nazareth told a story about responsibility and accountability. In Luke 12, Jesus describes a master who departs and leaves a servant in charge of his household. When the master delays his return, the servant grows impatient and begins to misuse resources and mistreat others. When the master finally returns unexpectedly, the self-serving steward is punished severely and assigned a place with unbelievers (Luke 12:46).
Jesus does not stop there. He explains the logic behind the punishment: “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows” (v. 47). Knowledge increases accountability. To know the master’s will and ignore it brings greater consequence. Jesus then contrasts this with another servant: “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows” (v. 48). Ignorance does not remove responsibility, but it lessens culpability. Jesus concludes with a principle that sounds remarkably familiar: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (v. 48).
That leads to a question each of us must answer: has God given you much? If the answer is yes, then much is required. If God has entrusted you with more, then more will be asked.
Jesus’ teaching challenges typical human thinking. We prefer comparison. We look at our unbelieving neighbors and feel smug about our spiritual contributions: “Look at what I’ve done for the Lord!” Compared to someone living without restraint, we feel accomplished—and sometimes justified. But God does not compare us to others. God compares us to ourselves. God measures our output against our potential. How does your output match what you are capable of?
Too often, we discount or waste our potential. Perhaps you are musically gifted but never use it for God’s glory. Perhaps you enjoy financial stability but do not see yourself as someone who could be generous. Perhaps words come easily, yet they are spent on cheap laughs rather than sharing God’s love. Perhaps you are diligent, but your effort is directed away from advancing God’s kingdom. Perhaps you have time, yet you feel too busy to help others.
So how has God blessed you? And how are you using that blessing? Uncle Ben was right: “With great power comes great responsibility.” As followers of Jesus Christ, God has entrusted each of us with great power. Let’s use it well.
