Great Responsibility

by: Sara Leo

In the movie Spiderman, Peter Parker discovers that a spider bite has given him extraordinary strength and power. At first he has a lot of fun using his powers to jump over buildings and fight off bullies to impress his boyhood crush, Mary Jane. But then Peter’s Uncle Ben is murdered. This tragedy forces Peter to consider his uncle’s advice: “with great power comes great responsibility.” Only when he starts using his powers to help others does Parker become the superhero he was meant to be.

We may not be superheroes with superpowers, but we do live in a world of privilege. If you have enough clothes, food to eat, a warm place to sleep, an education and a decent income, you are among the privileged minority of the world’s population. All our possessions and all our knowledge and abilities give us so much power. The question of Spiderman then comes to us: How are we using this power? Jesus put it this way, “to whom much has been given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48 NRSV). In the Bible, God repeatedly calls us to use our power and privilege on behalf of those less fortunate. His gifts aren’t intended just for us. They are for us to use wisely, responsibly, and selflessly. The real heroes are those who do that.