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Response
“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” «But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. », (Luke 12:48). This statement of Jesus has become somewhat of an idiom in Western culture and is found, paraphrased, in Uncle Ben’s words of wisdom to Peter Parker in Spider-man: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
The concept of “to whom much is given, much will be required” implies that we are accountable for what we possess. If we are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and similar resources, it is expected that we utilize them well to glorify God and benefit others.
In this context, Jesus had just shared a parable about being prepared for His return. His disciple Peter inquired whether the parable applied only to them or to everyone. Jesus responded with another parable, identifying the “faithful and wise manager” as one who distributes provisions “at the proper time.” Upon the master’s return and finding the faithful servant managing his resources effectively, he “puts him in charge of all his possessions” (Luke 12:42-44). We have been entrusted with certain resources, and faithfulness necessitates wise and selfless management of these resources.
Jesus further elaborated on the parable with a scenario: “Suppose the servant thinks to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come.”
And he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 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” (Luke 12:44-47). The unfaithful servant mismanages the master’s resources to satiate his own greed, and Jesus warns that judgment is certain for that servant. The Lord then summarizes the point of the parable with these words: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (verse 48, ESV). A related parable that also deals with stewardship is the Parable of the Talents (or the Parable of the Bags of Gold) in Matthew 25:14–30.
It is easy to assume that only wealthy people have been “given much,” but, in truth, we have all been given much «For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if you had not received it? », (1 Corinthians 4:7). We have been granted the abundant grace of God (Ephesians 1:3-10;3:16-21;Romans 5:8-11;8:14-17), the Word of God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-21;16:13;Romans 12:6). “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” «As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another».
As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, (1 Peter 4:10).
We should also not assume that the less we know about God and His gifts, the less we will have to do. As evident in Jesus’ parable, we are held responsible to know our master’s will. God has plainly shown us what He requires «He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? », (Micah 6:8).
God gives us resources such as finances and time, talents such as culinary skills or musical ability, and spiritual gifts such as encouragement or teaching. We should ask God for wisdom on how to use those resources and commit ourselves to expending them according to His will so that He may be glorified. In regards to spiritual gifts, Paul said, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:6-8). This is simply responsible stewardship.
We have been given much, and God desires us to use what He has given to further His Kingdom and proclaim His glory. It’s what we were created to do. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. . . . For the Son of Man . . . will reward each person according to what they have done’” (Matthew 16:2).
(Matthew 16:24-25, 27). We are called to be living sacrifices “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”, (Romans 12:1), giving back the blessings God has bestowed upon us by serving others, and through this, we discover true life. God, the source of every good gift “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”, (James 1:17), equips us with all we need to carry out His divine purpose. “Freely you have received; freely give” “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”, (Matthew 10:8).
