Friendly Neighborhood Christians

  • May 21, 2024
  • /
  • John Tillman

Scripture Focus: Luke 12.41-48
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” 
42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 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.

47 “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. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. 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. 

Reflection: Friendly Neighborhood Christians
By John Tillman

In Spider-Man’s origin story, Peter’s uncle, Ben Parker, tells his super-powered nephew, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Versions of this idea floated around our culture for many years. Before Ben Parker, Churchill and both Roosevelts said similar things. There’s even a version in an early Superman film.

However, Stan Lee cemented “with great power” into our culture through Spider-Man comics of the 60s and 70s, and it became a defining theme for Peter Parker’s moral compass and the Marvel universe. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, the aphorism is a good paraphrase of Luke 12.48.

Ben Parker shared his wisdom with Peter at a moment of confusion in his life. Jesus shared his version with Peter, his often confused disciple. Peter was confused about the parable of watchfulness. Who was Jesus saying should be watchful?

Jesus answered by continuing the parable, starting with a question, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager…?” (Luke 12.42) Jesus says the faithful manager feeds the other servants and cares for them. This is echoed later when Jesus commands Peter to “Feed my sheep.” (John 21.17) By contrast, the wicked manager feeds himself to excess and abuses both men and women.

Many people love to costume themselves as heroes, but they have no humility and serve only their own interests. These fake heroes are wicked managers who demand loyalty and immunity rather than taking responsibility or submitting to accountability. In society and the church we have many leaders who dominate and abuse rather than serve and feed. Jesus warns, they will be harshly judged.

So, are these warnings just for powerful people? Just for the world? Just for the disciples? They are for “everyone who has been given much.” (Luke 12.48)

Jesus’ disciple Peter had little power or influence. Perhaps you feel the same. However, we have been “given much.” Neither Peter Parker nor Peter the disciple knew what was in store for them or what power was at work in them. Don’t forget what we’ve been given. 

We have the Holy Spirit of God within us, the gospel to take with us, God’s word to guide us, and a world in need before us. Don’t try to be a hero. Just be a faithful manager of what you have and where you are. You don’t need to be a “hero” influencer or leader. Don’t underestimate the power of being a “friendly neighborhood Christian.”

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Jesus taught us, saying: “Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.” — Matthew  7.15-20

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Zechariah 3 (Listen 1:48)
Luke 12 (Listen 7:42)

Read more about Christ, the True Hero
“With great power comes great responsibility” is a rephrase of Luke 12:48.
The deeper truth of Spider-man’s proverb is that the powerful are seldom responsible.

Christ, the True Hero

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Christ, the True Hero

  • June 10, 2019
  • /
  • John Tillman

Psalm 101.8
Every morning I will put to silence
   all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
   from the city of the Lord.

Luke 12.48b
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.

Reflection: Christ, the True Hero
By John Tillman

Superhero origin stories often contain a moment of dedication defining the hero’s identity, mission, and philosophy. The simplest, and perhaps most resonant with truth, is the six-word proverb that guides the moral compass of Peter Parker’s universe: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is a stripped-down, modern rephrase of Luke 12:48.

Superheroes aren’t new. (In terms of culture and Christendom, the 1960s are still new.) Spider-man, Batman, and other heroes are throwbacks in both style and purpose to the tales of flawed, human-like Greco-Roman gods, intended to inspire stoicism and virtue as well as entertain.

Though this lens, we often see biblical figures as superheroes. In that vein, Psalm 101 (from yesterday’s readings) reads as if it is David’s superhero oath.

Charles Spurgeon called this Psalm a, “Psalm of Pious Resolutions.” Some scholars, including Spurgeon, believe this Psalm may have been written by David just prior to or just after being made the king of Israel.

Our cultural “superhero” lens can cause us to see ourselves as the “hero” in biblical accounts. However, imagining that God might use us to defeat a giant as David did isn’t much more life-changing than imagining that we might be able to lift a bus or fly through the air. It’s just moralism dressed in a super-suit.

The deeper truth of Spider-man’s proverb is that the powerful are seldom responsible. Most of the villains in Spidey’s universe are men or women with great power, who start as Peter’s friends and turn to evil. Even Peter fails to live up to his own beliefs.

We cannot live up to oaths such as Psalm 101. Neither could David. David would eventually bring corruption, rape, murder, and the ravages of civil war to the city which in this Psalm he pledges to protect.

It is not that we cannot be used by God in miraculous (or super) ways. Rather that, as Christians, it is more important that we realize that we need a hero than that we pledge to be one. It is Christ, the Son of David, who ultimately will fulfill David’s pledge in this Psalm.

When we pray prayers like this Psalm, we are praying that Christ, the true hero, will fulfill these actions in us. We are not the saviors, but the ones in need of saving. It is Christ, not us, who is the hero of our cities and our world.

Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Your strengthen me more and more; you enfold me and comfort me. — Psalm 71.21

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Deuteronomy 15 (Listen – 3:20) 
Psalm 102 (Listen – 2:45) 

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Read more about Who is this King of Glory?
May we let go of our heroic versions of kings and watch the lamb of God, ride his borrowed donkey, straight to his borrowed tomb.

Who is this King of Glory?

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Daily Bread for Others :: Worldwide Prayer

  • February 26, 2019
  • /
  • John Tillman

Luke 12.42-43
Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.

Reflection: Daily Bread for Others :: Worldwide Prayer
By John Tillman

We looked yesterday at our need to recognize that praying for daily bread includes an acknowledgment of our need for intentional connection with God and cultivation of his Word into our lives.

Today’s prayer from Kenya, begins with thankfulness for our ability to have communion with God and moves into a prayer of intercession for those for whom “daily bread’ is a distressing physical need.

As demonstrated in this prayer, communion with God in thankfulness for our blessings sets our feet on path that leads us to have compassion for others and continues to lead us to a place of action, through God’s work in us, on behalf of others in need.

Whether the needs around us are informational and relational or physical and financial, may God make us instruments of his grace on behalf of our communities. As this prayer says, wherever Jesus went, he did good. We cannot truly be his followers without joining in the work he does.

Prayer of Thanksgiving from Kenya

Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, Creator of all that we can see and all that we cannot see, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, we give you honour and praise.

You created us in your image so that we can have communion with you, so that we can learn. Be in us so that we can become all that you would want us to be.

We thank and praise you for your provision which comes to us daily without which we could not stay alive. We thank and praise you for your presence within us which casts out fear and doubt from our lives and helps us to tackle daily problems with courage and confidence.

We pray for people throughout the world who suffer either from hunger, disease, war, or other calamities, that they may find relief in you, because, wherever you went Jesus, you did good.

We thank you Almighty God because you hear us.

We thank and praise you in Jesus’ Name.

*Prayer from Hallowed be Your Name: A collection of prayers from around the world, Dr. Tony Cupit, Editor.

Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Our days are like the grass; we flourish like a flower of the field; When the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it know more.  — Psalm 103.15-16

Today’s Readings
Exodus 9 (Listen – 5:31) 
Luke 12 (Listen – 7:42)

Thank You!
Thank you for reading and a huge thank you to those who donate to our ministry, keeping The Park Forum ad-free and enabling us to continue to produce fresh content. Every year our donors help us produce over 100,000 words of free devotionals. Follow this link to support our readers.

Read more about Grace that Makes Us :: Worldwide Prayer
Renew our faith in you, expect us to “bear fruit” and make us willing to share with people around us.

Grace that Makes Us :: Worldwide Prayer

Read more about Truth Unwanted :: A Guided Prayer
Justice will come as Malachi testifies: “I will come to put you on trial…those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.”

Truth Unwanted :: A Guided Prayer