With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Anyone who read Spider-Man comics or watched that movie will remember the above remarkable proverb. Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man, included it in the 1962 volume, Amazing Fantasy #15. Subsequently, Uncle Ben gave that as advice to the young Peter Parker, who would become the Spider-Man.

The Old Testament often spoke of neighboring countries and people like the Ninevites of Babylon (modern-day Iraq) and the Queen of the South/Sheba of Arabia (modern-day Yemen or Oman). God sent the prophet Jonah to deliver the Ninevites from their imminent destruction (the Book of Jonah). The Queen of the South/Sheba came to see Solomon as she heard about his wisdom (1 Kings 10:1–3; 2 Chronicle 9:1–12).

The Hebrews in Jesus’s time were familiar with these stories. These stories had a connection with Jesus – he was a descendant of Solomon, whom the Queen visited (Matt 1:7), and Jonah’s hometown of Gath-Hepher was near Jesus’s hometown of Nazareth – twin cities in Galilee (2 Kings 14:25).

One day, when the crowd gathered around him, Jesus said,

“This generous is a simple generation that seeks signs.* No sign will be given to them except Jonah’s sign. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.” (Luke 11:29–30)

Simpletons, ordinary folks, or plebians didn’t think in philosophical, existential, or lofty thoughts. They thought about survival – food, clothing, the family’s safety, caring for their livestock, and a place to live. Such simpletons also sought signs from God to know he was real. Even Moses, who grew up in Pharoah’s house, qualified as a simpleton after spending forty years in the wilderness, caring for livestock. He needed a burning bush, a stick turning into a snake, and leprosy. Other simpletons include Joseph with dreams, Gideons with fleeces, Samson with strengths, and the Ninevites with Jonah. Similarly, God would give that simple generation of Jesus’s time a sign – Jesus, the “Son of Man,” would be that sign.

More important than seeing a sign was one’s repentance! If the people who saw the signs didn’t repent, those sign-makers would witness against the sign-seers.

“The Queen of the South will arise with her people against this generation and will condemn them because she came from a faraway land to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and someone greater than Solomon is here. Similarly, the Ninevites will arise in judgment against this generation and condemn them because they repented when Jonah preached. Behold! Someone greater than Jonah is here.” (Luke 11:31–32)

Seeing signs was wonderful – God provided them generously. But listening to the message accompanying the signs and obeying them were much more important. That was what the Queen of the South/Sheba and the Ninevites would tell Jesus’s generation!

We see many wonderful signs of God in nature, creation, people, animals, birds, and our lives. More so, the Holy Spirit testifies to our spirits that Jesus is real, God is real, and we are his people. Such wonderful signs are meant to make us obey God wholeheartedly, as did Moses, Joseph, Gideon, Samson, the Queen of Sheba, and the Ninevites.

*As I said elsewhere, poniros can mean simpleton or plebian instead of “evil.”