What if the way of Jesus stands in direct contrast to the way our world defines power?
We live in a world where strength is measured by control, where peace is often secured through force, and where winning is everything.
But Jesus offers a different way.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Not the powerful.
Not the dominant.
Not the ones who win.
The peacemakers.
And nowhere is that contrast clearer than in Holy Week.
On one side stands empire—armed, organized, and determined to maintain control at all costs.
On the other side stands Jesus—unwilling to meet violence with violence.
Empire says: protect your power.
Jesus says: love your enemies.
Empire crushes opposition.
Jesus forgives it.
Empire wins by domination.
Jesus reveals a deeper power—love that refuses to become what it opposes.
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The Sermon That Couldn’t Be Stopped
That same Jesus who taught, “blessed are the peacemakers,” was eventually silenced by empire’s ultimate argument: crucifixion.
Rome tried to end his dangerous teaching about enemy love, about turning the other cheek, about a kingdom built not on power—but on love.
But here’s what empire never understands:
You cannot crucify an idea whose time has come.
You cannot kill love with violence.
The very act meant to silence Jesus became the loudest sermon ever preached.
Because on the cross, Jesus didn’t abandon his teaching—he embodied it.
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Not revenge.
Not retaliation.
Forgiveness.
Even there.
Especially there.
And when that body was placed in a tomb—guarded by soldiers, sealed with Rome’s authority—love did what love always does.
It refused to stay buried.
Resurrection is God’s final word on violence.
Death does not have the last say.
The empire does not win.
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And here’s the hard truth:
We are often far more shaped by the logic of empire than we realize.
In our reactions.
In our conversations.
In the way we respond to conflict.
But Jesus invites us into something more beautiful.
A life that refuses to mirror hostility.
A life that chooses compassion over contempt.
A life that believes love is not weakness—but the strongest force in the world.
So maybe the question this Holy Week is this:
Where am I choosing power over love?
Where am I being invited to become a peacemaker?
Because a beautiful life—the kind Jesus lived—is not built on winning.
It’s built on love.
And in a divided world, that may be the most powerful witness we have.
EnSpirit 