All Rise: The Clash of Two Powers

“All rise!” Through the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, the Kingdom of God was on the rise in and around the region of Galilee: those who were blind regained their sight, those who were cast out found acceptance, those who had sinned received forgiveness, those who had lost hope discovered a new way forward, and even those who had died (Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus) were raised. Word spread of Jesus’ power to teach and to heal. But even as the Kingdom of God was on the rise, there was another power at work in the region. Rome was also on the rise.

Two powers… Both claiming authority. Both seeking followers. Wherever Jesus went, crowds formed by the hundreds, even thousands. And as more and more people were captivated by Jesus’ teachings, Rome started to feel threatened by the rising Jesus movement. Throughout Jesus’ ministry there were run-ins where the two powers (the rise of the Kingdom of God on one hand and the rise of Rome on the other) bumped up against each other. But it all came to a head when Jesus was arrested and stood in Pilate’s court to face judgment for his radical acts and teachings.

Rome wanted order. The “rise of Rome” meant the strengthening of the social class system where the poor and outcast of society “knew their place” at the bottom of the hierarchy. But the message Jesus shared was countercultural. Jesus taught about the lowly being raised up and the poor being made mighty in the Kingdom of God… a world ruled by kindness and compassion toward others where righteousness looked like loving one’s neighbor and justice looked like welcoming the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned to have an equal place at the table. Rome came to rule over; Jesus came be with… to raise humanity up with him so that when Jesus rises, we rise.

But we know how the clash between these two powers ended up… the crowd made their desires known during Jesus’ court proceedings and Jesus died on a cross, a Roman method of capital punishment. When Rome killed Jesus, they thought they had won the fight for power… they had risen faster and better than the Kingdom of God Jesus proclaimed. But Jesus knew a truth about rising that the Romans didn’t: in order to rise, you must first be made low. So he humbled himself, even to the point of death on a cross, so that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God (Philippians 2). Rising, it turns out, begins by making ourselves low.

For the next several weeks in worship we’ll track the rise of these two powers—1) the Kingdom of God and 2) Rome—as part of our Lenten series called “All Rise.” In this series we’ll walk from Galilee to Jerusalem through the stories of resurrection and conflict that led to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Join us on Ash Wednesday (February 14th at 6:30 pm) as we set out on the journey of Lent. During this 40-day season of repentance, sacrifice, and prayer, we’ll strive to align our lives with the teachings of Jesus in preparation to celebrate the ultimate rising on Easter morning: the resurrection of Jesus for the healing of the world!