Power is one of the most contested words in our cultural vocabulary. We debate who has it, who abuses it, who deserves it, and who is denied it. We measure it in followers, influence, money, access, and visibility. We chase it because we fear being powerless. We fear being forgotten. We fear being on the underside of someone else’s decisions.
But the cross of Jesus Christ stands as a direct contradiction to every definition of power we’ve inherited from the world around us. The crucifixion is not God losing control of the story; it is God rewriting the meaning of power itself. And the resurrection is God’s public declaration that this cruciform power is the only power that will last
Easter is not just about victory. It is about the kind of victory God chooses. And that victory looks nothing like the victories we celebrate.
The World’s Power vs. God’s Power
In our world, power is about winning. It’s about being on top. It’s about never being questioned, never being vulnerable, never being wrong. It’s about being the loudest voice in the room, the most followed account online, the most feared presence in the meeting. But when we look at the cross, we see a God who willingly becomes vulnerable. A God who absorbs violence instead of inflicting it. A God who refuses to win the way empires win. Paul says it plainly: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…” — 1 Corinthians 1:18
Foolishness. Nonsense. Weakness. In the first century, crucifixion was not just execution; it was
humiliation. Rome used it to make a point: This is what happens to people who challenge our power. So when Christians proclaimed a crucified Messiah, it sounded absurd. Gods don’t lose. Gods don’t bleed. Gods don’t die. Unless the very nature of God is different from what we assumed.
The Scandal of a Crucified God
To understand the scandal, we need to sit inside the text — not just as observers, but as people shaped by a world that still worships the same idols Rome did.
Philippians 2:6–8 — The Descent of God
Paul describes Jesus as the One who:
• “did not consider equality with God something
to be exploited”
• “emptied himself ”
• “took the form of a servant”
• “humbled himself ”
• “became obedient to the point of death; even
death on a cross”
This is not a God who clings to power. This is a God who pours power out. The Greek word kenosis; “emptied himself ”; does not mean Jesus stopped being God. It means He revealed what God is really like.
God is self-giving.
God is self-emptying.
God is love that refuses to dominate.
The cross is not God acting out of character. The cross is God showing us His character.
Isaiah 53 — The Suffering Servant
Centuries earlier, Isaiah prophesied a Servant who would be:
• despised and rejected.
• a man of sorrows.
• pierced for our transgressions.
• crushed for our iniquities.
This is not a triumphant warrior. This is not a political conqueror. This is not a celebrity Messiah. This is a God who identifies with the wounded, the oppressed, the overlooked, the crucified of the world. The cross is not an interruption in God’s plan. The cross is God’s plan; because it reveals the kind of God He is.
The Cross Exposes the Bankruptcy of Worldly Power
When Jesus stands before Pilate, the contrast could not be sharper.
Pilate represents:
• empire.
• coercion.
• military force.
• political leverage.
• the power to kill.
Jesus represents:
• truth.
• vulnerability.
• obedience.
• sacrificial love.
• the power to lay His life down.
Pilate says, “Don’t you know I have the power to release you or crucify you?”
Jesus answers: “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above.” –John 19:11
Rome thinks it is in control. But Rome is playing a role in a story it does not understand. The cross reveals that the world’s power is temporary, fragile, and dependent. God’s power is eternal, self-giving, and unstoppable. And this is where the gospel becomes confrontational. Because if God’s power looks like the cross, then our definitions of power; even inside the church; must be questioned.
The Resurrection Vindicates Cruiciform Power
If the story ended on Friday, we might conclude that self-giving love is beautiful but ineffective. We might conclude that humility is admirable but powerless. We might conclude that the empire always wins. But on Sunday morning, God speaks. The resurrection is not just a miracle; it is a verdict.
It is God’s declaration that:
•self-giving love is stronger than violence.
•humility is stronger than pride.
•sacrifice is stronger than domination.
•the cross is not defeat — it is victory.
The resurrection is God saying, “This is the kind of power I honor. This is the kind of power that lasts.” The empty tomb is not God undoing the cross. It is God vindicating the cross. The resurrection is God’s “Yes” to everything Jesus revealed about divine power.
A Culturally Responsive Word: Power in Our Communities
We live in a world where power is often used to harm:
•political power used to divide.
•economic power used to exploit.
•social power used to exclude.
•religious power used to control.
•racial power used to oppress.
Many of us; especially in multi-ethnic, marginalized, or historically overlooked communities; know what it feels like to be on the underside of power.We know what it feels like to be unheard, unseen, or dismissed.We know what it feels like to be told our stories don’t matter. We know what it feels like to be crucified by systems that were never built for us. But the cross tells us something radical:
•God is found on the underside of power.
•God identifies with the crucified, not the crucifiers.
•God stands with the oppressed, not the oppressors.
•God’s kingdom is built through those the world overlooks.
The resurrection is not just hope for the afterlife; it is hope for every community that has been told it will never rise. It is hope for the neighborhoods redlined and underfunded. Hope for the families navigating inequity in schools and sports. Hope for the churches trying to build unity in a fractured world. Hope for the people who have been told they are “less than” by the powers that be. Easter is God’s promise that the story does not end where the empire says it ends.
What This Means for the Church Today
If the cross redefines power, then the church must redefine power too.
1. Leadership Must Look Like Jesus
Christian leadership is not about platform, charisma, or control. It is about service, humility, and sacrifice. If our leadership doesn’t look cruciform, it isn’t Christian.
2. Our Communities Must Resist Empire-Shaped Power
Whenever the church imitates the world’s power; through domination, manipulation, or exclusion; we betray the cross. The church is called to be a counter-culture of self-giving love.
3. We Must Stand With the Crucified of Our Time
If Jesus identifies with the oppressed, then His people must too.
This means:
•advocating for justice.
•elevating marginalized voices.
•confronting systems that harm.
•refusing to baptize injustice with religious language.
The resurrection empowers us to resist the powers that crucify.
4. Our Witness Must Be Cross-Shaped
The world is not changed by Christians who win arguments. The world is changed by Christians who embody cruciform love.
5. We Must Embrace the Vulnerability of Love
Love is risky. Love is costly. Love is often misunderstood. But love is the only power that survives the grave.
Conclusion: The God Who Loses Wins Everything
The cross reveals a God who chooses the path of loss. The resurrection reveals a God who turns that loss into victory.
This is the paradox at the heart of the gospel:
•God wins by losing.
•God conquers by surrendering.
•God reigns by serving.
•God saves by suffering.
And because of that, we can live differently. We don’t have to chase the world’s power. We don’t have to fear being overlooked. We don’t have to protect our image or status. We don’t have to fight for control. We can follow the crucified and risen Christ; the One who shows us that the greatest power in the universe is the power of self-giving love.
DaQuan Gibson is the Assistant Church Planter at One In Christ BFC in Elkton, MD. You can read more from DaQuan at his Substack.