Redefinition of Power by the Cross
At the cross, Jesus reveals power through restraint, obedience, sacrifice, and trust in the Father’s will.
During Lent we reflect on the final days of Jesus’ life. What strikes me again is how Jesus redefined power—not through display, but through restraint.
Jesus stood before a series of investigations—before Annas, the Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, Herod, and again before Pilate. At any point he could have ended the process. When Peter tried to defend him, Jesus reminded the disciples that the Father could send help immediately. In Matthew 26:53, he says the Father could send more than twelve legions of angels. Scripture gives us a glimpse of what that power looks like. In 2 Kings 19:35, a single angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. The power available to Jesus was unimaginable.
Yet Jesus chose restraint.
He submitted himself to what wicked men did because he was committed to the Father’s will. Like a lamb before the slaughter, he remained silent. He willingly accepted suffering and death. And through death, he overcame death.
Only later do we see another side of the Lamb. In Revelation 6:16, people cry out in fear from the “wrath of the Lamb.” The Lamb who suffered is also the one who will judge. Power was never absent from Jesus; it was deliberately restrained.
In this way, Jesus redefined power.
In our world, power is often measured by influence, position, resources, or competence. But in the kingdom of God, power also includes the willingness to restrain ourselves, to endure suffering, and to trust the Father even when injustice prevails.
Lent invites us to ask: What shapes our understanding of power? And how does the cross redefine it?