Why Jesus Chose Power Under Instead of Power Over
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45 (NLT)
The difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world comes down to the kind of power they trust.
The kingdoms of the world rely on power over people. They trust coercion, force, control, status, wealth, influence, and the ability to make others do what they want. From the beginning of human history, we have assumed that if we can gain enough power over others, we can create the outcomes we desire. Yet Jesus came announcing a kingdom built on an entirely different foundation.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, NLT)
The Kingdom of God operates through power under.
“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” (John 10:17-18, NLT)
Jesus had lots of power, possessed all authority in heaven and on earth, had enough power to lay down His life and take it up again, yet He consistently refused to use His power to control people. He did not force belief. He did not manipulate loyalty. Coercion doesn’t produce love. Grace does. Jesus did not call down armies to eliminate His enemies. Instead, Jesus used His power to serve, heal, restore, forgive, and ultimately lay down His life.
Paul describes this truth in Philippians 2. Though Jesus was equal with God, He did not exploit His position for His own advantage. He emptied Himself, took on the nature of a servant, and humbled Himself even to death on a cross.
This pattern appears throughout Jesus' ministry. He washed His disciples' feet, performing the work of the lowest servant in the household. He taught that true greatness is found not in being served but in serving others. When confronted by His enemies, He refused retaliation. When betrayed, abandoned, mocked, and crucified, He chose self-giving love rather than vengeance. The Cross is the clearest picture of power under.
To the world, the Cross looks weak. Crucifixion was meant to erase identity. Victims were reduced to crimes, not names, publicly degraded, remembered only as warnings. History preserves the empire’s power, not the victims’ stories. The scandal of Christianity is that it remembers one name who was crucified. That early Christians preached a crucified Messiah is historically shocking.
Power over appears stronger. (It sure is more popular!) Force seems more effective. Coercion looks faster. Yet the power of the Cross accomplishes what power over never can. Force can suppress evil for a season, but it cannot transform a heart. Power over may create compliance, but it cannot create love.
To power under is to overcome evil without becoming evil. It is capable of turning enemies into friends. It redeems and restores rather than merely restrains. Our broken wounded world sure could use some restoration.
This is why the Kingdom is not advanced by legislating behavior or controlling people. It advances whenever followers of Jesus live his self-sacrificial love.
What looks like weakness is actually the greatest power in the universe. It is the power God himself chose to redeem the world.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What stood out to you most about the distinction between power over and power under?
2. Which example from Jesus' life best demonstrates power under to you?
3. Where do you see power over happening in your life?
4. What does the Cross teach us about God's character and the way He uses power?
5. How does Philippians 2 challenge common assumptions about strength and success?
6. Can you think of a time when someone's humility and service had a greater impact on you than their authority?
7. How might power under change the way we handle disagreements?
8. What would it look like to practice power under in your family? In your workplace? In a social justice cause?
