The Crucifixion with Pastor Ryan Braley

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Rome didn’t just rule with soldiers, it ruled with stories. One of its loudest stories was the Roman triumph: a victory parade that crowned the emperor, filled the streets with incense, and trained everyone to believe that real power looks like dominance, spectacle, and control. We’re at the penultimate week of our Journey To The Cross series, and we argue that Mark wants you to see Jesus’ crucifixion through that exact backdrop.

We walk through the triumph step by step, then watch Mark 15 echo the same images in startling ways: the Praetorium, the purple robe, the “crown,” the procession, the offered wine, the place of the skull, and even two figures at the right and left. What looks like humiliation becomes a deliberate subversion of empire. The moment that lands it all is not a cheer from the crowd but a confession from a Roman centurion: “Truly this man is God’s son.” Mark’s Gospel reframes Good Friday as the real victory parade.

From there, we press the question into everyday life. If the cross is triumph, then power is not power-over. It’s power-under, expressed through self-giving love. That has consequences for how we handle conflict, politics, relationships, and the temptation to organize life around winning. As Holy Week approaches, we end with a simple invitation to respond to God, even if you’re unsure where you stand.

Subscribe for next week’s resurrection message, share this with a friend who’s wrestling with faith and power, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s one area where you feel pulled toward “power-over” right now?

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