FPC Sermon: March 24, 2024

Why did Jesus die?
Mark 11:7-11a;15-18
Mark 12:13-17

“I choose to believe in grace made real through Jesus Christ. I am grateful for Jesus, the prophet, activist, and agitator, who speaks God’s hopes, intentions, and truth into the world. Grateful for the revelatory death of Christ, the offender and threat.”  ~Everything Good About God Is True, Bruce Reyes-Chow

Did Jesus “have” to die? Was his death part of “God’s plan” all along? Or were there other forces acting against God’s will that led to Jesus’ death? On this Palm-Passion Sunday, we focus on what led Jesus into Jerusalem and ultimately to the cross. But today, we won’t fix our attention on the theological meaning of Jesus’ death, but its political dimensions

In our two brief scripture readings from Mark’s Gospel, Jesus commits three distinct acts of political protest–each of them contributing to his eventual crucifixion later in the week. Jesus didn’t die because God needed a sacrifice on our behalf. On the contrary, Jesus’ crucifixion was the ultimate denial of God’s love. Jesus died because he proclaimed the sovereignty of God over the Empire.

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