Scripture: Luke 19:37–40; Luke 23:1–5; John 18:36
Holy Week Devotional by Rev. Philip Allred
Holy Week begins with a parade.
However, this is not the type of celebration Rome would have envisioned. Rome showcased its generals, military triumphs, and displays of power—processions filled with soldiers, war horses, and trophies from victory. In contrast, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a humble colt rather than a war horse. He carries no weapons but instead brings humility. His procession features the ordinary and the overlooked. The crowds proclaim, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”—an inherently subversive claim, for in the empire’s eyes, the title of king already belongs to Caesar.
This marks the initial indication that Holy Week represents a confrontation. Instead of swords, it involves truth; rather than violence, it embodies love. Jesus does not shy away from the world’s powers—he boldly approaches their stronghold, declaring through both words and actions that another kingdom has arrived.
Throughout the week, Jesus turns the symbols of the empire upside down:
- He enters the Temple not to uphold religious respectability but to disrupt its collusion with political power.
- He washes his disciples’ feet, refusing the ladder of dominance and choosing instead the basin of servanthood.
- He shares a meal, not with elites, but with friends—some of whom will betray and abandon him—proving that love is not earned but given.
On Good Friday, the empire does what empires always do: it silences dissent, this time with a cross.
They call him a threat to national stability. They say he’s undermining public order. They accuse him of inciting revolution.
And in a way, they’re right. He is leading a revolution—not with legions, but with love. As Brian Zahnd says, “Jesus didn’t come to start a religion; he came to start a revolution. Not a revolution of violence, but of love.”
This Holy Week, we’re not just remembering a story. We are being invited to live it.
The empire’s narrative is still alive in the world today—in systems that oppress, ideologies that divide, and the lies we tell ourselves about who matters and who doesn’t. To walk the way of Jesus is to reject the ways of empire—whether that empire looks like nationalism, violence, racism, exploitation, or any system that crushes the vulnerable to protect the powerful.
However, Holy Week presents a contrasting narrative: embodying the subversive gospel includes
- Choosing forgiveness when the world demands retribution.
- Showing mercy when the culture demands judgment.
- Standing with the vulnerable when empire protects the powerful.
- Loving enemies when the world teaches us to fear them.
- Carrying a cross, not to punish, but to redeem.
This is not just a nice idea—it is a different way of being human. A different way of ordering the world. A different kind of kingdom.
The cross is not just where Jesus died. It’s where the values of empire go to die. And the empty tomb is not just about life after death—it is about life before death, a new kingdom breaking through.
So, as we walk through Holy Week, may we see it not as a series of rituals but as a revolution. May we find ourselves caught up in the story of a God who defeats violence with peace, hate with love, and death with resurrection.
Let us walk this week not as spectators but as disciples—people shaped by the subversive nature of a different kind of king.