Kingdom Competitor

 It is Passover time in Jerusalem. 

A young man stands in the market, gathering last‑minute supplies for his mother’s Passover meal before the city shuts down for the Sabbath. The air is already thick with anticipation. Passover always brings crowds, but today feels different. 

The market grows more congested by the minute. People are spilling in from the nearby road. Voices rise. Some sound angry. Others sound broken with grief. 

What is happening? 

Curious and unsettled, the young man pushes his way toward the noise and through the crowd. It isn’t easy, but eventually he reaches the front of the crowd and then he sees why everyone has gathered. 

A group of Roman soldiers is rounding the corner, escorting a condemned man. The criminal is being forced to carry what looks like his own cross. 

The young man’s mind races. 

What could this man have done to deserve a punishment like this? Crucifixion was only reserved for the worst of the worst, and why was this man attracting such a crowd? 

As the procession draws closer, the answer only becomes more disturbing. The condemned man is drenched in blood. His cloak is gone, revealing a back torn open by what the young man can only assume were lashings. From a distance, the man is nearly unrecognizable, but the closer he gets, the more something feels… familiar. 

Then it happens. 

The man collapses under the weight of the cross, dropping it to the ground. Right in front of him. 

The young man feels the urge to step forward, to help. But fear freezes him in place. The Roman guards are brutal and unforgiving. 

The man lifts his blood-soaked head. 

Their eyes meet. 

No amount of swelling, blood, or matted hair can hide the truth. 

The man is Jesus of Nazareth. The same man who, just seven days earlier, rode into the city on a donkey as crowds shouted praise. The rabbi who fed the hungry, healed the sick, restored the lame, and spoke of a coming Kingdom of God. 

What happened? 
Where did it all go wrong? 

Before the young man can process what is going on before him, a Roman soldier moves towards the crowd where he is standing. His heart pounds. But the guard reaches past him and grabs another man from the crowd and orders him to pick up and carry the cross. 

And just like that, the procession moves on. 

The Hill Called Golgotha 

The young man forgets the market and the reason he came. He knows he must follow. 

The soldiers lead Jesus to the execution hill known as Golgotha. 

There, the soldiers strip Jesus down and throw Him down onto the cross. They bind His arms and legs and drive nails through His wrists and feet. With every strike of the hammer, Jesus’ cries cut through the hum of the crowd.  

Then the soldiers hoist the cross upright, locking it into place for the city to see. 

Above Jesus’ head, a sign is hung. It’s written in three languages. The young man recognizes one of them: 

“This is Jesus, King of the Jews.” 

Tears come without warning, blurring the young mans vision. 

This can’t be how it ends. 
Jesus was supposed to be the Savior. The long‑awaited Messiah. 

Two other criminals are raised on crosses beside Him, and the crowd begins to turn cruel. 

“If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 
“He saved others, but He can’t save Himself!” 

It Is Finished 

As Jesus hangs on the cross the sun is blotted out and darkness falls across the land. Surely God must be punishing us. 

Yet the young man stays. He watches as some weep, while others continue to mock.  

What feels like ages pass as a dull ache sets into the young man’s soul. Then a cry from the cross brings him back to the present.  

“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” 
“My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?” 

Some think Jesus is calling for Elijah. Others rush to give Him something to drink. 

But then Jesus cries out one last time. 

He bows His head. 

He dies. 

It is finished. 

Later, people say that the curtain in the Temple, the veil separating the Holy of Holies, was torn in two. Some even claim the dead walked the streets. 

But all that feels secondary. 

Jesus is dead. 

The religious leaders have won. 
Rome won. 

Death has won. 

But the Story Doesn’t End There 

If that’s where the story ended, Jesus would have been just another executed rabbi in a long stretch of failed prophets. Another false messiah, a lunatic or a liar. Christianity wouldn’t exist. 

But three days later, the world changed. 

The tomb was empty. 

Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene in the garden. 
He walked with Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. 

He stood before the Apostles. 
He invited Thomas to touch the wounds in His hands. 
He appeared to more than 500 people after His resurrection. 

Jesus was alive. 

There were eyewitnesses. No body was produced to silence the rumors. The once‑terrified disciples became bold men of conviction. Their convictions were strong enough that they carried them all the way to their deaths. 

It was all true. 

Jesus Won 

Jesus defeated sin, death, and the grave. He became the sacrificial Lamb, atoning for sin once and for all, so that we might be reconciled to God. Not by works, but by faith. 

A new covenant was born. 
The veil was torn. 
Jesus became our mediator. No high priest was required. 

Because Jesus won, we can live knowing how the story ends. 

We can trust the Scriptures. 
We can trust that He is Lord over all creation. 
We can trust that our identity is found in Him. Not in performance, not in success, not in the approval of this world. 

Trust that we are created in His image. 
Trust that there is more to this world than what you see. 
Trust that His love for you isn’t earned, it’s given. 

This truth is freeing. 

We are so often burdened by expectations, comparisons, and quid‑pro‑quo thinking. But in Christ, those burdens are lifted. 

We are free. 

Free to live with joy. 
Free to worship through all we do. 
Free to play, work, and strive. Not to earn love, but to operate from a place of love. 

So ask yourself: 

Do you trust Christ? 
Do you trust the story? 

Because Jesus won. 

Written by: Tate Tobiason

*Adapted from 2025 Chapel message