What Does Power Look Like in the Hands of Jesus?

A reflection on Jesus-centered power in a world of dominance and performance from Gavin Linderman

Power in our world often looks like control. It climbs ladders, guards pulpits, builds platforms. But in the hands of Jesus, power looks strikingly different. It kneels. It washes feet. It gives itself away.

Jesus never used power to elevate Himself, even though He had every right to. He didn't cling to position or demand allegiance. Instead, He emptied Himself—kenosis—not as a gesture of weakness, but as the very revelation of divine strength. His was not power over, but power with. Healing power. Reconciling power. Cross-shaped power.

We who follow Him are invited to steward power in the same way: not to dominate, but to amplify. Not to control, but to collaborate. In our communities, this means practicing mutual submission, not just mutual admiration. It means letting the pulpit be the people’s—not a single voice declaring, but a shared table of discernment. A community hermeneutic rooted in trust, humility, and the Spirit's movement.

Jesus' own knowing—His epistemology—was shaped not by political savvy or institutional hierarchy, but by the Spirit. He says, “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (John 8:28) That kind of knowing requires presence. Relationship. Listening. It resists the urge to impress, and leans instead into intimacy with the Father and the cries of the people.

So what does power look like when Jesus holds it? It looks like giving it away. It looks like the cross. It looks like resurrection—quiet, defiant, unstoppable.

And if we’re serious about being Jesus-centered, then our power must look like His too.