A Kingdom Where Life Comes Only Through Death [Palm Sunday 2026]

Crowds wave palm branches to welcome Jesus. They spread their cloaks on the road and cheer him on, yet at the end of that road stands the cross. When some Greeks come looking for Jesus, he does not agree to see them. Instead he says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

The glory Jesus speaks of is not success. It is his death on the cross and his resurrection. A grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die before it can bear much fruit, and in the same way Jesus had to die so that the nations might live. As a man, Jesus too knew anguish and fear, yet he did not run from what lay ahead; he resolved to obey.

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom where life comes only through death. To follow Jesus is to deny oneself and take up one’s own cross. This does not begin with some grand decision but with a small response: when trouble comes, turning first to God and asking for his help, rather than meeting it with irritation and a sigh. As we lay ourselves down in this way, we become people who die with Jesus and live with him.