people die in Tiananmen Square? Why, why did so many die in Rwanda? Same answer: they got in the way of forces, of powers. Jesus took on the principalities and powers. He lived, and taught, a way of being Israel, a way of being human, which challenged the powers at every point. The powers said you should live for money. Jesus said you can’t serve God and Mammon. The powers said that Israel’s path to liberation would come through the sword. Jesus said that those who take the sword will perish by the