Salvation from the Margins

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Salvation from the Margins

Herb Montgomery, December 6, 2024

If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:

Our reading for the second weekend of Advent is from the gospel of Luke:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

  “A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.

  Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight,

the rough ways smooth.

  And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ” (Luke 3:1-6)

One of the things I appreciate about the gospel of Luke is its emphasis on distributive justice. The author of Luke models their gospel on the Hebrew justice tradition. Certain prophets began their writings in the same way:

The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile. (Jeremiah 1:1-3)

The author of Luke’s gospel begins similarly, by listing those in power: The list of Roman rulers and their clients begins with Tiberius and Pilate, and ends with the regional conduits of Roman rule, Herod, Annas, and Caiaphas. This emphasizes again what we have said so often recently: the high-priesthood in Jerusalem (Annas and Caiaphas) extended the Roman government in Judea, as did Herod in Galilee. They were more than merely religious figures in the rituals of the Temple, they were also political rulers in the Temple State established and overseen by Rome. This explains why Jesus’ Temple protest at the end of this account wasn’t about maintaining the purity of religion as much as it was about Rome  economically exploiting the people through the priesthood. This is why Jesus’ protest landed him on a Roman cross as an enemy of Rome itself. 

Next, Luke’s gospel introduces to us John the Baptist as an adult. We have already been introduced to John through the story of his birth and childhood in Luke chapters 1 and 2. John was the son of a priest. He belonged to the priesthood. Yet when John became an adult, he turned his back on being part of the system and the priesthood his genealogy entitled him to be a part of. Rather than taking up the vocation of priest, John chose something different. He chose to embrace not the priestly tradition but the parallel Hebrew justice vocation of prophet. The vocations of priest (the establishment) and prophet (those who spoke truth to power when the establishment practiced injustice) were often in tension with one another. Luke’s gospel characterizes John as seeking to bring change not from the inside, from the seats of power, but from the outside speaking in. His is a voice in the “wilderness.” And this detail cannot be lost on us because it offers a bit of wisdom for many of us who feel we are in the wilderness now looking at our own political landscape.

A Voice in the Wilderness

John’s was a “voice from the wilderness.” The wilderness was more than a simple geographical location or story detail. It was also a political and economic social location as well as a religious one. In this narrative, God brings change not from within the system but from the outside in, from the margins, and from the grassroots up.

In his book Say to the Mountain, Ched Myers comments on the political, social, economic and religious implications of John’s work being located in the wilderness:

“While the margin has a primarily negative political connotation as a place of disenfranchisement, Mark ascribes to it a primarily positive theological value. It is the place where the sovereignty of God is made manifest, where the story of liberation is renewed, where God’s intervention in history occurs.” (Ched Myers, Say to This Mountain: Mark’s Story of Discipleship, p. 12)

In Luke’s gospel, John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ work is located not within the system in centered locations such as the Temple, a synagogues, or Jerusalem, but on the peripheries in places like the wilderness of Judea (John) and the rural villages of Galilee (Jesus).

These marginal social locations were charged with political meaning, meaning still relevant to us today. I want to be clear about this: In this story, God is already present and at work on the margins of this society. Often those living in centered positions of privilege mistake the work of justice as opening access so those less privileged can sit at the tables of privilege. But opening up potential to compete with others in an unjust system doesn’t change the actual system itself. Some tables shouldn’t be shared. They should be flipped (cf. Luke 19:45-46). 

Our story this week isn’t one where salvation is defined by including those on the margins at the tables of the privileged. God is already at present and at work on the margins. God and the gospel are already at work on the edges in the wilderness. God is there and those of us who live in more privileged social locations are with God when we work alongside and in solidarity with the work already in motion where God already is—on the margins.

This is the theological and political point of the “wilderness” in our narrative this week. Change, liberation, and social salvation has historically come from voices on the outside of unjust systems. It’s comes from the grassroots, the outside in and bottom up. Outside is where John shows up in our story. It’s where Jesus shows up in our story (cf. John 1:46).

The wisdom for us as we rededicate our efforts to resistance and harm mitigation in the years to come is to look to the margins. Listen to the voices of those on the edges. Look for the good that is already happening in justice efforts on the margins and get with that! Throw your energy and solidarity alongside that!

What work was taking place on the edges in this week’s story? Even in the face of deep harm and the social and economic devastation of vulnerable communities, a path for change was being prepared in the wilderness. The way was being smoothed out for justice’s arrival. In that first season of Advent, even when things looked most bleak, a way was being made out of no way on the margins. 

Preparing the Way

Our reading this week intimates what was actually happening on the margins, in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.

  Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight,

the rough ways smooth.

  And all people will see God’s salvation.’” (Luke 3:1-6)

Justice doesn’t just happen in our world. It is the result of years of organizing, planning, and action. Here in my state, we still have so far to go toward economic, racial, gender and LGBTQ justice. And even though the way is uphill most of the time, there are those who are still preparing the way, straightening out crooked paths, leveling the ground, making the rough ways smoother, and working to remove the obstacles of justice. 

One such example is Fairness West Virginia, which is working in local municipalities to expand each town’s nondiscrimination ordinances to include LGBTQ nondiscrimination.  This work has been going on for over a decade now in the hope that one day we’ll have enough local municipalities with expanded ordinances that the step to make LGBTQ nondiscrimination statewide will be easy and seamless. There are many who still oppose this effort. Nonetheless, just last week another small town joined the work and expanded their nondiscrimination ordinances. 

There are others at work, too, in many other issues and areas where justice is desperately needed here in Appalachia. But this is my point: 

Even in the face of deep chaos and the many attempts to harm people, communities of justice are still present and at work. Communities of resistance formed last time we were here are still present and still at work. Yes, those at the helm of the mechanisms of injustice are more prepared this time and planning to hit the ground running the day after the inauguration. But we are still here and better prepared, too. 

Look to the margins. Look to the wilderness. Look to the voices on the edges, and to the grassroots work being done in your local communities. When you become aware of an opportunity, don’t just sit back. Add your voice. Add your energy and whatever resources you can spare. Because the promise in our reading this week is even when we are faced with the most daunting of extraordinary challenges, we can choose for justice to have the last word. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways will be be made smooth. And all the people will see God’s salvation.

Discussion Group Questions

1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s Podcast episode with your discussion group.

2. Have you ever felt like you were in the wilderness? In what ways have you experienced healing change from the margins? Share and discuss with your group.

3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone? 

Thanks for checking in with us, today.

I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate. 

My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.

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You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking. Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.

And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.

Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.

I love each of you dearly,

I’ll see you next week.

New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!

Season 2, Episode 39: Luke 3.1-6. Lectionary C, Advent 2

Each week, we’ll be talking about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week we’ll be inspired to do more than just talking.

If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out at:

New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast

A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice. 

This week:

Season 1 Episode 34: Salvation from the Margins

Luke 3:1-6

“This is the theological and political point of the “wilderness” in our narrative this week. Change, liberation, and social salvation has historically come from voices on the outside of unjust systems. It’s comes from the grassroots, the outside in and bottom up. Outside is where John shows up in our story. It’s where Jesus shows up in our story (cf. John 1:46). The wisdom for us as we rededicate our efforts to resistance and harm mitigation in the years to come is to look to the margins. Listen to the voices of those on the edges. Look for the good that is already happening in justice efforts on the margins and get with that! Throw your energy and solidarity alongside that! What work was taking place on the edges in this week’s story? Even in the face of deep harm and the social and economic devastation of vulnerable communities, a path for change was being prepared in the wilderness. The way was being smoothed out for justice’s arrival. In that first season of Advent, even when things looked most bleak, a way was being made out of no way on the margins. “

Available on all major podcast carriers and at:

https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/salvation-from-the-margins

Now Available on Audible!

Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.

by Herb Montgomery, Narrated by Jeff Moon

Available now on Audible!

After two successful decades of preaching a gospel of love within the Christian faith tradition Herb felt like something was missing. He went back to the gospels and began reading them through the interpretive lenses of various marginalized communities and what he found radically changed his life forever. The teachings of the Jesus in the gospel stories express a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of those in marginalized communities. This book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, and presents a compelling argument for a more socially compassionate and just expression of Christianity. Herb’s findings in his latest book are shared in the hopes that it will dramatically impact how you practice your Christianity, too.

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