When Solidarity Comes with a Personal Cost
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
When Solidarity Comes with a Personal Cost
Herb Montgomery | August 28, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the Gospel of Matthew:
(Matthew 16:21-28)
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:21-28)
Our reading this week begins with Jesus telling his disciples that “he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law.” This statement carries a message for Jesus followers today who are working to make our world a more equitable, just, safe home for everyone. Jesus’ statement locates his suffering within structures of religious, economic, and political power. He is not simply predicting a tragic personal fate. He is identifying what can happen when someone challenges institutions that protect their authority at the expense of vulnerable people.
Jerusalem represents the center of religious, economic, and political power. The elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law were among those who possessed significant authority in Jewish society. Matthew’s account portrays Jesus as confronting systems that could become more concerned with maintaining order, status, control, power, privilege, property, and wealth than with justice, equity, compassion, and human dignity. Jesus’ message of the kingdom challenged arrangements in which some people were excluded, burdened, or treated as less important.
Jesus’ willingness to go to Jerusalem therefore represents a commitment to those being hurt by injustice even when that commitment creates a personal cost. He does not turn away simply because speaking truth may provoke opposition. His suffering exposes the violence that can be directed against those who challenge entrenched power. In this sense, the cross becomes much more than a religious symbol. It is also a revelation of what unjust systems can do to people who refuse to remain silent.
The statement that Jesus will be “raised to life” is equally important. However one interprets the resurrection narratives in the Gospels, resurrection itself declares that oppression and violence don’t have the final word. The powers that seek to silence Jesus cannot ultimately destroy the vision of justice and liberation that he embodies.
For Jesus followers today, this passage calls for solidarity with people who experience injustice and with those who risk their comfort, security, or status to confront it. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem suggests that discipleship is not merely about personal belief or assurance after death. Instead it is about courageously standing for human dignity, challenging systems that harm people, and trusting that love and justice can ultimately overcome the forces that seek to suppress them.
Next in our reading we meet Peter. Peter’s response to Jesus can be understood as more than an expression of personal affection. Peter rejects Jesus’ announcement that he must suffer, be rejected by the powerful, and be killed. His words reflect a very human desire to protect a beloved leader from violence. Yet Jesus responds sharply: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.” The exchange raises an important question: What happens when our desire to protect ourselves or those we love prevents us from confronting injustice?
Peter appears to imagine that Jesus should overcome suffering because of his solidarity with the oppressed rather than having to endure it. Peter also narratively represents a hope common in Jesus’ society for a liberation figure who would defeat oppressive powers and restore Israel. Jesus, however, presents a different vision of liberation: he doesn’t embrace domination as the answer to domination, and his kingdom doesn’t seek to become another version of imperial power. Instead, Jesus identifies himself with those who suffer under systems of political and religious power and don’t have access to imperial power. Those not in power often have different tools by necessity, and this helps us make better sense of Jesus’ response.
Jesus’ accusation that Peter has “merely human concerns” can be read as a critique of change methods organized around power, privilege, security, and self-preservation. “Human concerns” are not necessarily evil but become problematic when safety and protecting one’s status matter more than justice, compassion, and faithfulness to those who are vulnerable.
The word “Satan,” meaning adversary or accuser, is especially significant. Peter becomes a “stumbling block” to Jesus because his resistance to Jesus’ path could divert Jesus from confronting the structures that produce suffering. Justice work sometimes requires accepting discomfort, risk, and sacrifice rather than choosing the easier path of protecting ourselves from conflict.
So this passage challenges Jesus followers to examine whether they seek a comfortable religion or a transformative faith. Jesus calls his followers beyond the instinct to preserve power and privilege, and his response to Peter insists that genuine discipleship requires solidarity with suffering people and a willingness to confront injustice, even when doing so includes a personal cost.
A critique of harmful traditional interpretations of Jesus’ next words in our reading can challenge the assumption that losing one’s life is necessarily the highest expression of faithfulness: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” has often been interpreted as a call to self-denial, sacrifice, and even death. Yet, such an interpretation deserves careful examination, especially because many people, women specifically, have historically been taught that love means giving themselves away, enduring suffering, putting others first, or sacrificing their own needs for the sake of family, community, or religious ideals.
Jesus’ taking up the cross does not have to mean choosing death. Indeed, the cross represents a system of political and religious violence that sought to destroy life. Jesus does not glorify the violence done to him but confronts it by refusing to surrender the truth, dignity, and life he embodies. His journey toward Jerusalem can be understood not as a desire for death but as a refusal to let oppression determine the meaning of his life.
From this perspective, “losing one’s life” can mean refusing to live according to the values of domination, exploitation, and fear. It does not necessarily mean abandoning the value of one’s self. Faithfulness requires precisely the opposite: holding tightly to the gift of life and refusing to surrender it to those who would diminish, control, or destroy it. Jesus didn’t choose death. He refused to let go of his hold on life even when threatened with death if he did not do so. Death does not bring life. Life brings life.
We do not need more religious messages telling us that our worth is found in self-sacrifice. Love does not require self-erasure. Compassion does not demand surrendering one’s dignity. Caring for others should not mean abandoning oneself. Again, death does not bring life simply because suffering has been endured. Life brings life when people protect it, nurture it, and refuse to let go of it. In the Jesus story, God does not triumph over injustice, violence and death using more violent death, even just one more death. God overcomes death through reversing, undoing, and triumphing over Jesus’ violent death through resurrecting life. Jesus’ words in our reading this week can be understood as an invitation to hold on to the self, to dignity, to justice, and to life itself. To follow Jesus is not necessarily to seek the cross, but to resist the forces that make crosses inevitable. So the cross only becomes a part of following Jesus when unjust systems threaten us with a cross like they threatened Jesus. It is in those moments of threat from unjust systems that we paradoxically find our life through refusing to let go of life and what is right even when there is a risk of consequences for doing so. Sometimes the most courageous act of discipleship is loving oneself enough to refuse to let go of life.
In this context, Jesus’ words, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”, offer a powerful critique of a society that measures success by wealth, power, possessions, and status. Jesus’ words challenge the assumption that gaining more necessarily means living better, and they also ask us, when faced with a kind of bribery to be silent about injustice, at what cost are we choosing to stay silent? We may gain the world but lose touch with our humanity. What does going along to get along cost a person on an inner level? A person may accumulate enormous wealth and influence while becoming spiritually, morally and/or ethically impoverished.
These words also question systems that allow some people to “gain the whole world” while others are deprived of food, housing, dignity, opportunity, and security. Wealth gained through exploitation, oppression, the suffering of others, or even through merely remaining silent about such comes at the cost of the soul. Jesus therefore shifts the question from “How much can I acquire?” to “What kind of person am I becoming, and what is the cost of my success to my inner self and others?”
The “soul” represents more than private spirituality. It points toward the deepest center of human identity, conscience, compassion, and relationship with others. To forfeit one’s soul is to lose the capacity to recognize another person’s humanity and even lose connection with our own. Jesus’ teaching calls us to reject a culture of material gain through injustice, and seek a society shaped by justice, compassion, solidarity, and human dignity instead. The truly valuable life is not the one that possesses the most, but the one that refuses to gain at another person’s expense.
Lastly this week, Jesus’ words, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels,” evoke the powerful imagery of Daniel 7, where the “Son of Man” appears as a human figure receiving authority from God after oppressive beasts representing unjust and violent empires parade through the scene. In Jesus’ first-century context, this imagery could resonate with Jewish hopes for liberation from Roman domination and the restoration of justice. The Son of Man represents an alternative to imperial power: authority grounded not in violence, conquest, or exploitation but in justice and compassion. Jesus’ language therefore speaks to hope that unjust empires will not be the final word in Earth’s history. And that is a hope that each of us alive today can lean into.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does our reading this week inform your own justice work, today? 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.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
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 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 3 Episode 36: When Solidarity Comes with a Personal Cost
Matthew 16:21-28
The question has to be asked, “At what cost? What kind of person am I becoming?” This week’s reading points toward the deepest center of human identity, conscience, compassion, and relationship with others. To forfeit one’s soul is to lose the capacity to recognize another person’s humanity and even lose connection with our own. Jesus’ teaching calls us to reject a culture of material gain through injustice, and seek a society shaped by justice, compassion, solidarity, and human dignity instead. The truly valuable life is not the one that possesses the most, but the one that refuses to gain at another person’s expense.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/when-solidarity-comes-with-a-personal-cost
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
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Peter’s Confession and the Hope of Just World
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Peter’s Confession and the Hope of Just World
Herb Montgomery | August 21, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the Gospel of Matthew.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (Matthew 16:13-20)
In our reading this week, when Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” they answer, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” This association with Israel’s prophets is deeply significant for Jesus followers engaged in justice work. The prophets did not primarily predict the future; they were courageous truth-tellers who confronted systems of oppression, challenged corrupt rulers, defended the poor, and called the nation back to covenantal justice.
By comparing Jesus to John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, and other prophets, the crowds recognize that Jesus stands in their prophetic tradition. Like John, Jesus challenges political and religious authorities who exploit others for their own benefit. Like Elijah, he confronts rulers who use power to enrich themselves while abandoning societal justice. Like Jeremiah, Jesus laments a society that has become numb to the suffering of its most vulnerable society members, and he warns that injustice ultimately leads to destruction.
This prophetic identity reveals that following Jesus is not merely about private spirituality or personal morality. It means participating in the sacred, ongoing work of confronting injustice, exposing hypocrisy, and restoring dignity to those pushed to the margins. The kingdom of heaven that Jesus proclaims is inseparable from economic fairness, compassion for the poor, hospitality toward strangers, and liberation for those under oppressive social structures.
The Gospel’s list of prophets also reminds readers that God’s messengers have historically faced rejection because they disturb the comfort of the powerful. Prophetic ministry is costly precisely because it refuses to separate faith from justice. Matthew portrays Jesus as the culmination of this prophetic tradition: someone who embodied God’s enduring concern for the oppressed while calling his followers to do the same.
For modern disciples, this passage raises a searching question: if we recognize Jesus as a prophet of justice, then those who claim to follow him must also ask can they can be recognized too? Jesus followers are called to stand in the same tradition as Jesus of speaking truth to power, challenging systems that deny human dignity, and working courageously for a society that reflects justice and compassion.
Next in our reading this week, we bump into Peter’s response and pronouncement of Jesus as Messiah. The title “Messiah” here reflects the faith and theological development of the earliest Jesus communities rather than simple fulfillment of a prediction in the Hebrew scriptures. Contrary to many later Christian assumptions, the Hebrew scriptures do not contain a single, unified, fully developed doctrine of a coming messiah. The Hebrew word mashiach (“anointed one”) instead referred broadly to kings, priests, and occasionally prophets who were consecrated for God’s service. Saul, David, Solomon, and even the Persian king Cyrus are all described as God’s anointed. There is no consistent expectation in the Hebrew Bible of one future Messiah who would fulfill all later Christian hopes.
During the centuries leading up to the first century, however, Jewish life was shaped by foreign domination under the Persians, Greeks, and finally the Romans. These political realities gave rise to a growing hope that their God would, like in the Hebrew stories of old, intervene in history by raising up a righteous descendant of David who would restore Israel’s independence, establish justice, and renew the Divine covenant with the people. This expectation emerged through interpreting and reapplying older biblical traditions rather than a single prophetic blueprint. Different Jewish groups imagined their future deliverer in different ways: some expected a royal king, others a priestly figure, a prophet like Moses, or even multiple anointed leaders.
Within this historical context, Jesus’ followers came to proclaim him as the Messiah after experiencing his life, death, and what they believed to be his resurrection. Best practices and honest scholarship today suggests that the title expressed the community’s conviction that Jesus embodied God’s liberating purposes even though he had not also restored the political kingdom many expected. The earliest Christians therefore reinterpreted messiahship in light of Jesus’ life, death and teachings, and the title “Messiah” became a theological confession shaped by both Israel’s scriptures and the lived experience of a community seeking hope, liberation, and the renewal of God’s people.
The earliest followers of Jesus proclaimed Jesus as “Messiah” primarily because they understood his life and mission through the social and political hopes of first-century Judaism. Over centuries of conquest, exile, and foreign domination, these older traditions were reinterpreted as Jewish communities longed for God to raise up a new leader who would restore Israel’s freedom and justice.
By the first century, Judea lived under the heavy hand of the Roman Empire. Roman taxation, military occupation, economic exploitation, and the collaboration of local elites created widespread poverty and resentment. In this environment, many Jews hoped for a Davidic king who would liberate Israel from foreign rule, restore the kingdom, and establish a society governed by God’s justice rather than imperial oppression. “Messiah” therefore became a profoundly political title that expressed hope for national renewal, economic justice, and freedom from empire.
Jesus’ earliest followers interpreted his ministry in this atmosphere of expectation. His proclamation of the kingdom of God challenged the legitimacy of every earthly kingdom that enriched the powerful while burdening the poor. His table fellowship with outcasts, denunciations of exploitative religious and political systems, and announcement of good news to the poor all reflected a vision of God’s reign that sharply contrasted with Roman domination.
After Jesus’ crucifixion, a punishment reserved for those Rome considered political threats, his Jewish followers did not abandon their hope. Instead, believing that God had vindicated Jesus through resurrection, they radically redefined messiahship. Rather than leading a military revolt, Jesus had confronted empire through nonviolent resistance, love expressed through restorative justice, and solidarity with the marginalized. Calling Jesus “Messiah” became a declaration that God’s true ruler had already been revealed, even though Caesar remained on the throne. It was a bold political and theological confession that God’s kingdom, not Rome’s empire, represented the future of history. The title “Messiah” thus expressed the conviction that liberation would ultimately come not through imperial power but through God’s justice breaking into our world through Jesus and the community that carried forward his vision (see Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18-21, John 1:35-42, and Gospel of Thomas 13:1-8).
Lastly this week, let’s contemplate Peter’s second declaration in our reading, which gives Jesus the title “son of God.” In the first-century Roman world, “Son of God” was not unique to Jesus. It was also an imperial title claimed by the Caesars. After the death of Julius Caesar, who the Roman Senate declared divine, his adopted heir Augustus became known as Divi Filius: “Son of the Divine One” or “Son of God.” Later emperors continued to present themselves as divinely chosen rulers whose authority came from the gods. Their titles reinforced the ideology that Rome’s power was sacred and beyond challenge.
Against this backdrop, Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as the true Son of God in deliberate contrast to Caesar. This has become a theological statement today, but was originally a political one. If Jesus is God’s Son, then Caesar is not the ultimate lord of the world, and allegiance belongs first to Jesus’ vision of of a just world rather than to the empire.
This claim exposes the difference between two kinds of power. Caesar’s “sonship” was expressed through military conquest, taxation, wealth, and domination. Jesus’ sonship is revealed through healing the sick, feeding the hungry, welcoming outsiders, loving one’s neighbor, and standing with the poor. One kingdom maintains itself through fear and violence; the other grows through compassion, justice, and love.
For Matthew’s community, confessing Jesus as the Son of God was therefore an act of resistance. It rejected the empire’s claim to divine authority and proclaimed that their God’s justice, not imperial power, had the final word.
In the wake of Peter’s declaration, Jesus declares to Peter, “On this rock I will build my church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” We can understand this as a call to create a community committed to justice rather than an institution built on power and domination. In Matthew’s Gospel, the ekklesia (church) is not primarily a building or hierarchy but an assembly of people gathered to embody love’s reign in the world. The “rock” is Peter’s courageous confession that Jesus, not Caesar, is God’s chosen one. Again, this confession carried profound political implications because it challenged the Roman Empire’s claims to ultimate authority.
Jesus’ promise that “the gates of Hades will not overcome it” is often interpreted in more privileged Christian sectors as a promise of personal salvation, but for Jesus followers living in less privileged social locations or engaging the work of liberation and justice, the image of those gates suggests the powers of death, oppression, and empire are fortified. Gates are defensive structures; they do not attack. Jesus’ vision is therefore of a community advancing against forces that degrade humanity: violence, exploitation, poverty, exclusion, and injustice. These powers of death will not stand up against and withstand a Jesus movement rooted in love, justice, inclusion, or compassion.
Likewise, the “keys of the kingdom” symbolize responsibility rather than privilege. Keys open doors that others have closed. Those entrusted with the kingdom are called to unlock access to dignity, justice, human rights, healing, and belonging for those being marginalized by religious, economic, or political systems. The authority to “bind” and “loose” is not permission to control people but the responsibility to discern practices that either perpetuate injustice or set people free. Oppression, greed, and discrimination should be bound; mercy, liberation, reconciliation, and hope should be loosed.
From this perspective, our reading this week shows Jesus commissioning a community that resists the powers of injustice and death by opening doors instead of closing them. And Jesus followers fulfill their calling whenever they stand with the excluded, confront systems of injustice, and embody the liberating values of Jesus’ kingdom in our present world.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does our reading this week inform your own justice work, today? 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.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
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 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 3 Episode 35: Peter’s Confession and the Hope of Just World
Matthew 16:13-20
We can understand our reading this week as a call to create a community committed to justice rather than an institution built on power and domination. In Matthew’s Gospel, the ekklesia (translated church) is not primarily a building or hierarchy but an community of people collectively embodying love’s reign in the world. Love, justice, compassion, and mercy, not Caesar and Rome, are the hope for the future. Peter’s confession carried profound political implications, much more than theological ones, because it challenged the Empire’s claims to ultimate authority and gave the people a viable, subversive alternative.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
Learning to Learn From a Canaanite Woman
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Learning to Learn From a Canaanite Woman
Herb Montgomery | August 7, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of Matthew:
(Matthew 15:10-28)
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them. Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”
“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. (Matthew 15:10-28)
In the first half of our reading this week, Jesus declares that it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out. While this teaching has often been understood as setting aside ritual food laws, it also carries a justice lesson and that’s what I’m most interested in presently. In this story, Jesus shifts attention from a singular focus on external religious or ritual observances to the inner values that shape human relationships and community life.
By also insisting that evil words and actions arise from the heart, Jesus challenges systems that emphasize ritual purity while ignoring injustice. A society may faithfully observe religious customs and yet still be corrupted by greed, hatred, violence, deception, and oppression. Such evils are revealed in speech that spreads lies, incites violence, humiliates the vulnerable and marginalized, or justifies exploitation. The words people speak reflect the moral character of individuals and societies, regardless of their adherence to religious ritual practice.
Our reading this week confronts the tendency to exclude others on the basis of external markers such as diet, ethnicity, class, or religious tradition. Jesus undermines boundaries that divide people into the “pure” and the “unclean”, boundaries then most often set in parallel with labeling people’s diets or hand-washing practices. Remember, this was before any knowledge of germ theory so the tradition was not about resisting disease. Instead of dividing people, Jesus teaches that the true measure of righteousness is whether one’s words and actions promote justice, mercy, and love. Communities become defiled not because they eat wrong foods or eat in wrong ways, but because they tolerate speech and behavior that deny the dignity of others.
Our reading this week calls us to examine the language we use in public life: what comes out of our mouths. Words can either reinforce systems of discrimination or challenge them. They can defend the powerful at the expense of the poor or give voice to those who have been silenced. Speech rooted in compassion, truth, and solidarity becomes an instrument of Jesus’ kingdom of justice, compassion, and safety, whereas speech born of prejudice and selfishness destroys community. Jesus reminds his disciples that genuine holiness is measured not by ritual compliance with rules on food but by hearts transformed into sources of justice, liberation, and life-giving truth.
Our reading this week also contains a troubling metaphor for many contemporary readers who care about justice today.
“Leave them; they are blind guides,” Jesus says. “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” From the perspective of disability studies, this saying illustrates how deeply ableist assumptions can become embedded in language, including the language of our sacred texts. This passage employs blindness not as a neutral human characteristic but as a symbol of ignorance, failure, and danger. The metaphor depends on the assumption that blindness naturally signifies incompetence and that blind people are incapable of leading others. In doing so, it reinforces stereotypes that have historically contributed to the social marginalization of blind and visually impaired people.
This metaphor is especially problematic because it uses disability as shorthand for moral and intellectual deficiency. Rather than critiquing only the religious leaders’ hypocrisy or lack of insight, the saying associates those failures with blindness itself. Such language reflects a broader cultural pattern found throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, where physical impairments often functioned symbolically to represent spiritual or ethical shortcomings. While this symbolic use may have been commonplace in its historical context, it nevertheless carries consequences for readers today.
A disability-informed reading invites interpreters to distinguish between the intended target of Jesus’ criticism, the religious leaders whom he believed were misleading others, and the metaphor he employs to express that criticism. Modern readers need not perpetuate the equation of blindness with ignorance or evil. Instead, they can recognize that blind people lead, teach, create, parent, and contribute in every sphere of society. The real issue in our reading this week is not blindness but irresponsible leadership. Reframing this passage in this way allows readers to preserve its critique of harmful authority while rejecting language that stigmatizes disability. Such a reading encourages both faith communities and biblical interpreters to examine how inherited metaphors may unintentionally reinforce prejudice and to seek more inclusive ways of speaking about wisdom, justice, and leadership. Today, when it comes to disabilities, we can and must tell the Jesus story in better ways.
Lastly in our reading this week, we are presented with one of the most striking moments of growth in Matthew’s version of the Jesus story. Jesus initially responds to the Canaanite woman with language that reflects the ethnic and religious boundaries of his culture. He declares that he was sent only to “the lost sheep of Israel” and compares giving help to her with throwing children’s bread to dogs. These words are deeply troubling because they echo prejudices that marginalized Canaanites and outsiders within Jesus’ own culture. Rather than ignoring this tension, the passage invites readers to wrestle honestly with it.
The Canaanite woman refuses to accept exclusion. She neither responds with anger nor retreats in shame. Instead, she courageously challenges Jesus’ assumptions with remarkable wit and faith: “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Her response exposes the inadequacy of boundaries that deny another person’s humanity and dignity. She insists that God’s mercy cannot be confined by ethnic identity or social status.
Jesus’ final response is equally significant. Rather than defending his earlier position, he publicly praises the woman’s faith and grants her request. In this reading, Jesus demonstrates the humility to be moved by someone from a marginalized community. The encounter reveals a Jesus who listened, learned, and allowed compassionate truth to overcome inherited social prejudice. Instead of presenting growth as weakness, Matthew portrays openness to correction as a mark of genuine righteousness.
For Jesus followers participating in justice work today, this story reminds us that even deeply embedded biases can be confronted through authentic encounters with those who have been excluded. Marginalized voices are not merely recipients of justice; they are often its teachers. The Canaanite woman becomes an agent of transformation, expanding the visible scope of Jesus’ ministry and foreshadowing the Gospel’s ultimate movement toward all nations. Her persistence demonstrates that faith can challenge systems of exclusion and open new possibilities for mercy, justice, and belonging.
One of the greatest strengths displayed in this story is not unwavering certainty on Jesus’ part but his humility to change. Too often, leaders are praised for never admitting error, as though changing one’s mind were a sign of weakness. Yet the encounter with the Canaanite woman suggests the opposite. Jesus models the courage to listen deeply, to recognize truth when it comes from an unexpected source, and to allow that truth to reshape his actions. His authority is not diminished by this change in my opinion; it is strengthened because it is rooted in compassion rather than inerrancy.
This story offers a powerful reminder that learning and growing is an essential part of morality and spiritual growth. The saying, “When we learn better, we do better,” captures this moment in Matthew’s Jesus story. Growth requires openness to voices that challenge our assumptions, especially the voices of those who have experienced exclusion or oppression. The Canaanite woman becomes a teacher whose persistence reveals a broader vision of God’s mercy than the social boundaries both she and Jesus lived in.
Our reading this week offers hope that transformation is always possible. No one is beyond growth. The measure of faithfulness is not whether we have never held biased beliefs, but whether we have the humility to recognize them, the courage to change our minds, and the willingness to act differently once we know better. In that sense, Jesus’ response becomes a model of lifelong moral growth grounded in love.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does our reading this week inform your own justice work, today? 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.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
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 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 3 Episode 34: Learning to Learn From a Canaanite Woman
Matthew 15:10-28
A disability-informed reading invites interpreters to distinguish between the intended target of Jesus’ criticism, the leaders whom he believed were misleading others, and the metaphor he employs to express that criticism. Modern readers need not perpetuate the equation of blindness with ignorance or evil. Instead, they can recognize that blind people lead, teach, create, parent, and contribute in every sphere of society. The real issue in our reading this week is not blindness but irresponsible leadership. Reframing this passage in this way allows readers to preserve its critique of harmful authority while rejecting language that stigmatizes disability. Such a reading encourages both faith communities and biblical interpreters to examine how inherited metaphors may unintentionally reinforce prejudice and to seek more inclusive ways of speaking about wisdom, justice, and leadership. Our reading also reminds us that even deeply embedded biases can be confronted through authentic encounters with those who have been excluded. Marginalized voices are not merely recipients of justice; they are often its teachers. The Canaanite woman becomes an agent of transformation, expanding the visible scope of Jesus’ ministry and foreshadowing the Gospel’s ultimate movement toward all nations. Her persistence demonstrates that faith can challenge systems of exclusion and open new possibilities for mercy, justice, and belonging.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/learning-to-learn-from-a-canaanite-woman
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
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Walking on the Sea of Galilee and Standing Up to Injustice
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Walking on the Sea of Galilee and Standing Up to Injustice
Herb Montgomery | August 7, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of Matthew:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of Matthew.
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33)
This week’s reading is a fantastical tale that has deep social and political lessons if we use a life-giving interpretive lens. First, during Jesus’ life, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) was an economic hub within the Roman client state of Galilee and was ruled by Herod Antipas. Fishermen operated under state-granted licenses and heavy taxation. Their catch was heavily processed, with taxes benefiting Roman and Herodian elites but leaving the common fishermen economically marginalized. Fishing was not a free-market endeavor; it was a state-controlled, monopolistic industry, so fishermen like Peter and Andrew had to obtain licenses and a substantial portion of their catch—sometimes up to 25-40%—was claimed by Roman and temple taxes or to pay off toll collectors. Rather than serving only local customers, Roman and Herodian elites commercialized the Galilean fishing industry. That meant that the fish were heavily salted and processed in towns like Magdala (also known by its Greek name Tarichaeae, which means “Processed-Fishville”). From there, the fish were exported across the Roman Empire. Fishing was a vital industry, yet the fishermen were generally poor, peasant laborers who sustained an empire that stripped away most of their profits. Because of the heavy taxation and dependent livelihoods, many peasants and fishermen experienced severe economic precarity, which bred widespread dissatisfaction and primed the region for unrest and messianic uprisings.
In Michael Okińczyc-Cruz and John Dominic Crossan’s latest book, Jesus and Justice: Organizing for God’s Reign on Earth Then and Now, the authors unpack the socio-economic and political context surrounding the sea of Galilee, a central location in Matthew’s version of the Jesus story:
“What was once a public lake that Jews and other first-century Mediterranean peoples relied upon for food and their way of life was transformed into a privatized imperial enterprise. Herod Antipas viewed the Sea of Galilee and the vulnerable people that lived along its shores as objects for production that could be mercilessly exploited for profit and gain.” (John Dominic Crossan & Michael Okińczyc-Cruz, Jesus and Justice: Organizing for God’s Reign on Earth Then and Now, p. 2)
In Jesus’ lifetime, Herod Antipas hoped to increase his tribute from Galilee to persuade his Roman masters to choose him as their vassal and to rule the whole country as its “king.” But Herod Antipas could not increase his tribute to Rome by squeezing more grain from his peasants without risking a rebellion. A rebellion would have had the opposite effect: Herod would be removed from the region as an incompetent ruler, not chosen to rule it. What Herod did instead was to add to the land’s produce the products produced in the regions second greatest asset, the Sea of Galilee. This would have to be accomplished at the expense of the poor fishermen and peasants. Think of how prominent loaves (grain) and fish are in Jesus story. (For a more detailed account of this history, see John Dominic Crossan & Michael Okińczyc-Cruz’ book Jesus and Justice: Organizing for God’s Reign on Earth Then and Now, p. 11.)
Herod saw the Sea of Galilee and the poor fishing families that surrounded the lake as objects for his ruthless exploitation. He viewed the Sea and his subjects nearby as a vital linchpin in his consolidation of political and economic power across the territories he wanted to rule under the Roman Empire. This spelled profound trouble for the poor peasant fishing families who lived along and near to those shores. Antipas’ lake could supply Rome with what his land could not: fish and fish-factories that could deliver dried fish, salted fish, and fish-sauce to coastal Tyre and into the imperial commerce machine through the “globalization” of the Mediterranean region’s markets. By 20 CE, Herod controlled the lake, exploiting its fish and increasing his imperial tribute in Galilee so that Tiberius and his Roman rulers might extend Herod’s rule to the whole country. Finally, he would become “king of the Jews.”
Michael Okińczyc-Cruz and John Dominic Crossan invite us to think of what these changes “did to small peasant-fishers for whom the lake had once been an aquatic ‘commons’ available to all who could afford a hook, a net, or, even if corporately, a boat. If they could still do any of that, Herod Antipas’ monopoly meant enforced sale at fixed prices to his fish depots. By exploiting the farmers and peasants inland, Antipas had learned to multiply loaves in the land around Sepphoris; and by exploiting the fishermen and surrounding fishing villages, he would now learn how to multiply fishes in the lake around Tiberias. For small local fishers by the 20s, the once-open Lake of Galilee was the now-closed Lake of Tiberias.” (John Dominic Crossan & Michael Okińczyc-Cruz, Jesus and Justice: Organizing for God’s Reign on Earth Then and Now, p. 12).
All of this leads us to what I believe is the most relevant point of this week’s story. Jesus’ act of walking on the water carries more than mere theological significance. It also communicated profound political and social meaning to Jesus followers in the time it was written. Under the rule of Herod Antipas, the Sea of Galilee had become the center of an exploitative fishing economy. Antipas established the city of Tiberias on its western shore and local fishermen, including several of Jesus’ disciples, lived under heavy economic burdens created by this political system.
Against this backdrop, Jesus’ mastery over the waters symbolizes liberating authority over a realm that Herod claimed to control. The lake represented the economic power of the ruling elite, yet Jesus walks across it as one who is not subject to its oppressive structures. Rather than being constrained by the forces of imperial exploitation, he demonstrates that God’s reign transcends and challenges human systems of domination. Jesus’ authority comes not from military power, wealth, or political office but from solidarity with the sacred and divine work of achieving justice for the oppressed.
The disciples’ fear during the storm could mirror the insecurity that ordinary people experienced living under political oppression and economic uncertainty. Jesus’ words, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid,” become a message of liberation to those whose lives were shaped by exploitation. His presence over the turbulent waters assures them that God’s kingdom offers assurance beyond the reach of oppressive rulers. Matthew’s account therefore presents Jesus as more than Lord over creation, a description emphasized by many theological interpretations that seek not to disturb the powerful and privileged. Matthew also presents Jesus as one who confronts unjust political and economic powers. By exercising authority over the very center of Herod Antipas’ commercial enterprise, Jesus proclaims that his kingdom overturns systems of exploitation and restores dignity, hope, and freedom to those marginalized by imperial rule.
In this context, Peter’s attempt to walk on the water in our reading this week is significant. When we read this story against the realities of oppression, fear, and faithful resistance, there are lessons we can glean for our justice work today. At Jesus’ invitation, Peter leaves the relative safety of the boat and steps into the turbulent sea. His action symbolizes the courage required of those who choose to participate in Jesus’ kingdom (a just, compassionate, safe world for everyone) rather than remain within the security of the existing social order. Following Jesus demands more than belief; it requires risking one’s comfort to confront the forces that threaten human dignity.
The waves represent more than natural danger. They can also be understood as the overwhelming powers of political oppression, economic exploitation, violence, and social exclusion that dominated first-century Palestine under Roman rule and the client kings such as Herod Antipas. Like the disciples, communities seeking justice often find themselves surrounded by forces that appear too powerful to overcome. Peter succeeds while his attention remains fixed on Jesus, whose authority surpasses the power of the waves, but he begins to sink when he shifts his attention from Jesus to the raging wind and waves. Socially, this could illustrate how movements for justice falter when fear becomes greater than hope. The intimidation of oppressive systems can paralyze individuals and communities, tempting them to abandon the difficult work of liberation. Fear magnifies the apparent strength of injustice while diminishing confidence in our collective transforming power.
Yet the story does not end with Peter’s failure. As he cries, “Lord, save me,” Jesus immediately reaches out and takes hold of him. Grace meets human fear without shame. A just world is sustained not by flawless courage but by our faithful continuation even when the waves threaten us. Jesus restores Peter, demonstrating that even when we falter or feel ourselves sinking in the struggle for justice, there are hands that remain extended, calling us together to renew our solidarity with each other and courage liberation work today.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does our reading this week inform your own justice work, today? 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.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
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 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 3 Episode 32: Walking on the Sea of Galilee and Standing Up to Injustice
Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus’ act of walking on the water carries more than mere theological significance. It also communicated profound political and social meaning to Jesus followers in the time it was written. Under the rule of Herod Antipas, the Sea of Galilee had become the center of an exploitative fishing economy. Antipas established the city of Tiberias on its western shore and local fishermen, including several of Jesus’ disciples, lived under heavy economic burdens created by this political system. Against this backdrop, Jesus’ mastery over the waters symbolizes liberating authority over a realm that Herod claimed to control and a lake that was at the center of Herod’s exploitative plan.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
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