The Cost of Compassion
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The Cost of Compassion
Herb Montgomery | June 19, 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:
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
“ ‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:24-39)
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, over and over again we read stories about a Jesus who confronts social, religious, economic, and political structures that marginalize people. He touches the unclean, eats with tax collectors and sinners, restores dignity to those excluded from society, and exposes the hypocrisy of leaders who place burdens on others while protecting their own privilege. Because Jesus threatens the status quo, he is demonized by those invested in maintaining existing power arrangements.
In our reading this week, Matthew’s Jesus tells his disciples that they are told to expect the same response that he gets. History shows that those who stand with the poor, the excluded, and the oppressed, the marginalized often encounter resistance. Advocates for justice are frequently portrayed as dangerous, disruptive, unpatriotic, or even evil. Jesus teaches that such opposition should not be surprising. This is the nature of the path we are following.
dJesus is challenging systems that assign value to people based on wealth, status, productivity, or power. Sparrows were among the cheapest animals sold in the marketplace. They possessed little economic value in the eyes of society. Yet Jesus declares that not even one sparrow falls outside of God’s care. If God notices and values what the empire and marketplace consider insignificant, then every human being possesses inherent dignity that cannot be measured by social standing or economic worth.
This teaching confronts the logic of societies that treat some lives as expendable or worth less. The poor, the disabled, the immigrant, the incarcerated, the unhoused, and others pushed to the margins are often regarded as less important by political and economic systems. Jesus rejects this hierarchy of human value. God’s attention extends to those whom society overlooks.
The statement that even the hairs of our heads are numbered speaks of profound care and recognition. Social injustice often begins when people become statistics rather than neighbors, categories rather than persons. But Jesus insists that every person is known and valued.
The command, “Do not be afraid,” is not merely personal comfort. It is encouragement for communities seeking justice in the face of opposition. Those who challenge oppression, expose injustice, and stand with the vulnerable can do so with courage, knowing that their worth is not determined by the approval of powerful institutions. In God’s vision of justice, even socially marginalized lives matter. Every person counts, and no one is forgotten.
Lastly in our reading this week, we encounter Jesus’ words on peace versus a sword. At first glance, Jesus’ words about bringing not peace but a sword seem to contradict his teachings on love, mercy, and nonviolence. Yet in the context of social justice, the “sword” is not a call to physical violence but recognition that the pursuit of God’s justice inevitably creates conflict with systems of oppression and privilege.
Jesus announces a world that challenges the values of empire, domination, exclusion, and economic exploitation. When people commit themselves to that vision, divisions often emerge, even, according to our reading, within families and communities. Those who benefit from unjust systems may resist change, while those seeking liberation may be forced to choose between social acceptance and faithfulness to justice.
The call to be true to what we know is right over being true to our family is not a rejection of family relationships. Rather, it is a warning against allowing loyalty to tribe, nation, class, or family to override loyalty to the ethics of justice and compassion. Throughout history, movements for abolition, civil rights, labor rights, LGBTQ rights, and peace have often divided households because they challenged deeply rooted social norms.
Taking up the way of love and justice means accepting the cost of doing so. It means standing with the marginalized even when doing so brings criticism, rejection, or loss. Jesus teaches that true life is found not in preserving our comfort and privilege, but in surrendering ourselves to the work of justice, restitution, and the transformation of society: making our world a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone.
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.
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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 26: The Cost of Compassion
Matthew 10:24-39
Our passage this week is a warning against allowing loyalty to tribe, nation, class, or family to override loyalty to the ethics of justice and compassion. Throughout history, movements for abolition, civil rights, labor rights, LGBTQ rights, and peace have often divided households because they challenged deeply rooted social norms. Taking up the way of love and justice means accepting the cost of doing so. It means standing with the marginalized even when doing so brings criticism, rejection, or loss. Jesus teaches that true life is found not in preserving our comfort and privilege, but in surrendering ourselves to the work of justice, restitution, and the transformation of society: making our world a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-cost-of-compassion
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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