Parables that Harm
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.”
Parables that Harm
Herb Montgomery | July 17, 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 13:24-30, 36-43)
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)
Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds in our reading this week has often been interpreted as a story about separating the righteous from the wicked. Yet one of the most important ethical lessons of the parable is frequently overlooked: human beings are explicitly forbidden from deciding who the “bad seeds” are and attempting to eliminate them. The servants immediately want to pull up the weeds, but the landowner refuses. The servants’ certainty about who belongs and who does not is precisely what Jesus challenges.
Throughout history, societies have repeatedly identified groups of people as “weeds” that threaten the health of the whole community. Ethnic minorities, immigrants, religious dissenters, political opponents, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and countless others have all been portrayed as dangerous contaminants that must be removed for society to flourish. But once people are classified as inherently bad, every form of exclusion becomes easier to justify. Discrimination, segregation, incarceration, deportation, economic exploitation, and violence can all be defended as necessary acts of preserving the “good crop.”
The danger of this is not limited to physical destruction. Even when people postpone judgment until a future divine reckoning, they may still treat others as though they have already been condemned. The belief that certain people are destined for destruction can produce social practices that isolate, dehumanize, or neglect them in the present. One need not literally burn the weeds today to start treating them as less worthy of compassion, justice, or dignity than those deemed “good.”
Jesus’ response resists this entire framework. The servants in the story assume they can distinguish between wheat and weeds perfectly, but the landowner recognizes the limitations of human judgment. Pulling up the weeds prematurely also risks destroying the wheat. This warning extends beyond agriculture into every community where people’s certainty about others’ moral worth becomes the justification for exclusion. History repeatedly demonstrates that campaigns to eliminate perceived threats almost always harm innocent people alongside those being targeted.
So the parable attempts to call communities away from systems that sort humanity into fixed categories of “worthy” and “unworthy.” Instead, it encourages patience, humility, and a recognition that every person bears immeasurable value. Justice is not achieved by identifying expendable people but by cultivating conditions in which everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
The parable of the wheat and the weeds is less a guide for identifying the wicked than a warning against assuming that role ourselves. In this parable, Mathew’s Jesus places judgment in God’s hands while calling his followers to practice patience, adopt a posture of waiting while practicing mercy, protecting the vulnerable, and resisting every ideology that divides humanity into those deserving of life and those destined for destruction. In a world still tempted to solve its problems by sacrificing those deemed undesirable, the parable invites us to choose patience over quick action and certainty about others.
Yet there is a deeper layer to this parable that is deeply troubling and immensely problematic.
The interpretation of this parable presents one of the most difficult ethical tensions in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew’s explanation, the “good seed” becomes “the children of the kingdom,” while the weeds become “the children of the evil one,” destined ultimately to be gathered and destroyed. Read through the lens of justice and human dignity, this interpretation risks reinforcing a dangerous way of seeing other human beings not merely as people who do harmful things, but also as people whose very identity is evil.
The problem is not recognizing that injustice exists: in the gospel stories, Jesus consistently confronted oppression, exploitation, and violence. The problem emerges when evil is relocated from systems and actions into the essence of particular people. Once someone is identified as “bad seed,” our imagination begins to shift. It’s not enough for us to say, “Yes, they are bad seeds, but Jesus tells us to leave them alone.” No! Whomever we label as “bad seeds” destined for eventual destruction instantly becomes disposable rather than neighbors to be loved, enemies to be prayed for, or people capable of repentance. Throughout the centuries, various religious communities have labeled heretics, enslaved peoples, other ethnic groups, political opponents, LGBTQ persons, immigrants, women, and adherents of other faiths as threats to God’s purposes. Regarding a group as fundamentally corrupt stands in tension with the broader ministry of Jesus. Jesus repeatedly refused to reduce people to fixed moral identities. He ate with tax collectors, forgave those who crucified him, welcomed those his society labelled as sinners, restored those his society deemed unclean, and called his followers to love their enemies. His ministry assumed that every person bears the image of the Divine. In that context, then, no one ever should be considered a “tare” that will eventually be gathered up and burned in fire. Even those who opposed Jesus in the stories remained objects of God’s love rather than candidates for human contempt.
A more life-giving reading of the parable understands the weeds not as categories of people but as destructive patterns that grow within individuals and societies. Greed, domination, prejudice, violence, and hatred threaten God’s harvest. These realities must indeed be overcome, but their destruction is not the destruction of persons. But then the part the part of the parable of waiting till some mysterious point in the future to uproot these simply doesn’t work in the story. The sacred work of the Divine is not to leave injustice alone until some time in the future, but to engage right now by uprooting injustice while preserving the humanity of everyone involved, today.
The ethical danger of labeling human beings as “bad seed” is that it authorizes exclusion rather than inclusion or restoration. We must begin from the conviction that every person possesses irreducible worth, even people who perpetuate harm. Accountability is essential, and injustice must be confronted with courage. Yet confronting evil is fundamentally different from declaring that certain people are themselves beyond redemption.
If Jesus’ kingdom is characterized by restored humanity, justice, compassion, reconciliation, healing, and restorative justice, then no person should ever be viewed as a bad seed. Ever! People are never weeds in the field of our world. The weeds are the systems, ideologies, fears, and choices that distort our shared humanity. And, those are not to be left along till some time in the future. Those are what must be gathered up and done away with, today, so that every person may have the opportunity to flourish.
A community that labels people as irredeemable closes itself to change. The Jesus of Matthew’s Gospel consistently sought out those whom respectable society had already written off such tax collectors, sinners, Samaritans, Gentiles, and others deemed morally or religiously suspect by the wealthy and powerful elite. His ministry repeatedly transgressed societal norms in favor of the worth and dignity of every person. That means that the parable we encounter in this week’s reading is inconsistent with the Jesus we find in the rest of Matthew’s gospel. Regardless of one’s view of sacred texts, inspiration, or any other lens that would cause us to choose infallibility over the well-being of vulnerable people, my conclusion this week is simple: No person ever should be labelled as a bad seed. Period.
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 30: Parables that Harm
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Throughout history, societies have repeatedly identified groups of people as “weeds” that threaten the health of the whole community. Ethnic minorities, immigrants, religious dissenters, political opponents, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and countless others have all been portrayed as dangerous contaminants that must be removed for society to flourish. But once people are classified as inherently bad, every form of exclusion becomes easier to justify. Discrimination, segregation, incarceration, deportation, economic exploitation, and violence can all be defended as necessary acts of preserving the “good crop. Regardless of one’s view of sacred texts, inspiration, or any other lens that would cause us to choose infallibility over the well-being of vulnerable people, my conclusion this week is simple: No person ever should be labelled as a bad seed. Period.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/parables-that-harm
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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Free Sign Up Here
Justice Lessons of the Sower and the Seed
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.”
Justice Lessons of the Sower and the Seed
Herb Montgomery | July 11, 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:
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” . . .
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)
Our reading this week includes one of the most famous parables in the Gospels. Jesus begins with a striking image of a farmer scatters seed.Some of it falls along a hardened path where birds quickly devour it. This is the first of three scenarios for the seed in this parable. Jesus explains that this seed on the hardened path represents those who hear the message of the kingdom but do not understand it, allowing “the evil one” to snatch it away before it can take root. This opening portion of the parable reveals the powerful ways that oppressive systems can prevent people from grasping the liberating vision of Jesus’ “message of the kingdom.”
In Matthew’s Gospel, the “message of the kingdom” is not about life after death. It is the announcement that Justice’s reign here on Earth challenges injustice, lifts up the marginalized, and calls us to organize human relationships around compassion, equity, and shared humanity. Throughout Matthew, Jesus proclaims good news to those burdened by poverty, exclusion, and exploitation, and the kingdom (though outdated language for us today) represents a radically different social order than the one maintained by empire and people with wealth or religious, economic, or political privilege.
The hardened path we encounter symbolizes hearts and communities that have been conditioned by systems of domination. When people live under structures that normalize inequality, violence, discrimination, or economic exploitation, it can become difficult for them to even imagine alternatives. The message of justice and liberation may be heard but it is not understood because prevailing social narratives have hardened the ground. The seed never has the opportunity to take root.
The birds that snatch away the seed can be understood as forces that actively work against liberation. These forces may take the form of propaganda, fear, prejudice, nationalism, or religious teachings that sanctify injustice. Whenever voices proclaim that poverty is inevitable, that certain groups deserve exclusion, or that existing hierarchies are ordained by God, the seed of the kingdom is stolen before it can grow into transformative action.
Jesus’ warning here is therefore not simply about individual spirituality, but also about social consciousness. Understanding the kingdom requires learning to see the world through the eyes of those who suffer under unjust systems. It requires recognizing the Divine vision for humanity and that vision’s incompatibility with structures that harm and exclude.
The parable’s challenge is to cultivate hearts and communities that stay open to the revolutionary implications of Jesus’ “kingdom.” Only when the hard ground of indifference, fear, and social conditioning is broken up can the seeds of justice, compassion, and liberation begin to flourish.
The next image we see is the seed that falls on rocky ground. This location represents those who receive the message of Jesus’ kingdom with enthusiasm but fail to develop deep roots. This portion of the parable highlights the challenge of sustaining commitment to justice when commitment becomes costly.
The teachings of Jesus consistently call people to stand with those who are marginalized, oppressed, and excluded. That solidarity often brings resistance. Systems of privilege rarely surrender power without a struggle, and so those who challenge injustice frequently encounter criticism, rejection, or even persecution. Jesus acknowledges this reality when he explains that the rocky-ground hearers fall away when trouble comes because of the word.
Social transformation requires more than emotional excitement. Many people are inspired by visions of equality, peace, and liberation, but lasting change demands perseverance and sustainability. Movements for justice have always depended on people who remain committed when the work becomes difficult. The rocky soil in the parable symbolizes shallow commitment that cannot withstand the heat that confronting entrenched injustice generates.
Jesus’ warning is especially relevant in contexts where discipleship is reduced to personal belief that ignores the social implications of Jesus’ teachings. It is easy to celebrate love, compassion, and inclusion in theory. It is far more challenging to practice them when doing so risks relationships, status, employment, financial security, or acceptance within one’s community. The “sun” that scorches the plant can be understood as the social pressure faced by those who advocate for the poor, welcome the outsider, include the marginalized, challenge discrimination, or resist violence.
This portion of the parable is a call to cultivate sustainable deep roots. Authentic commitment to a social vision of justice can be accomplished through being grounded in conviction, building community, and spiritual formation. Only with resources like these can people endure opposition and continue working for a more just and compassionate world. Jesus reminds his listeners that justice is not merely a moment of inspiration; it is a lifelong practice of faithful persistence.
Next, in Jesus’ explanation of the seed among the thorns, there’s a new challenge. A just vision for human community isn’t rejected outright. Initially, the seed begins to grow. The problem is that eventually competing forces choke the seed’s life. Jesus identifies two such forces: the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth. These words expose the way unjust systems can prevent individuals and communities from flourishing.
Many people are burdened by constant economic insecurity, debt, inadequate healthcare, low wages, housing instability, and fear about the future. These worries consume their emotional and physical energy, making it difficult to participate in the work of compassion, community, and justice. The thorns in our lives aren’t simply personal anxieties; they’re often rooted in social conditions that keep people struggling to survive.
Jesus also warns about the deceitfulness of wealth. Wealth promises security, status, and happiness, yet it can blind people to the suffering of others. When the pursuit of accumulation becomes people’s highest value, they push aside their concern for neighbors, workers, immigrants, the poor, and the marginalized. Wealth can create the illusion that success is measured by what one owns rather than by how one loves.
The thorns in the parable warn us to remove things that compete with collective human flourishing. Followers of Jesus are invited to challenge systems that produce unnecessary anxiety and economic inequality while resisting the temptation to place trust in wealth. The seeds of Jesus’ “kingdom” grow best in communities where people share resources, care for one another, and create conditions in which everyone can thrive. Only then can the seed bear the abundant fruit of justice, compassion, and solidarity with others’ humanity.
Jesus concludes the parable of the sower with a hopeful vision: “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” The good soil represents those who hear the message of Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom, understand it, and allow it to bear fruit in their lives. This fruitful harvest is not only about personal spiritual growth but about the transformation of communities through lives shaped by justice, compassion, and solidarity.
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, understanding the kingdom means recognizing the Divine’s desire for a world where the hungry are fed, the excluded are welcomed, the oppressed are liberated, and relationships are restored. Good soil is therefore not simply a receptive heart but also a life that actively participates in the work of healing society. Genuine understanding always becomes visible in concrete action.
The astonishing harvest of thirty, sixty, or one hundred times what was sown suggests that justice has a multiplying effect. One act of generosity inspires others. One courageous stand against oppression encourages others join in. And one person committed to peacemaking can reshape an entire community. Jesus’ vision for a just world grows exponentially because love and justice are contagious when lived publicly.
Jesus also reminds his listeners that fruitfulness requires more than hearing. Earlier in his story, seeds failed because of hardened hearts, shallow commitments, or the choking influence of wealth and anxiety. But good soil has also been cultivated for those seeds. Hearts that are willing to be changed resist the values of domination, greed, and exclusion that too often characterize society.
For Jesus followers today who are working for justice, becoming good soil means allowing Jesus’ vision for a just world to take deep root until it reshapes our priorities, our relationships, and our public life. The measure of faithful discipleship is not simply correct belief but abundant fruit: communities where dignity replaces discrimination, generosity overcomes scarcity, reconciliation heals division, and justice flourishes for the good of all. Such lives become living evidence that Jesus’ kingdom is already taking root among us.
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 29: Justice Lessons of the Sower and the Seed
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, understanding the kingdom means recognizing the Divine’s desire for a world where the hungry are fed, the excluded are welcomed, the oppressed are liberated, and relationships are restored. Good soil is therefore not simply a receptive heart but also a life that actively participates in the work of healing society. Genuine understanding always becomes visible in concrete action. Fruitfulness requires more than hearing. Earlier in his story, seeds failed because of hardened hearts, shallow commitments, or the choking influence of wealth and anxiety. But good soil has also been cultivated for those seeds. Hearts that are willing to be changed resist the values of domination, greed, and exclusion that too often characterize society. Becoming good soil means allowing Jesus’ vision for a just world to take deep root until it reshapes our priorities, our relationships, and our public life.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/justice-lessons-of-the-sower-and-the-seed
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
Society as Children in a Market and Societal Rest
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.”
Society as Children in a Market and Societal Rest
Herb Montgomery | July 3, 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.
“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”. . .
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30)
Our reading this week offers a powerful critique of a society that resists voices calling for transformation. By comparing his generation to children in the marketplace who complain no matter what game is being played, Jesus exposes a pattern that’s still familiar today: people often reject challenges to the status quo regardless of how those challenges are presented.
John the Baptist had a message of repentance, simplicity, and prophetic warning. He lived an austere life, refusing many of the comforts and privileges of society. Yet instead of hearing his call to justice, many dismissed him as extreme and claimed he had a demon. Jesus, by contrast, “came eating and drinking,” sharing meals with ordinary people, celebrating community, and extending radical welcome to those pushed to the margins. Yet he too was rejected and accused of being a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of sinners. The problem was not John’s approach or Jesus’ approach. The problem was a society unwilling to hear the truth about itself that either one proclaimed.
This passage reveals how systems of privilege often respond to calls for change. When advocates challenge inequality, they are frequently criticized no matter what methods they use. If they protest publicly, they are labeled disruptive. If they work within existing institutions, they are accused of being ineffective or compromising. These objections often have less to do with the methods being used and more to do with people and systems refusing to confront the injustice being exposed.
Jesus’ ministry consistently centered those who the religious, political, and economic systems of his day excluded. His friendship with tax collectors and sinners was not simply about personal morality; it was a public demonstration that every person possesses inherent dignity and worth. By sharing meals across social boundaries, Jesus challenged a culture that divided people into categories of worthy and unworthy, clean and unclean, accepted and rejected.
The final statement, “Wisdom is proved right by her deeds,” shifts attention away from what people say and toward the outcomes of what they do. Justice is not ultimately measured by whether those in power approve of a movement or a messenger. It is measured instead by the fruit it produces. Does justice bring healing? Does it restore dignity? Does it create greater equity? Does it move society toward compassion and inclusion? These are the questions Jesus invites his listeners to ask.
Our reading also reminds us that social transformation requires discernment. It is easy to dismiss uncomfortable voices because they challenge our assumptions or disrupt our routines. Yet throughout history, prophets, reformers, and justice advocates have often been rejected before their wisdom was recognized. Jesus encourages us to look beyond labels and accusations and examine the actual impact of a message. We are called to resist the temptation to reject truth simply because it arrives in an unexpected form. Whether spoken through prophetic confrontation like John or compassionate solidarity like Jesus, the call to justice remains the same: to build a society where every person is valued, welcomed, and treated with dignity.
Next in our reading this week, we encounter Jesus’ words about the “wise and learned” and the “little children.” Far from being a rejection of education or knowledge, this passage challenges systems of privilege that assume truth belongs primarily to the powerful, the elite, or those with social status. Jesus celebrates a God who reveals truth in ways that often bypass established hierarchies and reaches those whom society tends to overlook.
In the first-century world, religious authority was concentrated among educated leaders who possessed social, political, and economic influence. Yet Jesus repeatedly found faith, insight, and openness among ordinary people such as the poor, laborers, women, children, and others pushed to the margins. His statement that God has revealed these things to “little children” points to the importance of humility and a willingness to listen to marginalized communities rather than status or power. It is a reminder that wisdom is not measured by credentials, wealth, or social standing.
This passage challenges the tendency of dominant groups to assume they alone possess truth. Throughout history, those in positions of privilege have often dismissed the experiences and voices of marginalized communities. Jesus turns this assumption upside-down. He suggests that those who suffer injustice may possess insights about God, compassion, and human dignity that those benefiting from unjust systems often fail to perceive or comprehend.
This teaching also encourages us to listen carefully to frequently ignored voices. Children, the poor, immigrants, women, racial minorities, LGBTQ people, and others who have experienced exclusion often perceive realities that those with greater social power may overlook. Their experiences can reveal both the wounds of injustice and the way toward healing and personal and social transformation.
The author of Matthew believed that knowledge of God comes through engaging the Jesus story rather than through social position. Access to God is not restricted to an elite class. Divine revelation is not reserved for the powerful but is a gift available to all. In this way, the Jesus story presents a radically democratic vision of spiritual truth and one that levels hierarchies and affirms the dignity and worth of every person.
For Jesus followers committed to justice, this passage is an invitation to seek wisdom among the overlooked, to question systems that concentrate power, and to recognize that God’s voice is often heard most clearly from the margins.
Lastly this week, let’s consider the words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” In their social context, these words have certain implications for us. These words are often understood as a promise of personal spiritual comfort, but they also speak to the crushing burdens unjust social, political, and religious systems impose on ordinary people.
The people who first heard Jesus’ words lived under the weight of Roman occupation, economic exploitation, and religious obligations that often benefited the powerful while placing heavy demands on the poor. Many struggled under taxation, debt, land loss, and social exclusion. In this context, Jesus’ invitation was not merely an offer of private consolation; it was a call to a different way of organizing life and relationships.
When Jesus says, “Come to me,” he is inviting people away from systems that exhaust and oppress. The burden he seeks to lift is not simply individual anxiety but also the weight of living under structures that diminish human dignity through the constant drive of production whether for the empire in Jesus’ day or for capitalists in ours. Jesus’ ministry offered the poor, the sick, women, children, and social outcasts the rest that comes through belonging in a community shaped by compassion rather than domination.
The image of the yoke is especially significant, too. In Jesus’ day, a yoke was a common symbol for submission to authority or a way of life. Jesus offers his own “yoke,” a way of living grounded in gentleness, humility, and mutual care. Unlike the burdens imposed by oppressive rulers or exclusionary religious practices, Jesus’ yoke is “easy” because it is rooted in justice rather than coercion. His burden is “light” because it seeks human flourishing and thriving rather than exploitation.
For Jesus followers today, this passage reminds us that Jesus’ vision was not one of endless exhaustion, competition, and hierarchy. Jesus challenged systems that place unbearable burdens on vulnerable people while privileging the powerful. His call invites communities to create conditions where people can experience rest, security, and dignity.
The rest Jesus offers is more than personal. It is social. It is the healing that comes when people are liberated from exploitation, exclusion, and oppression. It is the peace that emerges when justice and compassion replaces them. In this way, Jesus’ words continue to call Jesus followers toward the work of building a more humane and equitable world where the burdens of life are shared and no one is left to carry them alone, a world that is 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.
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 28: Society as Children in a Market and Societal Rest
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Our passage this week eminds us that Jesus’ vision was not one of endless exhaustion, competition, and hierarchy. Jesus challenged systems that place unbearable burdens on vulnerable people while privileging the powerful. His call invites communities to create conditions where people can experience rest, security, and dignity. This rest is more than personal. It is social and societal. It is the healing that comes when people are liberated from exploitation, exclusion, and oppression. It is the peace that emerges when justice and compassion replaces them. In this way, Jesus’ words continue to call Jesus followers today toward the work of building a more humane and equitable world where the burdens of life are shared and no one is left to carry them alone, a world that is a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone.
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
Welcoming Prophets and the Justice Implications of a Cup of Cold Water
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.”
Welcoming Prophets and the Justice Implications of a Cup of Cold Water
Herb Montgomery | June 27, 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:
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42)
The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often read primarily as texts about personal morality or individual salvation. While these themes are present in these stories, theGospels are more fully understood when interpreted through the lens of the social injustices Jesus was challenging and the societal changes he hoped to inspire. Jesus consistently addresses the social, political, and economic realities that shape human life, not only individual behavior.
Throughout the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus stands with those pushed to the margins of society such as the poor, the sick, women, foreigners, and those considered sinners or outcasts. His ministry challenges systems that created exclusion and suffering. He proclaims good news to the poor, liberation for the oppressed, and a vision of God’s kingdom in which the last are first and the powerful are called to account.
The kingdom of God, the central theme of Jesus’ teaching in these three Gospels, is not a promise of heaven after death. It is a call to transform relationships and communities here and now. Jesus condemns religious hypocrisy, economic exploitation, and the abuse of power. He teaches that love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor, especially the most vulnerable.
Reading the Synoptic Gospels through a societal justice lens reveals Jesus as more than a spiritual teacher concerned with private faith. He emerges as a prophetic voice, standing within the prophetic tradition of his culture and calling for a society rooted in compassion, equity, dignity, and collective flourishing. This reading helps modern communities discern how Jesus’ teachings continue to challenge injustice and inspire the work of social transformation today.
Let’s begin this week with Jesus’ saying, “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” These words carry profound implications for justice work done by Jesus followers. These words identify the presence of the Divine in the work we do to make our world a just, safe, compassionate place, especially among the vulnerable and marginalized.
Also in the context of Matthew 10, Jesus has commissioned his disciples to travel without wealth, status, or political power. They are to depend entirely on the hospitality of others. To welcome them is not merely an act of personal kindness; it is also a decision about what kind of society we wishes to build. Hospitality becomes a form of resistance against systems that divide people into insiders and outsiders, worthy and unworthy, powerful and powerless.
Jesus teaches that our relationship with the Divine is revealed through how we receive others. The stranger, the refugee, the activist, the poor, and the person excluded by society are not obstacles on our path to encountering the Divine; they are often the very places where the Divine is encountered. Welcoming those whom society ignores or rejects is a sacred act.
Jesus’ words also challenge hierarchies of power. Jesus does not identify himself with emperors, religious elites, or wealthy patrons. Instead, he identifies himself and his disciples with ordinary people carrying a message of healing, liberation, and justice. The measure of faithfulness is therefore not how closely one aligns with power but how willingly one opens doors to those working for compassion, human dignity, and the inclusion of those who are excluded.
Matthew’s Jesus reminds us that hospitality is never neutral. Every act of welcome either strengthens communities of justice or reinforces systems of exclusion. To welcome those who labor for a more compassionate world is to welcome Jesus himself, and in so welcoming Jesus, we participate in the sacred, Divinely-infused, ongoing work of healing, reconciliation, and social transformation.
Next in our reading, Jesus tells his disciples, “Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.” These words challenge us to consider how we respond to those who speak truth, pursue justice, and advocate for the well-being of marginalized people.
Biblical prophets were rarely welcomed because they confronted systems of exploitation and called communities to repentance. They challenged economic inequality, oppression of the poor, and the misuse of power. To welcome a prophet, therefore, is not simply to offer hospitality to an individual but to also embrace the prophetic message of justice itself. It means opening our hearts and communities to voices that expose injustice and call for transformation.
Likewise, welcoming a righteous person involves more than admiring someone who does good works. It means standing alongside those who embody compassion, mercy, and solidarity with the vulnerable. Righteousness in Scripture is not mere personal morality; it is right relationship with God and neighbor expressed through justice. To welcome the righteous is to participate in their work and share in their commitment to creating a more equitable world.
Jesus teaches that those who receive prophets and righteous people share in their reward because they become partners in the mission of making our world a safer, more compassionate, just place for all. Social change is never accomplished by a few heroic individuals alone. It requires communities willing to listen, support, and act. The reward is not deferred to the future; it is the experience of participating in the sacred work of healing and liberation in the present.
For followers of Jesus today, this passage asks a challenging question: Do we welcome the voices that disturb our comfort in pursuit of justice? When we receive those who advocate for the excluded and the oppressed, we join in the sacred ongoing work of transforming society into a community of dignity, compassion, and justice for all.
The closing words in our reading this week carry profound justice implications, too. “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” These words are often interpreted as a lesson in personal kindness, but within the larger context of Matthew 10 they point toward something much deeper: solidarity with those who are vulnerable, marginalized, and engaged in the work of God’s justice.
Throughout Matthew chapter 10, Jesus sends his disciples into a hostile world. He warns them that they will face rejection, persecution, and opposition from powerful religious, economic and political forces. The disciples are not sent as privileged representatives of an empire but as vulnerable people dependent upon the hospitality and compassion of others. In this context, the “little ones” are those who possess little social power, little wealth, and little protection. They are people whose dignity and worth are often overlooked.
So the image of a cup of cold water is striking because it represents a simple act of care. Jesus does not speak of grand donations, heroic sacrifices, or public displays of generosity but of something small and accessible. In doing so, he reminds us that justice is built not only through large-scale movements but also through everyday acts of solidarity. Small actions that affirm human dignity can become powerful expressions of resistance against systems that devalue people.
These words also challenge our tendency to overlook those whom society considers insignificant. Jesus identifies himself so closely with the vulnerable that caring for them means participating in the sacred work of the Divine. The value of an action is measured not by its size but by the humanity it recognizes. A cup of cold water offered to someone in need becomes a declaration that their life matters.
These words also confront systems that reward wealth, status, and power. Many societies recognize those who make the largest contributions or hold the highest positions. But Jesus reverses those values and elevates the smallest act of compassion toward the least powerful person. The kingdom he proclaims is one where dignity is not earned through achievement but is inherent in every human being.
For communities committed to following Jesus, the final portion of our reading this week is a call to cultivate practices of hospitality, mutual aid, and care. It reminds us that transformative change begins with seeing and valuing those whom others ignore. Feeding the hungry; welcoming immigrants; rejecting misogyny and racism; supporting marginalized communities including our LGBTQ family, friends, and neighbors; visiting the sick; and standing with those harmed by injustice are all modern expressions of offering “even a cup of cold water to these little ones.”
Ultimately, Jesus teaches that though justice includes changing institutions and that work is essential, it is also about creating relationships rooted in compassion and solidarity. Every act that affirms the worth of another person participates in the work of Jesus’ kingdom. Even the smallest gesture of care becomes a witness to a world where everyone is seen, valued, and loved, a world that is 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.
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 27: Welcoming Prophets and the Justice Implications of a Cup of Cold Water
Matthew 10:40-42
In this context, the “little ones” are those who possess little social power, little wealth, and little protection. They are people whose dignity and worth are often overlooked. For communities committed to following Jesus, the final portion of our reading this week is a call to cultivate practices of hospitality, mutual aid, and care. It reminds us that transformative change begins with seeing and valuing those whom others ignore. Feeding the hungry; welcoming immigrants; rejecting misogyny and racism; supporting marginalized communities including our LGBTQ family, friends, and neighbors; visiting the sick; and standing with those harmed by injustice are all modern expressions of offering “even a cup of cold water to these little ones.”
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
The Cost of Compassion
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.”
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.
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 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.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few
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.”
The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few
Herb Montgomery | June 12, 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:
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. (Matthew 9:35-10:8)
In our reading this week, Jesus travels through cities and villages, teaching, healing, and proclaiming what Matthew calls the “good news of the kingdom.” The passage concludes with Jesus looking upon the crowds with compassion because “they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” He then tells his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” These verses still carry profound implications for us today because they reveal a vision of community and a spirituality rooted in compassion for those neglected and wounded by systems of power.
First, the passage reminds us that genuine spirituality is inseparable from public compassion. Jesus does not isolate himself from suffering people. He goes directly into towns and villages where ordinary people struggle under poverty, sickness, exclusion, and political oppression. In the first-century Roman world, many peasants lived under crushing taxation, economic exploitation, and socio-religious hierarchies that often favored the wealthy and powerful. When Jesus sees the crowds as “harassed and helpless,” he recognizes not merely personal pain but also collective social suffering. His response is compassion.
This compassion is deeply political, in the best sense of the word. Jesus identifies failed leadership as part of the problem. The phrase “sheep without a shepherd” echoes past Hebrew prophetic critiques of rulers and religious authorities who neglected the vulnerable. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Micah all condemned leaders who enriched themselves while the poor suffered. Matthew’s Gospel continues this prophetic tradition. Jesus exposes systems that abandon people while presenting himself as radically different.
This passage also teaches that justice requires action, not mere sympathy. Jesus doesn’t simply feel sorry for the crowds around him. He heals their diseases, restores marginalized people to community life, and commissions disciples to continue the work. The vision of justice in Matthew’s Gospel is therefore participatory: followers of Jesus are called to become “laborers” in the harvest. That means confronting suffering wherever it appears, whether through poverty, racism, gender privilege, LGBTQ phobias, economic inequality, violence, or exclusion. Compassion without action is incomplete.
Importantly, the “harvest” language challenges believers to see marginalized people not as burdens, but as human beings filled with sacred worth and possibility. Too often societies treat vulnerable communities as disposable or invisible. Jesus instead sees abundance. The harvest is “plentiful.” There is is so much hope, suppressed dignity, and transformative potential among the people society overlooks. The problem is not the people; the problem is the shortage of laborers willing to participate in the work of moving toward a more just society.
Our reading this week also critiques religious communities that become disconnected from human suffering. Jesus’ ministry combines teaching, proclamation, and healing. Faith is not presented as abstract doctrine alone. It must touch bodies, communities, and material conditions. A church, movement, or spirituality unconcerned with the wounded crowds has drifted away from the heart of Jesus’ gospel.
Ultimately, the beginning of our reading calls listeners to cultivate compassionate solidarity. Jesus does not stand above suffering humanity but moves toward it. The lesson here is that discipleship means entering the pain and injustice of our world with courage, mercy, and active commitment to collective healing, transformation, liberation, and change.
Next in our reading, Jesus gathers twelve people and commissions them to participate in his work of healing, liberation, and social transformation. At first glance, this passage may appear to be little more than a list of names, but beneath the surface it contains profound justice implications. This window into Jesus’ formation of this group reveals how his “kingdom of God” would confront systems of exclusion, hierarchy, violence, and division.
The first justice lesson in this passage is that Jesus intentionally empowers ordinary and marginalized people. The disciples are not religious elites, wealthy aristocrats, or political rulers. They are fishermen, laborers, and common people from occupied Galilee. In the ancient world, power and authority were concentrated among the wealthy, the priestly class, and the Roman Empire. Yet Jesus gives authority not to the powerful, but to those on the margins. Matthew says Jesus “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” This is significant because healing in the gospels is never merely private or spiritual. Illness often carried social consequences: exclusion from community, economic hardship, and religious stigma. By empowering his disciples to heal, Jesus commissions them to restore people to dignity and community life.
The list of disciples itself also carries important political meaning. Among the twelve are Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. These two figures represented opposite ends of a debate within Jesus’ community on how social change was to be brought about. Tax collectors collaborated with the Roman Empire and were often viewed as traitors by their fellow Jews. Zealots, on the other hand, resisted Roman occupation and sometimes advocated for violent revolution. In most societies, these two men would have viewed each other as antagonists, yet Jesus calls them into the same community.
This reveals a radical social vision. Jesus doesn’t build movements based on initial differences or methodological purity. Instead he forms a community where former antagonists learn to work together for healing and justice. We don’t build the kingdom of God by destroying one another but by transforming one another through the patience that relationship demands. In a modern context marked by polarization, racial division, and ideological hostility, this passage challenges communities to move toward change by learning to listen to one another and possible being affected by our proximity to each other.
Another important lesson is found in the symbolic number twelve. The twelve disciples represent the renewal of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus is forming an renewed social order, a renewed people shaped not by domination but by compassion and justice. Rome ruled through violence, exploitation, and fear. The socio-religious elite often reinforced systems that burdened the poor and excluded the vulnerable through collusion with Rome. Against this backdrop, Jesus creates, within the symbolism and meaning of his Jewish community, a movement centered on restoration, compassion, and justice.
Our reading this week emphasizes that justice work is communal. Jesus does not send isolated heroes to change the world alone. He forms a collective. Social transformation requires communities committed to shared purpose, mutual accountability, and collective action. The disciples are flawed people with conflicting backgrounds and imperfect understandings, yet Jesus still calls them, with their differences, to benefit from the change that will result in each of them from their interaction with him and with each other. Meaningful justice movements do not require perfect people or even homogeny. They require people who are willing to not only work toward change but also work toward being changed themselves.
Jesus’ movement in our reading this week involves healing bodies, restoring dignity, breaking down barriers between antagonists, and forming communities rooted in justice, love and compassion above all. The kingdom Jesus announces is not merely about personal salvation after death; it is about the transformation of human relationships and society here and now.
Lastly, rather than calling these disciples to seek power, wealth, or domination, Jesus sends them to serve the vulnerable and restore human dignity. The instructions Jesus gives challenge systems of exclusion and invite communities into practices of compassion, healing, and solidarity. The disciples are told to proclaim that “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The kingdom of heaven is not about the afterlife; it is a social reality where the poor, sick, marginalized, and oppressed are restored to community. The kingdom stands against systems that exploit people and instead promotes justice, mercy, and shared humanity.
Jesus commands the disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Each of these acts carries social meaning. Lepers were excluded from society, the sick were often viewed as cursed, and those suffering mentally or spiritually were frequently isolated. Jesus sends his followers directly toward those society pushed away, so following the Jesus of this passage means refusing to abandon those suffering injustice and working instead for restoration, inclusion, and liberation.
Jesus says to his disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give.” This challenges Christian systems built on greed and exploitation. The disciples are not to commodify healing or turn compassion into profit. Justice requires generosity and mutual care rather than treating people as opportunities for gain. Ultimately, our reading reminds us that faithfulness is measured by how communities care for the vulnerable. It presents a vision of discipleship rooted in individual and social healing, rooted in solidarity, and rooted in the restoration of the human dignity of whomever our society is pushing to the margins. And it calls Jesus followers to embody a world shaped by that compassion.
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 25: The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few
Matthew 9:35-10:8
This passage also teaches that justice requires action, not mere sympathy. Jesus doesn’t simply feel sorry for the crowds around him. He heals their diseases, restores marginalized people to community life, and commissions disciples to continue the work. The vision of justice in Matthew’s Gospel is therefore participatory: followers of Jesus are called to become “laborers” in the harvest. That means confronting suffering wherever it appears, whether through poverty, racism, gender privilege, LGBTQ phobias, economic inequality, violence, or exclusion. Compassion without action is incomplete.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-harvest-is-great-the-laborers-few
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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A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl
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.”
A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl
Herb Montgomery | June 5, 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:
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”. . .
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district. (Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26)
Our reading this week includes three stories. First, is the calling of Matthew, the tax collector. Matthew’s calling is more than a story of personal conversion. It is a radical social and political moment that reveals the justice-centered character of Jesus’ ministry. In the Roman world, tax collectors were widely despised because they worked within an exploitative imperial system that extracted wealth from ordinary people. They were often viewed as collaborators with oppression, who benefitted from economic injustice while their neighbors suffered. Matthew’s tax booth therefore symbolizes a social order built on exclusion, hierarchy, and economic exploitation.
When Jesus sees Matthew and says, “Follow me,” he does not offer mere private spiritual salvation. Jesus interrupts the social boundaries that defined who was worthy of dignity and belonging. In calling Matthew, Jesus demonstrates that transformation is possible even for those entangled in unjust systems. Yet the story is not about excusing exploitation. Instead, it reveals that the work of justice includes restoration, reconciliation, and the creation of new community beyond the divisions imposed by empire. Jesus called Matthew away from his tax booth to follow the path of the kingdom.
The meal that follows is equally important. Jesus eats with “tax collectors and sinners,” people considered morally and socially unclean in respectable society. In the ancient world, table fellowship carried deep political and social meaning: to share a table was to recognize someone’s humanity and worth. Jesus’ actions challenge systems that separate the pure from the impure, the righteous from the marginalized, and the powerful from the rejected. His ministry consistently moves toward those pushed to the edges of society.
The criticism about Jesus’ fellowship with the marginalized reveals a competing vision of holiness based primarily on separation. Jesus responds to it by quoting Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Mercy in this verse is not sentimental kindness. It is covenantal justice, faithful solidarity, and compassionate action that restores human dignity. Jesus teaches that true faithfulness to God cannot be separated from the way people are treated in society.
In the context of our justice work today, this passage challenges communities to examine who is excluded, demonized, or denied belonging. It also asks whether faith communities merely preserve respectability or actively participate in healing the socially, politically, economically, and even religiously wounded. Jesus does not ignore injustice. Neither does he abandon people to the identities oppressive systems assign to them. Instead, he creates a new community where transformation for those entangled in unjust systems, whether as oppressed, oppressor, or both, become possible together.
Matthew’s calling reminds readers that the gospel is not only about individual morality. It is about rebuilding human relationships and reshaping society according to compassion, liberation, and radical inclusion.
Next, we encounter the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Like the calling of Matthew, this story is also far more than a private miracle narrative. It is a profound confrontation with systems of exclusion, purity, power, and human dignity, and this brief encounter reveals Jesus standing in solidarity with a woman pushed to the margins of society.
According to the purity laws of the ancient world, a woman experiencing continual bleeding was considered ritually unclean. Her condition was not merely medical; it also carried devastating social, economic, and religious consequences. She would have been excluded from normal community life, likely isolated from worship, avoided in public, and treated as a source of contamination. Her suffering was therefore physical, economic, emotional, and spiritual. Matthew’s Gospel presents her not simply as sick but as socially displaced too.
What makes the story radical is that the woman acts with agency. In a culture where women often lacked public power, she pushes through the crowd and reaches for the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. Her movement toward Jesus is an act of courage and resistance against a system that had taught her she was untouchable. She refuses to accept exclusion as the final word over her life.
Equally important is Jesus’ response. Rather than rebuking her for violating purity expectations, Jesus publicly restores her dignity. He turns toward her, calls her “daughter,” and affirms her faith. This language matters. In a society that had defined her by impurity, Jesus redefines her by relationship and belonging. He does not treat her as a problem to remove, but as a person to honor.
In the context of justice, this story challenges religious and social systems that exclude vulnerable people in the name of order, purity, respectability, or tradition. Jesus consistently moves toward those whom society pushes away: the poor, the sick, women, foreigners, sinners, and the oppressed. The healing of the bleeding woman demonstrates that the kingdom of God is not built around protecting social boundaries, but around restoring human beings to fullness of life and community.
The story also speaks powerfully today. Many people still live at the edges of society because of illness, poverty, gender, disability, race, orientation, or stigma. The woman with the issue of blood reminds readers that justice is not merely charity or private compassion. Justice involves restoring dignity, breaking systems of exclusion, and creating communities where those once considered “unclean” or unwanted are fully welcomed and valued. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as one who transforms not only bodies but social realities as well.
Lastly, we read the story of Jairus’ daughter in our reading this week. Jairus, a synagogue leader, comes to Jesus in desperation because his daughter has died. At the same time, Matthew intertwines this story with the healing of a woman who had suffered from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Together, these stories reveal Jesus confronting systems of exclusion, restoring dignity, and affirming the value of lives society often overlooks.
Jairus is a respected religious leader, someone with status and influence. His position cannot shield him from grief, though. Meanwhile, the bleeding woman represents the opposite end of the social spectrum. Because of purity laws, she would have been considered ritually unclean, marginalized from worship and community life. Jesus responds to both people with compassion.
In Matthew’s telling, social status neither elevates nor diminishes a person’s worth. The raising of Jairus’ daughter is especially significant because Jesus touches the hand of a dead girl. According to purity customs, contact with a corpse brought ritual uncleanness. Yet Jesus consistently prioritizes human restoration over social systems that isolate and stigmatize. In our story, Jesus brings life where death has ruled. This reflects the heart of justice in Matthew’s Gospel: Matthew’s Jesus continues to work toward dignity, inclusion, and hope.
The young girl’s restoration, too, reminds us that children in Jesus’ society, especially girls in the ancient world, often possessed little social power. Yet Jesus centers her life as precious and worthy of communal attention. The kingdom Jesus announces is one where even the most vulnerable are not ignored, but restored to fullness of life.
The story of Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the issue of blood carries multiple layers of meaning that reveal the deeply social and political dimensions of healing. Placing the synagogue leader beside the bleeding woman in this story teaches the Jesus community to practice a preferential option for those pushed to the margins of society. In a world where we are often tempted to prioritize the Jairuses in our world who have positions of power and influence, Jesus responds to the respected religious leader only after he has fully healed an unnamed and excluded woman whose suffering had rendered her invisible within her community.
There is another layer, too. In the Gospel of Mark’s version of these stories, for example, both females are connected through the repeated number twelve. The woman has suffered from bleeding for twelve years, while Jairus’ daughter is twelve years old. This literary connection invites readers to interpret their stories together. Both are experiencing forms of death shaped by the patriarchal and purity structures of their society.
The woman with the issue of blood has already endured years of exclusion. According to purity laws, her bleeding rendered her ritually unclean, cutting her off from normal religious, social, and economic life. She lived in isolation, shame, and vulnerability. Jairus’ daughter stands at the threshold of entering that same world.
Jesus’ actions challenge these systems directly. He allows the bleeding woman to touch him without condemnation, restoring her dignity and publicly calling her “daughter.” He then takes Jairus’ daughter by the hand and raises her to life. In both scenes, Jesus crosses purity boundaries and resists structures that devalue women’s bodies and lives. Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus as a liberating force who restores women not only physically, but socially, spiritually, and communally.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How do our three stories 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 24: A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
These stories also speaks powerfully to us, today. Many people still live at the edges of society because of illness, poverty, gender, disability, race, orientation, or stigma. Our passage reminds readers that justice is not merely charity or private compassion. Justice involves restoring dignity, breaking systems of exclusion, and creating communities where those once considered “unclean” or unwanted are fully welcomed and valued. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as one who transforms not only bodies but social realities as well. Juxtaposing these two stories together was intended to teach the practice of a preferential option for those pushed to the margins of society.
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
The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism
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.”
The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism
Herb Montgomery | May 29, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this first week after Pentecost is from the gospel of Matthew:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
The very first sentence in our reading this week says that all eleven disciples left and went to Galilee. This is starkly different from Luke’s version that we read a couple weeks ago: Luke says that all eleven disciples stay in Jerusalem in Judea, not Galilee, and the ascension happens there. The endings of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke offer two different geographical visions of the early Jesus movement, and each reflects the theological priorities of the communities where each version of the gospel emerged. In Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples leave Jerusalem after the resurrection and travel north to Galilee, where the risen Jesus commissions them on a mountain. Galilee is significant because it is the borderland of Israel, a place associated with outsiders, Gentiles, and the poor. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus’ ministry began in “Galilee of the nations,” a region already marked by cultural mixture and political marginality. By ending his Gospel there, Matthew presents the Christian mission as emerging from the edges rather than the center. From this northern frontier, Jesus sends the disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” The movement outward to the whole world begins from a place already connected to diversity and inclusion.
Luke’s Gospel presents a very different ending. Instead of leaving Jerusalem, the disciples remain there after the resurrection. Jesus instructs them to stay in the city until they receive power from the Holy Spirit. In Luke and its sequel, Acts, Jerusalem becomes the sacred center from which the gospel spreads outward: first to Judea, then Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. Luke roots the Christian movement firmly in the story of Israel, emphasizing continuity with the Temple, Jewish worship, and the promises of God. The mission to the nations begins not from the margins but from the historic and spiritual heart of Jewish faith.
Together, these two endings reveal complementary truths. Matthew emphasizes the gospel arising from the periphery and moving beyond boundaries, while Luke emphasizes the gospel flowing outward from sacred tradition and communal continuity. One begins in Galilee, the other in Jerusalem, but both envision a message destined for the whole world.
What jumps out next in this reading is a phrase used referring to the 11 disciples: “some doubted.” This brief phrase is one of the most strikingly human moments in the Gospel of Matthew. The disciples have reached Galilee, the place Jesus instructed them to go, and when they see the risen Jesus, they worship him. Yet Matthew adds that “some doubted.” Even in the presence of the resurrected Jesus himself, faith and uncertainty exist side by side.
The Greek behind our Engish translations here can suggest hesitation, wavering, or uncertainty. Rather than being the enemy of faith, the word communicates honesty. The disciples are not rejecting Jesus; rather, they are struggling to comprehend the overwhelming reality before them. And yet, they are still included among the 11. They are not rejected for their doubt. Their uncertainty is not a deal breaker. Matthew presents resurrection faith not as instant certainty, but as something emerging through awe, fear, and wonder. And this gives me hope that, today, for those who are inspired to follow the ethical teachings found in the Jesus story yet who remain uncertain about some of the supernatural claims of the Jesus story, there is still room.
This phrase, “some doubted,” also gives authenticity to the Gospel narrative. Matthew does not portray the disciples as flawless heroes with unshakable confidence. Instead, they are ordinary people trying to grasp an extraordinary event. Their doubt becomes part of the story of discipleship itself.
Importantly, Jesus does not rebuke or exclude the doubters. Immediately afterward, he commissions all of them to go into the world and make disciples. In Matthew, then, mission does not wait for perfect certainty. The risen Jesus sends questioning followers who still are inspired by the ethics of love and justice he taught them into the world anyway.
Before we consider a healthier alternative interpretation of Matthew’s great commission, I want to take a moment to address the way the “Great Commission” of Matthew has proven vulnerable to abuse and discuss how colonizers used it as a key text to justify their atrocities.
The “Great Commission” has often been interpreted as a call to spread the message of Jesus to all nations. Within the history of European colonialism, however, this passage was frequently distorted into a theological justification for conquest, cultural domination, and forced assimilation. Colonial powers often merged Christian mission with imperial expansion, treating the command to “make disciples of all nations” as permission to control lands and peoples rather than serve them.
During the colonial era, missionaries sometimes traveled alongside armies, traders, and empire builders. Indigenous cultures, languages, and spiritual traditions were frequently dismissed and erased as inferior or “uncivilized.” In many places across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, conversion to Christianity became tied to abandoning local identity. Schools and churches established by colonial governments often prohibited native languages and practices, teaching instead that European culture was synonymous with Christianity itself. The gospel became entangled with Whiteness, nationalism, and empire. (This stands in stark contrast with the lessons we gleaned from the Pentecost stories in Acts last week.)
This abuse of Matthew’s text ignored the larger teachings of Jesus found throughout the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus consistently rejected domination and violence. He taught humility, service, love of neighbor, and solidarity with the marginalized. The same Gospel that contains the Great Commission also contains the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus blesses the poor and commands love for enemies. Colonial uses of Matthew 28 often emphasized authority while neglecting compassion, justice, and mutuality.
The phrase “all nations” was transformed from an inclusive vision into a program of religious and cultural control. Rather than recognizing the humanity and wisdom of different peoples, colonial Christianity often attempted to erase them. This created lasting wounds that continue to shape relationships between Christianity and Indigenous communities today.
Many theologians today, especially those from postcolonial and liberation traditions, argue that Matthew’s Great Commission should be understood differently. It is undeniable that The Great Commission in the Gospel of Gospel of Matthew has too often been distorted into a mandate for domination rather than discipleship. In the hands of colonial powers, “go and make disciples of all nations” became an excuse for conquest, forced conversion, cultural destruction, and the blessing of empire. Indigenous peoples across the world experienced the “gospel” arriving alongside military violence, economic exploitation, and racial hierarchy. In this misuse of the Commission, Christianity was separated from the teachings of Jesus and fused with power, nationalism, and control.
Yet the Gospel of Matthew itself points toward a radically different vision. The risen Jesus does not commission armies or empires. He commissions disciples who have learned the way of the Sermon on the Mount: peacemaking, mercy, humility, justice, reconciliation, and love of neighbor and enemy alike. The Great Commission is not a command to erase cultures or dominate nations. It is a call to embody the liberating teachings of Jesus within every culture and community. In many of the Indigenous populations Colonialism erased, these ethics were already being practiced, and rather than being affirming, Colonialist Christians committed the exact opposite of what the Jesus of their gospel story intended.
Recovering Matthew’s commission from its colonial misuse requires repentance, listening to marginalized voices, and separating the message of Jesus from the history of empire that too often claimed to speak in his name. A healthy, life-giving understanding of the Great Commission sees these words in Matthew not as a justification for seeking control over others but as a call to solidarity with them. It calls Christians to confront systems that crush human dignity and to participate in healing, liberation, and restoration. To “make disciples” means nurturing communities shaped by compassion, economic sharing, nonviolence, truth-telling, and radical welcome.
Matthew’s Gospel ends, not in the centers of imperial power, but in Galilee, a marginalized region far from Rome’s throne. From the margins, the disciples are sent into the world carrying the love, compassion, inclusion and justice of Jesus rather than the sword of empire: “I am with you always,” Jesus tells them. In this vision, the Great Commission becomes an invitation to join the Divine’s work of justice, liberation, and beloved community among all peoples. It becomes an invitation to form communities shaped by the teachings of love. These teachings are rooted in mercy, justice, reconciliation, and humility shared through teaching and learning. The Great Commission calls Christians especially not to impose power but instead to embody a radically different way of living together: one where all humans find around them a safe, compassionate, just space where even the most vulnerable among us can feel at home.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does the abusive history surrounding Matthew’s Great Commission 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 23: The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism
Matthew 28:16-20
Recovering Matthew’s commission from its colonial misuse requires repentance, listening to marginalized voices, and separating the message of Jesus from the history of empire that too often claimed to speak in his name. A healthy, life-giving understanding of the Great Commission sees these words in Matthew not as a justification for seeking control over others but as a call to solidarity with them. It calls Christians to confront systems that crush human dignity and to participate in healing, liberation, and restoration. It means nurturing communities shaped by diversity, compassion, economic sharing, nonviolence, truth-telling, and radical welcome.
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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Lessons from Pentecost
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.”
Lessons from Pentecost
Herb Montgomery | May 15, 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 book of Acts.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21)
Our reading this week is the story of Pentecost from the book of Acts. This reading offers a powerful vision of the kind of world Jesus’ followers imagined in the wake of of his ministry. It was a world rooted in inclusion, shared humanity, and collective transformation. The gathering of diverse individuals “all together in one place” suggests the importance of community as their starting point and grounding for the kind of change they would be working toward. This holds meaning for Jesus- followers today who are working for a just world. Justice movements begin when people come together across differences, united in purpose, with hope for social transformation.
Today, we could interpret the dramatic arrival of the Spirit in our reading, like a rushing wind, as a disruptive force that challenges the status quo. Justice often emerges in moments that unsettle comfort and expose inequality. The wind filling the entire house could symbolize how movements for justice cannot remain contained but spread, reaching into every corner of society and demanding attention.
The image of “divided tongues, as of fire” resting on each person is also especially meaningful in this context. Each individual receives the same Spirit, affirming their equal worth and shared empowerment. This speaks to the idea that no one is excluded from the capacity to speak, act, and lead. Power is not centralized but distributed among the people. Yet in our time, the major sectors of Christianity still fail in this area. Whether by not granting women the same access to ministry as men, or in excluding those of faith who also identify as LGBTQ, Christians fail to grasp the full imagery and lessons of Pentecost.
Perhaps the most striking detail in our story is the ability that these followers received to speak in different languages. This reflects a radical inclusivity: people are not required to conform to a single dominant culture or voice. Instead, their differences are honored and made intelligible to one another. This story calls for listening across barriers, whether linguistic, cultural, and social, so that marginalized voices are not erased but amplified.
Ultimately, Pentecost reveals a vision of unity that does not erase diversity. It models a community where differences become strengths and collective empowerment leads to transformation. In this way, the passage challenges us to build a more just world grounded in equity, participation, and the courage to embrace our human diversity.
Debates over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) often reveal a tension between fear of change and the hope for a more just community. Critics sometimes object to DEI by arguing that it disrupts tradition, lowers standards, or creates division by emphasizing differences. Beneath these objections, thought, there is often a deeper concern: uncertainty about shifting cultural norms and a perceived loss of familiarity or control. Diversity, equity, and inclusion, however, are not division, but efforts to ensure that people of different backgrounds are seen, heard, and treated fairly.
A striking parallel appears in our Pentecost narrative this week. In that moment in the Book of Acts, a diverse crowd in Jerusalem hears a message spoken in many languages, each in their own native tongue. The reaction is mixed: amazement, curiosity, and openness coexist along with skepticism and mockery. Some ask, “What does this mean?” while others dismiss the event, claiming the speakers are simply drunk. This range of responses mirrors contemporary reactions to DEI efforts. When confronted with unfamiliar expressions of identity or inclusion, some people lean in with curiosity while others reject or ridicule what they do not understand.
Our reading this week can be read as a powerful image of inclusion where communication occurs across difference without erasing those differences. The miracle is not that everyone suddenly speaks the same language, but that each person is addressed where they are. In a similar way, DEI seeks not uniformity, but equity. It seeks to create conditions where diverse voices can be acknowledged and valued. Read in this context, Pentecost tells us that resistance to diversity stems more from the challenge diversity poses to the status quo. Pentecost invites us to answer the question again: will people respond to difference with openness, curiosity, respect, and reflection, or with dismissal and/or ridicule.
Lastly, let’s consider Peter’s reference to the words of the prophet Joel as a means to interpret this outpouring of the Spirit on ordinary people. This passage carries deeply transformative implications. Peter declares that God’s Spirit is being given not only to religious elites or political rulers, but to “all flesh”—sons and daughters, young and old, servants and laborers alike. This is a radical vision of inclusion, dignity, and shared humanity.
Joel’s prophecy challenges systems built on hierarchy, exclusion, and domination. In the ancient world, power was concentrated in the hands of wealthy men, religious authorities, and empire. Yet Peter announces that God’s Spirit is now empowering those who were often marginalized or silenced. Women speak prophetically. The young are given vision. The elderly are honored. Enslaved people receive the same Spirit as everyone else. The movement of God is democratized.
This vision speaks powerfully to modern struggles for societal justice. It affirms that every person possesses sacred worth and a voice that matters. The Spirit is not reserved for the privileged. In our language today, we would say the Spirit is poured out on all people regardless of sex, class, ethnicity, orientation, gender identity, or social status. Peter’s use of Joel points toward a community where liberation, mutual care, and shared participation replace domination and exclusion.
The passage also carries an urgent moral warning. Joel speaks of upheaval and judgment, reminding listeners that unjust systems cannot endure forever. Yet the prophecy ends with hope: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Salvation here is not merely private or individual; it points toward collective healing, restoration, and a new social reality shaped by justice and compassion.
In this way, Peter’s sermon presents Pentecost as more than a mere religious or spiritual event. It is the announcement of a new humanity where God’s Spirit empowers ordinary people to participate in the transformation of the world in genuine, material and concrete ways.
In the end, our Pentecost story reveals that the Spirit of God is not confined to the powerful, the privileged, or the religious or political elite. People from many nations hear the good news in their own languages, and the Spirit breaks barriers of culture, class, and exclusion. In Acts, this Spirit goes on to create a community where resources are shared, poverty is eradicated, dignity is regained and restored, and no one is left invisible. Pentecost is therefore not only a spiritual event but also a social vision: a world transformed by radical inclusion, collective care, and courageous truth-telling. And it still calls to us today to resist our present-day systems of oppression and create communities in our context that embody justice, compassion, and liberation for all people.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does Pentecost 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 22: Lessons from Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
The Pentecost story reveals that the Spirit of God is not confined to the powerful, the privileged, or the religious or political elite. People from many nations hear the good news in their own languages, and the Spirit breaks barriers of culture, class, and exclusion. In Acts, this Spirit goes on to create a community where resources are shared, poverty is eradicated, dignity is regained and restored, and no one is left invisible. Pentecost is therefore not only a spiritual event but also a social vision: a world transformed by radical inclusion, collective care, and courageous truth-telling. And it still calls to us today to resist our present-day systems of oppression and create communities in our context that embody justice, compassion, and liberation for all people. In our language today, we would say the Spirit is poured out on all people regardless of sex, class, ethnicity, orientation, gender identity, or social status. Peter’s use of Joel points toward a community where liberation, mutual care, and shared participation replace domination and exclusion.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/lessons-from-pentecost
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
Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today
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.”
Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today
Herb Montgomery | May 15, 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 Luke.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sinsis to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:44-53)
Our reading reflects the early Christian community interpreting Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and its ongoing significance within the framework of the Jewish scriptures. That’s why this passage jumps right in with Jesus saying “Everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” By the time Luke was written, it was a retrospective account: the followers of Jesus are reading their sacred texts anew in light of Jesus’ life, state execution, and their belief that he had been raised.
Modern scholarship generally recognizes that Second Temple Jewish texts do not contain a direct prediction of a suffering and rising Messiah in the way this passage suggests. Instead, what we see here is a creative and interpretive rereading of diverse scriptural traditions such as lament psalms, the suffering servant passages in Isaiah, and prophetic narratives of vindication, all woven together to construct a coherent narrative the disciples were now interpreting as hints toward Jesus. This process is often described as pesher, where earlier texts are understood to find their fuller meaning in present events. Pesher (Hebrew for “interpretation”) is an interpretive technique found in the Dead Sea Scrolls where scriptural verses are treated as prophecies directly fulfilled in the contemporary time of the interpreter. It was common among the early Jewish Jesus followers when it came to Jesus and their scriptures.
The phrase “he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” is interesting here, too. This reflects the community’s belief that understanding Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection requires a certain interpretive scriptural lens. In other words, this interpretation of scripture is not self-evident. Their minds had to be “opened.” The claim of these early Jesus followers was that their scriptures must now be read through their experience with Jesus. This suggests that for the author of Luke’s gospel the authority of these interpretations lies not in their obviousness, but in the communal and theological commitments of the Jesus-following community that is doing the reading.
Additionally, the emphasis on necessity through phrases such as “must be fulfilled” or “the Messiah is to suffer” reveals an understandable effort by early Jesus followers to make sense of Jesus’ death at the hands of Rome. By framing Jesus’ suffering and resurrection as divinely ordained and scripturally grounded, Luke’s community tries to make sense of the trauma of the death of Jesus. The narrative transforms what could be seen as failure into fulfillment, thereby reinforcing faith and identity.
The beginning of our reading this week underscores how early Christianity positioned itself within, rather than outside of, Jewish tradition. The appeal to “the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms” asserts continuity even as it introduces a radically new interpretation. In my opinion, this portion of Luke’s gospel is best understood not as a transparent window into Jesus’ own self-understanding, but as a sophisticated theological construction that reveals how his followers came to understand Jesus and their relation to Jesus in the aftermath of his death.
Next in our reading this week, we encounter the phrase “repentance and forgiveness of sins.” This phrase in the gospels and the book of Acts is often read through an individualistic lens relating to private moral failure, inward remorse, and personal absolution. Yet when situated within the world of the Hebrew prophets, these terms carry a far more communal and political weight. They are not primarily about isolated interior states but about the restoration of right relationships in society, which the prophets consistently described as justice.
The Greek word for repentance here, metanoia, suggests a change of mind or direction. In the prophetic tradition, however, that turning is never merely inward. It is a collective reorientation of a people who have strayed from societal justice. The prophets repeatedly call Israel not simply to feel remorse but to “return” (shuv). Shuv means to dismantle systems of exploitation and to reestablish equitable social life. Isaiah, for example, rejects empty personal, religious ritual, and demands that the people “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Repentance is measurable not by private confession but by transformed social practice.
Likewise, forgiveness of sins in this prophetic framework is not divine leniency toward individuals. It is the restoration of a community in which harms are repaired and right relationships are rebuilt. The vision of Jeremiah speaks of a renewed covenant where injustice is no longer embedded in the social order (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Similarly, Ezekiel links forgiveness with the giving of a “new heart” that enables the people to practice justice (Ezekiel 36:26–27). Forgiveness, then, is not an abstract declaration but a lived reality of communal healing and transformation.
When the gospel of Luke puts this prophetic language on the lips of Jesus, the author signals continuity with the Hebrew prophetic tradition. The “forgiveness of sins” proclaimed to all nations is inseparable from the liberation announced earlier in Luke’s Gospel. This is Jesus’ good news to the poor, release to captives, and freedom for the oppressed (Luke 4:18–19). Sin, in this context, is not personal wrongdoing but participation in unjust systems that harm others. Repentance, therefore, entails turning away from those systems and actively participating in their transformation.
This reading challenges modern tendencies to privatize faith. Luke’s vision, grounded in the prophets, calls communities into a shared process of accountability, societal justice, and restoration. Repentance becomes a public act of reordering life toward justice, and forgiveness becomes the social reality that emerges when liberation takes root. Together, they name not a cycle of individual, private, personal guilt and absolution but a collective social movement toward a more just and compassionate world.
Lastly this week, let’s consider the different endings in Luke’s Gospel and Matthew’s Gospel. These endings in Matthew and Luke present two distinct narrative trajectories for the spread of the Jesus movement, and those trajectories reflect each community’s theological and social priorities.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the movement begins in Galilee and expands outward to “the nations.” After the resurrection, the disciples are directed away from Jerusalem and back to the margins of Galilee, a region often associated with cultural mixture and distance from religious power. There, on a mountain, the risen Jesus gives what is often called the Great Commission to make disciples of “all nations.” The geography matters. Galilee represents a space outside elite control where the movement first took root among ordinary people. Matthew’s ending suggests that the renewal Jesus inaugurated does not depend on Jerusalem’s institutional authority. Instead, it emerges from the periphery and moves outward, crossing boundaries of ethnicity and identity. The implication is that transformative change begins among those closest to the grassroots and radiates globally.
Luke, by contrast, recenters the story in Jerusalem. In his Gospel, the disciples are told to remain in the city until they are “clothed with power from on high.” They never return to Galilee but stay in Jerusalem. For Luke, the Jesus movement begins in the symbolic and political heart of Jewish life before extending outward. This trajectory is continued in its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, which describes the message going from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and then “to the ends of the earth.” For Luke, Jerusalem is not rejected but reinterpreted. Jerusalem becomes the launching point for the Jesus’ community’s universal mission. The movement does not bypass the center; it transforms it and then moves outward in widening circles.
These differing endings reveal two complementary but very different visions. Matthew emphasizes decentralization: the good news arises among marginalized communities and challenges dominant systems from the outside. Luke emphasizes continuity and expansion: the movement begins within the historic center of religious life and then pushes beyond it to include ever-wider circles of people.
Taken together, these perspectives offer a fuller understanding of how the early Jesus movement grew and unfolded. It was far from univocal. For some, the movement was radical, returning to its roots on the margins of Galilee. For others, the movement was radical in another way, remaining in the heart of Jerusalem and challenging the social, religious, and economic elite class. What can we glean from these gospel endings?
Change may arise from the margins, as Matthew suggests, where new possibilities are imagined from entrenched power. At the same time, as Luke presents, transformation can also engage the center, reshaping unjust systems from within before extending outward. The early Jesus movement, as remembered through both of these two lenses, is rooted in overlooked places on the margins and in direct interaction or even conflict with the centers of society. In whichever place or social location we find ourselves today, both endings encourage us as we continue, on the margins outside of systems or within them, working together to shape our world into a just, compassionate, safe home for all of us.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How is this week’s reading informing your own justice work? 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 21:Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today
Luke 24:44-53
Change may arise from the margins, as Matthew suggests, where new possibilities are imagined from entrenched power. At the same time, as Luke presents, transformation can also engage the center, reshaping unjust systems from within before extending outward. The early Jesus movement, as remembered through both of these two lenses, is rooted in overlooked places on the margins and in direct interaction or even conflict with the centers of society. In whichever place or social location we find ourselves today, both endings encourage us as we continue, on the margins outside of systems or within them, working together to shape our world into a just, compassionate, safe home for all of us.
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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Free Sign Up Here
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