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.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
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.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
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 Promise of the Holy Spirit
Herb Montgomery | May 8, 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 John.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (John 14:15-21)
Our reading this week begins with Jesus’ words, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I can appreciate the intent of this saying. It attempts to shift the idea of love from sentiment into lived, embodied practice and intentional choices. Love is not reduced to belief, personal devotion, or worship but demonstrated through action. In the context of Jesus’ teachings on justice, this statement takes on a deeply communal and ethical dimension. To love Jesus is to align oneself with the values that shaped his life: compassion, inclusion, honoring the humanity of the other, and restoring those pushed to the margins.
So Jesus’ commandments are not abstract rules but expressions of relational justice. They call for feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, confronting systems that dehumanize, and standing in solidarity with the oppressed. In this sense, obedience is not about rigid moralism but about participating in the healing of the world. Love becomes visible in how we treat the most vulnerable among us.
Following Jesus, then, makes justice more than an optional extension of faith. Practicing justice is one of faith’s clearest expressions. When communities organize for living wages in the midst of dramatic inflation, when communities challenge racial or gender inequities, when communities advocate for LGBTQ inclusion or to protect our environment, they are enacting the kind of love Jesus describes. They are “keeping” his commandments in ways that transform both individuals and systems.
Importantly, this kind of love requires courage. It often places people at odds with dominant cultural or religious norms, just as Jesus himself was. Yet the call remains. Love that is faithful to Jesus cannot remain passive in the face of injustice. It must move, speak, and act. Ultimately, Jesus’ words invite us to redefine devotion, belief, and worship. To love him is not merely to affirm him, but to live as he lived, participating in the work of justice, mercy, and collective liberation.
Next in our reading, Jesus promises that the Father will send the Spirit as an Advocate to be with his followers. The word “Advocate” (paraklētos) carries legal, relational, and communal meaning. It means one who stands alongside, speaks on behalf of, defends, and strengthens. In the context of social justice, this image becomes profoundly relevant.
An advocate is most needed where there is injustice—where voices are silenced, where systems marginalize, where truth is distorted. Jesus’ promise of the Spirit signals that the work of confronting injustice does not end with him; it continues through a community empowered to embody the Divine’s solidarity with the oppressed in an unjust world. The Spirit is not distant or abstract but present in the struggle, aligning with those who are oppressed and equipping others to stand with them.
This reframes justice as more than human effort or moral aspiration and as participation in the ongoing work of the Spirit. When communities organize for equity, when they tell hard truths about injustice, when they defend the dignity of those excluded, they echo the role of the Advocate. The Spirit leads into truth, not only personal truth, but also social truth that exposes systems that harm and calls for transformation.
At the same time, the Spirit as Advocate challenges comfort. Advocacy is rarely neutral; it involves taking sides, often at a cost. Advocacy is standing on the side of those being marginalized, excluded, and harmed. To receive the Spirit is to be drawn into courageous action, to speak when silence would be easier, and to remain present when others turn away.
Lastly, the Advocate sustains hope. Justice work can be exhausting, marked by setbacks and resistance. The promise of the Spirit assures that this work is not carried alone. There is a sustaining presence that renews our courage, deepens our compassion, and continually calls us back to love expressed through justice.
In this way, the Spirit as Advocate is both comfort and commission. As Jesus followers, the
Spirit as Advocate empowers a faithful, justice-seeking community to stand alongside the vulnerable and to persist in the work of social transformation as we work together to shape our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for all.
Next, in our reading, Jesus promises, “I will not leave you orphaned.” This speaks directly to experiences of abandonment, vulnerability, and disconnection that the early Jesus community had to face. To be “orphaned” is not only a personal condition but also a social one. Communities pushed to the margins, stripped of power, and denied belonging often live in a state of systemic orphanhood. Jesus’ words resist this reality and declare that abandonment is not the final truth.
“I am coming to you” refers to how much Jesus’ presence meant to the Johannine community of John’s gospel. To them, Jesus was not a distant, abstract presence, but One who stood in solidarity with them. This challenged any spirituality that was tempted to withdraw from others who are also suffering. Jesus’ promise calls us to a solidarity that, as Jesus modeled, draws near to those who are excluded and vulnerable. Justice begins not with detached solutions, but with incarnational proximity.
Then, when Jesus says, “because I live, you also will live,” he ties our life to his own resurrection. This is a vision of flourishing that stands in contrast to systems that crucify. Jesus’ resurrection was not simply about coming back to life but a response to an imperial cross. We are called to participate in this resurrection life, to dismantle structures that produce death-dealing conditions, and to cultivate systems where all can truly live and thrive.
Finally, Jesus’ words, “you in me, and I in you” reveals a profound interconnectedness. This mutual connection dismantles our tendencies to separate and dehumanize. If Jesus is present within each person, then injustice against anyone is a violation of Jesus too. “Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.” In John’s gospel, following this connected Jesus calls us to see Jesus in every person. Each of us is connected to one another and in a shared life.
As we wrap up our discussion on this week’s reading we are once again brought to love being framed not as sentiment or belief alone but as embodied practice: “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me” shifts the focus from internal devotion to lived commitment. In the context of following Jesus in the work of justice in our world today, this becomes a powerful ethical lens: love is measured by what we do, how we respond to injustice, how we treat the marginalized, and how we participate in repairing the things that are broken in our world.
Keeping these commandments is not about rigid rule-following but about aligning one’s life with the values we see the Jesus of our gospel stories consistently taught, values such as compassion, solidarity, mercy, and justice. To “keep” these is to enact them in real, material, concrete ways. It means advocating for those whose humanity is denied, confronting systems that perpetuate harm, and building communities rooted in equity and care for one another. Love, in this sense, becomes public and political, and not confined to private spirituality.
The promise that “those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them” is a paradigm within the Johannine community that suggests a reciprocal, relational dynamic. As people engage in justice work are grounded in love, they come to experience a deeper awareness of the Divine. This revelation is encountered in the faces of those we work alongside in solidarity with, in acts of courage, and in collective movements for liberation. The presence of Jesus takes form in the struggle for justice itself.
This passage also challenges performative or superficial approaches to justice. It is not enough to claim love or alignment with a cause. The call is to sustained, faithful action. Love that keeps commandments is persistent, even when the work is difficult, slow, or costly. It resists apathy and refuses neutrality in the face of oppression. And the promise of being loved and accompanied also offers sustenance. Justice work can be exhausting and disheartening, but this passage roots that labor in deeper relationship. It reminds practitioners that they are not alone; their work participates in a larger movement of Divine love unfolding in the world.
Ultimately, this teaching in the gospel of John reframes justice work as a spiritual practice. To love is to act, and to act in love is to encounter the Divine. The work of justice is not separate from faith. It is one of the primary ways that love becomes visible, transformative, and real.
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 20: The Promise of the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-21
Our reading also challenges performative or superficial approaches to justice. It is not enough to claim love or alignment with a cause. The call is to sustained, faithful action. Love that keeps commandments is persistent, even when the work is difficult, slow, or costly. It resists apathy and refuses neutrality in the face of oppression. And the promise of being loved and accompanied also offers sustenance. Justice work can be exhausting and disheartening, but this passage roots that labor in deeper relationship. It reminds practitioners that they are not alone; their work participates in a larger movement of Divine love unfolding in the world. Ultimately, this teaching in the gospel of John reframes justice work as a spiritual practice. To love is to act, and to act in love is to encounter the Divine. The work of justice is not separate from faith. It is one of the primary ways that love becomes visible, transformative, and real.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-promise-of-the-holy-spirit
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 Road We Walk When Our Hopes Have Been Deeply Disappointed
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 Road We Walk When Our Hopes Have Been Deeply Disappointed
Herb Montgomery | April 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 Luke.
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24:13-35)
Our story this week is the walk to Emmaus found in in Luke 24:13–35. At its core, this is a story about disorientation, companionship, and the slow, often unrecognized emergence of hope. Two disciples leave Jerusalem in the aftermath of Jesus’ state execution, carrying with them shattered expectations of being part of movement for change that the empire has, once again, crushed. “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Their words echo the grief familiar to anyone engaged in justice work today who has faced disappointing outcomes for their movement and labor: moments when movements falter, when violence prevails, when the arc of history itself seems to bend away from justice rather than toward it.
This passage speaks powerfully into my own lived experience in justice work because it refuses to deny despair. The disciples are not portrayed as faithless for their sorrow; they are honest. They had hoped for a different outcome, and instead they witnessed state violence, public execution, and the silencing of Jesus’ prophetic voice. In this way, the road to Emmaus begins not with triumph but with trauma. For modern justice movements confronting racism, economic inequality, gender unfairness, environmental collapse, LGBTQ exclusion, or other forms of systemic harm, our story mirrors the emotional landscape we often find ourselves inhabiting. Hope can sometimes be naive. Either way, hope also involves risk, and in moments where things don’t turn out the way we hoped, hope is something we can lose. We might even find ourselves feeling foolish.
It is precisely in this moment in our story, a moment of deep disillusionment, that the risen Jesus appears, though unrecognized. This detail is crucial. The presence of Jesus is not immediately obvious, nor does he come wrapped in spectacle or power. Instead, he comes alongside the disciples in the form of a stranger who listens and asks questions: “What are you discussing?” It’s a reminder that renewed hope begins with camaraderie. Recovering from such moments of disappointment begins with walking alongside others, hearing their stories, and honoring their grief.
In my own journey, I have too often given into the temptation to rush toward solutions, to fix, to speak, to act decisively. I agree that action is essential. Yet, this part of the Emmaus story suggests that listening is itself a form of sacred work. The stranger does not interrupt the disciples’ lament; he invites it. He creates space for them to articulate their pain and confusion. This models a form of solidarity rooted not in saviorism but in presence.
As the journey continues, the stranger begins to reinterpret their story, framing their experience within a larger narrative. He speaks of suffering not as defeat but as part of a broader movement toward liberation. I believe this reframing is vital. Systems of oppression often seek to define setbacks as final, to convince communities that resistance is futile. The Emmaus story resists that narrative. It insists that what appears to be the end may, in fact, be a hidden beginning. Jesus is about to show us the narrative meaning of resurrection: change is always forged through struggle and setbacks. The disciples are about to discover that, even in our most disappointing moments, injustice is neither permanent nor inevitable. Love and justice hold a power that cannot be buried.
Still, that recognition does not come on the road. It comes at the table.
When the disciples invite this stranger to stay with them, they enact a practice of hospitality. Their world is structured by exclusion and hierarchy, and so the simple act of welcoming the other becomes a site of transformation. It is in the breaking of bread, a shared, communal act that held great meaning for early Jesus followers, that their eyes are opened. They recognize the presence of the One who had been with them all along. He had been with them all along.
This moment carries some other profound implications, too. Liberation is not only something we strive toward. It is something we practice as we strive, through acts of inclusion, mutual care, and shared humanity. Our daily life choices harmonize with our overall vision for what we desire our world to be. The shared table in this week’s story becomes a symbol of the kind of world that movements seek to build, a world where resources are shared, where strangers become companions, and where ours and others’ humanity is affirmed.
It is here that recognition dawns. Recognition, in our story, happens in the context of these smaller, more communal actions not larger public ones. The disciples come to their awakening together. Justice movements, likewise, are also interpersonal endeavors. They depend on relationships, on shared community with others and with shared vision. The Emmaus story reminds us that clarity often emerges not in solitude but in the midst of communal life alongside others.
When recognition does finally dawn, the disciples recall, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?” This language of a “burning heart” points to an awakening that is both emotional and embodied. Our work, too, is sustained by a deep, often visceral conviction that another world is possible. And this conviction many times will be renewed in the wake of deep disappointment. This renewal, even after we thought we had lost, is what keeps movements alive in the face of exhaustion and opposition for generations.
After they recognize Jesus, the disciples immediately return to Jerusalem. This is another important detail. Jerusalem is the place they had just left, the place of danger and repression, where their loss just took place. Yet their encounter with Jesus on the road transforms their original trajectory. They move back toward the center of struggle, not away from it. Hope does not lead them to escape the world’s pain but to re-engage it with renewed purpose.
For me, when I think of justice work today, this moment in the story deeply resonates. Encounters that rekindle hope, whether through relational community or private reflection, do not lead us away from our work; they send us back into it. They empower us to take it up again. The goal is not to find a safe distance from injustice but to return with a deeper sense of possibility and resilience.
The Emmaus story also challenges dominant notions of power. The risen Jesus is not revealed through domination or force but through vulnerability, relationship, and shared humanity. This stands in stark contrast to the systems of oppression that justice movements seek to dismantle today. These systems rely on coercion, exclusion, and control. The way of Jesus on the road to Emmaus reminds us that true transformation emerges not from replicating the patterns and methods we are trying to change, but from embodying alternative forms of influence rooted in love, solidarity, and walking alongside others on the way.
Finally, the story underscores the importance of storytelling itself. The early Jesus followers’ journey was shaped by the stories they tell: first a story of defeat, then a story of hope. Justice movements today are similarly narrative-driven. They challenge dominant stories that justify inequality by offering alternative narratives that envision a world shaped by liberation and justice, a world that is a safe home for everyone. The work of justice, in many ways, begins with the work of reimagining what our world could be and inviting others into that imagining.
What I love about our story this week is that the walk to Emmaus does not erase deep disappointment, glossing over it with easy, pat, or trite answers. Instead, it provides a framework for navigating the complexities of justice work in our midnight hours. In moments when things don’t turn out the way we had hoped, we can acknowledge our grief, we can practice presence with one another. We can lean into our community. It is here that hope is often renewed, new visions are born, hope reawakens, and we return to the struggle with a new understanding of what we have just encountered. Our story reminds us that even when hopes are dashed and the path forward is unclear, we are not alone, and, sometimes, the very act of walking together is where transformation begins.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. Share an experience (if you’re comfortable doing so) with your group of when you had your hope rekindled after a disappointing outcome.
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 17: The Road We Walk When Our Hopes Have Been Deeply Disappointed
Luke 24:13-35
Our story this week speaks powerfully into our own lived experiences in justice work because it refuses to deny despair. The disciples are not portrayed as faithless for their sorrow; they are honest. They had hoped for a different outcome, and instead they witnessed state violence, public execution, and the silencing of Jesus’ prophetic voice. In this way, the road to Emmaus begins not with triumph but with trauma. For modern justice movements confronting racism, economic inequality, gender unfairness, environmental collapse, LGBTQ exclusion, or other forms of systemic harm, our story mirrors the emotional landscape we often find ourselves inhabiting. Hope can sometimes be naive. Either way, hope also involves risk, and in moments where things don’t turn out the way we hoped, hope is something we can lose. We might even find ourselves feeling foolish. This week Emmaus does not erase deep disappointment, glossing over it with easy, pat, or trite answers. Instead, it provides a framework for navigating the complexities of justice work in our midnight hours. In moments when things don’t turn out the way we had hoped, we can acknowledge our grief, we can practice presence with one another. We can lean into our community. It is here that hope is often renewed, new visions are born, hope reawakens, and we return to the struggle with a new understanding of what we have just encountered. This story reminds us that even when hopes are dashed and the path forward is unclear, we are not alone, and, sometimes, the very act of walking together is where transformation begins.
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
When Doubt Leads to a More Tangible Experience
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
When Doubt Leads to a More Tangible Experience
Herb Montgomery | April 9, 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 John:
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-31)
The post resurrection narratives in the Gospel of John are some of the most interesting in the four gospels. Let’s jump right in. In John 20, the risen Jesus appears to his disciples behind locked doors. This is a little group gripped by fear. They’ve just watched their teacher being crucified on a Roman cross. We find them now in the shadow of the empire and its violence. Into that space, Jesus appears and speaks peace, not as passive comfort but as a declaration that the forces they are afraid of have not prevailed. In John’s version of the stories, Jesus shows his wounds to them, revealing that resurrection does not erase crucifixion but overcomes and undoes it. The marks of injustice remain visible. And now they become reframed as a testimony against the powers that inflicted them.
In the beginning of our reading this week that we also encounter Jesus breathing on the disciples. As Jesus does so, he says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This act echoes the Jewish creation narratives in Genesis, where the Divine breath first imparts life to humanity. In John, however, that breath is not only for life but also for their assignment. The Spirit animates this little group that is called to embody the same peace, justice, and love that Jesus proclaims. It’s in them that Jesus’ teachings are now to live on, rooted in justice, restoration, and the healing of all in our world that is broken and harming the marginalized and vulnerable. Jesus’ breath is a commissioning: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” This passage harkens back to Jesus’ earlier words in John 3: the Father had not sent Jesus to condemn the world, but to heal it.
What many miss is that this scene is profoundly political. The disciples are sent back not into safety but into the world that crucified Jesus. The Spirit empowers them to confront those systems of oppression with courage and solidarity. The authority to forgive or retain sins can be understood as the responsibility to name injustice truthfully while also participating in restoration and reconciliation. Forgiveness is not a denial of harm but a pathway toward liberation from cycles of injustice and violence.
Thus, the breathing of the Spirit in John’s resurrection narrative forms a community shaped by their memory of suffering, their encounter with the Divine’s response to that suffering, and their being empowered to transform our collective human suffering. The risen Jesus sends his followers to continue his work of standing with the marginalized, challenging injustice, and embodying a peace that mere violence and strength cannot give.
Next, let’s consider the portion of our reading that is about Thomas. Those disciples named in the gospel of John honor and legitimize the communities who formed around the lives of each named apostle. This is true of Peter, Mary, and others in John’s gospel. We remember Thomas for his doubt, yet his story is far richer than a simple failure of faith. When the other disciples proclaim that they have seen the risen Jesus, Thomas refuses to accept their testimony secondhand. He insists on seeing and touching for himself, declaring that he will not believe without direct experience. Rather than rejecting Thomas, Jesus meets him in his uncertainty, and invites him to touch his wounds. This moment affirms that doubt is not the opposite of faith but often a pathway into a deeper, more embodied experience.
Thomas offers an important lesson for us: authentic faith does not require suppressing questions or ignoring evidence. In Christian movements for justice especially, people are often confronted with competing narratives, misinformation, and systems that obscure truth. Like Thomas, we are called to seek truth honestly, to question easy answers, and to resist accepting claims without examination. This kind of critical engagement strengthens, rather than weakens, our commitment.
Additionally, Jesus’ response to Thomas models a compassionate approach to those who struggle. He does not shame or exclude Thomas but meets him where he is. This informs us that we too are to create spaces where people can wrestle with uncertainty, unlearn harmful assumptions, and grow at their own pace. Transformation rarely happens through coercion; it happens through deconstruction, reconstruction, community, relationships, and believing the best about one another.
Finally, Thomas’ confession, “My Lord and my God,” emerges not despite his doubt but through it. Likewise, our work today is not fueled by blind certainty but by a hope that has faced hard questions and still chooses to believe in the possibility of a more just and compassionate world.
Let’s wrap up this week by considering the double ending of John’s gospel. The Gospel of John presents what many scholars describe as two endings, each offering a distinct theological emphasis. The first appears in our reading this week, at the close of chapter 20 (John 20:30–31). The narrative seems to reach a deliberate and satisfying conclusion at this point. After recounting the resurrection appearances of Jesus (including his encounters with Mary Magdalene, the gathered disciples, and Thomas) the author of John’s gospel steps back and addresses the listeners directly. The purpose statement at the end of chapter 20 declares that although Jesus performed many other signs not recorded in the book, these have been written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” This statement is in keeping with the language of John’s gospel overall.
This ending functions both as a summary and as an invitation to follow this Jesus. It includes the themes of signs, belief, and life that run throughout John’s Gospel. The story of Thomas is especially significant here: moving from doubt to confession, he proclaims Jesus as “My Lord and my God.” Immediately after this, the text extends a blessing to those who have not seen and yet believe. In this way, the conclusion shifts attention from the original witnesses to future listeners, and draws them into the story’s purpose.
This ending also completes the story. The narrative arc has reached its climax. The faith that it elevates moves one to follow John’s Jesus, grounded in the testimony of contemporary followers rather than each one being an eyewitness. Following Jesus is the desired response, and the listener receives a clear call: trust in the Jesus that John’s Gospel presents and enter into the life that this Jesus offers.
The presence of a second ending in chapter 21 does not diminish this conclusion but could supplement it. Still, John 20 stands as a self-contained finale that emphasizes belief in the knowledge gained through Jesus as a gateway to life. It frames John’s version of the Jesus story as a written witness designed to inspire us, even today, to hear and follow the teachings of Jesus.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does the story of Thomas encourage you to be honest with your own questions concering the Jesus story? 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 16: When Doubt Leads to a More Tangible Experience
John 20:19-31
Thomas offers an important lesson for us: authentic faith does not require suppressing questions or ignoring evidence. In Christian movements for justice especially, people are often confronted with competing narratives, misinformation, and systems that obscure truth. Like Thomas, we are called to seek truth honestly, to question easy answers, and to resist accepting claims without examination. This kind of critical engagement strengthens, rather than weakens, our commitment. Additionally, Jesus’ response to Thomas models a compassionate approach to those who struggle. He does not shame or exclude Thomas but meets him where he is. This informs us that we too are to create spaces where people can wrestle with uncertainty, unlearn harmful assumptions, and grow at their own pace. Transformation rarely happens through coercion; it happens through deconstruction, reconstruction, community, relationships, and believing the best about one another.
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 Resurrection and Our Hope for Liberation
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 Resurrection and Our Hope for Liberation
Herb Montgomery | April 3, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading leading up to Easter this weekend is found in the Gospel of Matthew.
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1-10)
This is my favorite time of year in the Christian calendar. It’s a time to reflect on the story truths of the resurrection narratives in the Gospels, to remember that state violence and systemic, imperial injustice do not have to have the final word in our world. The stories of Jesus’ resurrection boldly declare that systems built on domination and death cannot ultimately silence truth, compassion, justice. They proclaim that solidarity with the marginalized, in the end, is worth whatever price we pay along the way. Our efforts to shape our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone are worth it. This time of year calls us to remember when, for those in our Gospels, what empire tried to crush on the cross was raised up again in living defiance. For Jesus followers committed to social justice, resurrection faith becomes more than belief; it becomes courage to resist oppression, stand with the marginalized, and work for a world where we reclaim our humanity again and again despite every force that tries to bury hope or silence love in our world.
Today, Easter stands at the heart of the Christian liturgical calendar as a declaration that death, injustice, and oppressive power do not have the final word. The empty tomb is not merely a miraculous event to be debated within our contemporary naturalistic world view, it is also a story of disruption of systems that continue to “crucify” today. The narrative truth of our story proclaims that the forces of empire, violence, and exclusion, made visible in every crucifixion and used to silence opposition through fear, are undone. Resurrection is not an escape from the world’s injustice. It’s a decisive response to it.
The empty tomb announces that what was meant to silence Jesus’ message of justice and liberation has failed. The execution of Jesus was an act of state violence, a public warning to anyone who would challenge systems of domination. Yet the resurrection exposes the lie at the heart of that power. Empires are not permanent, unquestionable, or unavoidably victorious. No. Love and justice are powers in their own right and cannot be buried forever. The stone is rolled away, not just from a grave, but also from the illusion that injustice will endure forever.
For us today, the resurrection carries important social implications. It calls us to see that the suffering of the marginalized is not invisible or forgotten. Just as God stood in solidarity with Jesus, raising him from death, so too does the Divine stand with those who are oppressed, exploited, and cast aside today. Easter invites us to align ourselves with God in that same solidarity. It challenges us to resist systems that crucify, whether through poverty, racism, patriarchy, economic inequality, LGBTQ phobias, or exclusion, and calls us to participate in the work of liberation, restoration, and justice.
The empty tomb also reframes how we understand hope. Hope is not passive optimism or waiting for change to come from elsewhere. Resurrection hope is active, embodied, and courageous. It is the kind of hope that compels action even when outcomes seem uncertain. The women who first encountered the empty tomb did not fully understand what had happened, but they moved forward anyway, carrying the message. In the same way, we are called to act for justice even when the path ahead is unclear.
Easter teaches us that what appears to be defeat can become the very place where transformation begins. The cross was intended to end a movement, yet became the catalyst for one that would keep challenging injustice across generations. That invites us to reconsider our own moments of discouragement. Setbacks in the struggle for justice are not the end of the story. ew life often emerges from places of loss and despair.
Ultimately, Easter invites us to live differently, to embody resurrection in our daily lives, and to practice compassion, pursue equity and equality, and confront injustice with courage. The empty tomb is more than something to “believe in” in the sense of belonging to a creed; it also tells a truth at the heart of every movement for change: change doesn’t happen without struggle and setbacks. Even in our midnight moments, the dawn is still ahead. Winter gives way to spring. And in that light, the resurrection is something to participate in. It asks us to roll away stones in our own communities, to bring life where there is death, and to come together in the ongoing work of renewal. In a world still marked by injustice and inequality, Easter proclaims that another way is possible, and we are called to be part of bringing it to life.
Lastly, in our reading this week, the role of women as the first proclaimers of the resurrection is both striking and theologically profound. At a moment when the narrative turns from death to new life, it is women, specifically Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary,” who are entrusted with the first announcement of the risen Jesus. This detail is not incidental; it is central to understanding the nature of the gospel itself.
In the cultural and legal context of the first century Mediterranean world, women’s testimony was often marginalized or dismissed. Yet Matthew deliberately places these women at the heart of the resurrection story. They are the first to encounter the empty tomb, the first to receive the angelic proclamation, “He is not here; for he has been raised.” And they are the first to be commissioned to share this good news with the other disciples. Their role subverts conventional patriarchal expectations, signaling that the resurrection inaugurates not only new life but also a rending and reordering of social hierarchies.
The women are not passive observers but active participants. They come to the tomb with intention, and though they experience fear, they also embody “great joy.” This combination of awe and courage becomes the posture of authentic proclamation. When they encounter the risen Jesus himself, they respond with renewed commitment. And Jesus reiterates the commission the angel already gave them: they are to go and tell Jesus’ other disciples to meet him in Galilee. It’s a significant difference from other post-resurrection narratives in the Synoptics. In this moment, these women function as apostles: they are the ones sent with a message, and their witness forms the bridge between the resurrection and the gospel.
If we are to center the gospel in Jesus’ resurrecting rather than his dying, we must receive the gospel first proclaimed by women witnesses. Before any formal preaching, before the commissioning of the eleven, the women carry this good news. The gospel, then, is first proclaimed not in a synagogue or public square but along a road through the voices of those whose authority society often questioned. This underscores a key theme in Matthew: God’s reign is revealed through those on the margins, those overlooked or undervalued by dominant systems of power.
The contrast in Matthew 28 between the women and the Roman guards further highlights their role. While the guards are bribed to spread a false narrative, the women faithfully bear truthful witness despite the risks. Matthew sets up a clear tension between competing proclamations: one rooted in fear and self-preservation, the other in hope. The integrity of the women’s testimony becomes foundational to the teaching of Jesus living on in the lives of his disciples.
Theologically, this moment reshapes how we understand authority in the community of Jesus’ followers. Authority is not grounded in status, gender, or institutional power, but in an encounter with the gospel and a commitment to following Jesus’ teachings in the work to reshape our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for all. The women’s role in this week’s story anticipates that broader work. They bear witness to resurrection in ways that challenge injustice and expand inclusion from the very beginning of the gospel and the proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection.
In our reading this week, we encounter women who are not merely witnesses to the resurrection but are its first heralds. Their voices carry the initial echo of the gospel, reminding readers that the good news begins on the margins, transforming individuals as well as the structures that shape human community.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What good news is the story of Jesus’ resurrection reminding you of this year? 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 15: The Resurrection and Our Hope for Liberation
Matthew 28:1-10
Ultimately, Easter invites us to live differently, to embody resurrection in our daily lives, and to practice compassion, pursue equity and equality, and confront injustice with courage. The empty tomb is more than something to “believe in” in the sense of belonging to a creed; it also tells a truth at the heart of every movement for change: change doesn’t happen without struggle and setbacks. Even in our midnight moments, the dawn is still ahead. Winter gives way to spring. And in that light, the resurrection is something to participate in. It asks us to roll away stones in our own communities, to bring life where there is death, and to come together in the ongoing work of renewal. In a world still marked by injustice and inequality, Easter proclaims that another way is possible, and we are called to be part of bringing it to life.
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
Justice Lessons from the Final Scenes of the Gospel Stories
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 from the Final Scenes of the Gospel Stories
Herb Montgomery | March 27, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this last weekend of Lent is from the gospel of Matthew. Read Matthew 26:14-27:66 with me (I have only included the way posts of our story this week):
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over . . .
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve . . .
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane . . .
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people . . . Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered . . . When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death . . .
When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders . . .
Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” . . .
Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” . . . So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” . . .
They came to a place called Golgotha . . . two bandits were crucified with him . . .
Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” . . . Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last . . .
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus . . . So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his own new tomb . . .
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Matthew 26:14-27:66)
Our reading this week offers profound lessons for justice work today. Beyond the theological significance that so many have derived from the story of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection, this story also highlights the dynamics of power, oppression, and systemic injustice. Jesus is betrayed, falsely accused, and executed by an unjust system. His experience reflects the plight of marginalized and silenced individuals. His courage, nonviolence, and steadfast commitment to speaking truth challenged social structures rooted in complicity, imperialism, and harm for those made the most vulnerable. This narrative invites us to reflect on what it means for us today, as Jesus followers, to participate in the work of resisting injustice, advocating for the vulnerable, and embodying moral integrity in the face of oppression, in our time and contexts.
Let’s begin this week with the scene of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. This meal took on deep meaning for the early Jesus communities who centered Jesus’ teachings on mutual aid and resource-sharing. The narrative of this meal implied shared dignity, community, and resistance to the oppressive power responsible for economic exploitation. At the table, Jesus gathers a diverse group of disciples and offers bread and wine equally among them, modeling a radically inclusive community where status and hierarchy are overturned. In a society marked by imperial domination and economic inequality, this shared meal becomes a symbol of solidarity among the marginalized. It invites participants to remember a way of life centered on mutual care, service, and justice. This shared meal challenges systems that exclude or exploit, and calls Jesus-following communities to embody equality, hospitality, and commitment to the well-being of everyone at their table.
The next scene we encounter took place in the garden of Gethsemane. In Gethsemane, Jesus confronts the deep personal cost of standing up to and resisting injustice. Alone in the garden, he wrestles with fear, grief, and the knowledge of what faithful resistance will bring. The scene reveals that the struggle for justice is not only public and political but also profoundly personal. Those who stand against oppressive systems often face isolation, anxiety, and the risk of suffering. Gethsemane reminds us that courage does not erase fear; it moves forward despite it. The story honors the inner struggle of those who choose integrity over safety, showing that the path toward justice frequently passes through moments of anguish and costly resolve.
This scene ends with Jesus’ betrayal by one of his close disciples. Judas’ betrayal reminds us that movements for justice are not only opposed from the outside; they can also be wounded from within. Social justice work is built on trust, shared vision, and solidarity, yet those bonds can fracture through fear, pressure, or personal ambition. Judas represents the painful reality that even close collaborators can abandon or undermine the work. Judas’ story is a cautionary tale. Betrayal hurts deeply because it comes from those we believed stood beside us. Yet the narrative also reminds us that justice work must continue, even when our trust in others has been painfully broken.
Next in the narrative, we encounter Jesus’ various trials. Jesus’ trial before the chief priests reveals how the institutions in Jesus’ society had become conduits of empire. Leaders who were meant to guide their communities in the liberating justice of Torah instead collaborated with imperial power to preserve stability and their own authority. Their actions reflect a tragic pattern: systems (including those who establish and maintain such systems) meant to govern and ensure justice often align with domination when threatened.
When Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, the political nature of the conflict becomes unmistakable. Pilate asks whether Jesus claims to be a king. This is an imperial question. In the shadow of the Roman Empire, the title “king” is dangerous because it implies an alternative vision of power than Caesar. Jesus’ message about the reign of God challenges the hierarchies that sustain Rome’s exploitation and exclusion. Later in the story, the crowd’s choice to release Barabbas instead of Jesus exposes how populist fear and manipulation can be manipulated to distort public judgment. Systems of injustice often present false choices that preserve violence while silencing voices of liberation. We know something of this in our current politics here in the U.S.
Jesus’ meeting with Pilate is a warning and a call to Jesus followers working for justice in our world today. Institutions can either protect the vulnerable or cooperate with oppression. The trial of Jesus reminds us that confronting injustice often means challenging the power structures, whether political, economic, or religious, that legitimize injustice. And as Martin Luther King Jr., wrote, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Many Western Christian interpretations frame Jesus’ death as a substitutionary payment required to satisfy divine justice. But the Gospel narratives never offer this explanation for Jesus’ death in their stories. Jesus’ execution was the result of political and socio-economic systems responding to a teacher whose message centered the poor, challenged domination, and exposed injustice. His death was not a divinely required transaction but the predictable outcome of confronting oppressive power. In this sense, the cross represents solidarity with the oppressed rather than a payment offered in their place.
Jesus’ execution itself reflects the brutality of imperial violence. Crucifixion was a punishment used by the Roman Empire to terrorize those who threatened the social order. When the empire executed Jesus under the authority of Pontius Pilate, it attempted to silence a voice proclaiming a radically different vision of community. Jesus’ kingdom vision was one centered on justice, mercy, and shared humanity. The cross therefore reveals what empires do to those who resist them. It exposes the cost of standing with the marginalized.
But the story does not end at the cross. The resurrection proclaims that the violence of empire does not have the final word. In the proclamation found throughout texts of the Gospels, God vindicates the one executed by unjust power. The resurrection reverses the verdict of the cross.
In this way, everything accomplished through Jesus’ death was undone in the resurrection. Whereas the execution sought to silence Jesus, the resurrection turns that attempt into only a temporary interruption, and Jesus’ life and teaching live on in his followers. The cross sought to silence him; the resurrection amplified his message. The empire attempted to demonstrate its authority over life and death; the resurrection exposes the limits of their authority.
For those engaged in social justice today, this meaning is profound. The resurrection declares that systems built on violence and oppression are ultimately temporary. Even when justice is crushed, truth buried, and movements suppressed, the possibility of new life remains. The resurrection is not the validation of the cross. It is its undoing. Through it, the hope of liberation persists.
But our reading doesn’t end this week with the resurrection. It ends just shy of it. In our reading, we are left with Pilate’s guard, posted at the tomb, and the silence and grief of hoping that resurrection might come.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does the Jesus story inform your engagment with social justice work? And in what ways are you waiting, too, for resurrection? 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 14: Justice Lessons from the Final Scenes of the Gospel Stories
Matthew 26:14-27:66
Our reading this week offers profound lessons for justice work today. Beyond the theological significance that so many have derived from the story of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection, this story also highlights the dynamics of power, oppression, and systemic injustice. Jesus is betrayed, falsely accused, and executed by an unjust system. His experience reflects the plight of marginalized and silenced individuals. His courage, nonviolence, and steadfast commitment to speaking truth challenged social structures rooted in complicity, imperialism, and harm for those made the most vulnerable. This narrative invites us to reflect on what it means for us today, as Jesus followers, to participate in the work of resisting injustice, advocating for the vulnerable, and embodying moral integrity in the face of oppression, in our own time and contexts.
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
A Story of Hope for our Present Moment
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 Story of Hope for our Present Moment
Herb Montgomery | March 20, 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 John.
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up . . . ” (John 11:1-45)
Let’s begin this week with the overall context of our story. In the Gospel of John, the narrative reason for Jesus’ crucifixion differs drastically from the reasons in the Synoptic Gospels. This shift has significant implications for how justice themes are framed today. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ protest in the Jerusalem Temple is an embodied, public confrontation with economic exploitation and political-religious power and it’s the decisive catalyst for his arrest and execution. The cross is imperial pushback for Jesus’ Temple protest. John, however, relocates the Temple protest to the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry (John 2) and strips it of immediate political consequences. By doing so, the Gospel of John removes a concrete act of economic and social disruption as the closest cause of Jesus’ death.
In John’s narrative, the final trigger for the authorities’ decision to kill Jesus is not a protest against unjust systems but Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. After Lazarus is restored to life, the political leaders gather and conclude that Jesus must die to prevent Roman intervention and protect the nation. The logic is explicit: the miracle is what makes Jesus too dangerous to live, not his challenge to Temple economics or priestly, political authority.. This narrative move reframes the threat Jesus poses. He is not primarily a prophet exposing exploitation; he is a life-giving revealer whose power destabilizes even the cosmic order.
This shift dulls the Gospel’s social edge in at least two ways. First, by disconnecting Jesus’ death from a public act of resistance to economic injustice, John deemphasizes the political cost of confronting oppressive systems. When the Temple protest is placed at the center of the passion narrative, as in the Synoptic Gospels, it makes clear that Jesus is executed because he threatens entrenched interests that profit from inequality. But in John, that causal link is weakened. The Temple scene becomes symbolic. It is about Jesus “replacing” the Temple as a metaphysical space for accessing the Divine, not Jesus as a flashpoint of social conflict that demands a response from the status quo with the temple serving as the capital of the Temple State.
Second, the raising of Lazarus introduces a more gnostic dynamic to the story, in the sense that salvation is framed primarily as private, personal, individual access to divine life and revealed knowledge rather than liberation from unjust structures. Eternal life in John is something encountered through belief and recognition of who Jesus is, not through participating with Jesus in the social implications of “the kingdom” on earth as it is in heaven. While John’s theology is profound, it can be abstracted from our material, concrete, socially lived experience. The danger is that injustice becomes secondary, a backdrop to metaphysical revelation rather than a central arena of God’s saving work.
This is not to say that the Gospel of John lacks ethical concern. Its emphasis on love, mutual service, and truth has deep moral and ethical implications. But narratively, the reason Jesus is killed matters. When cosmic, metaphysical reasons for Jesus execution replace the political and economic protest as the decisive cause, the cross risks being interpreted primarily as merely spiritual matter rather than as the predictable outcome of confronting systems that harm the vulnerable and the marginalized.
For Jesus followers committed to justice today, this Johannine reframing invites both caution and critique. John offers a rich theology of life, but by relocating the Temple protest and centering Lazarus, it softens the Gospel’s confrontation with structural injustice. Recovering that sharper and much older edge of the gospel stories requires reading John alongside the Synoptics, allowing the Temple protest to reclaim its place as a warning: challenging unjust systems is not safe, but it is central to following the way of Jesus.
The story of Lazarus of Bethany in the Gospel of John has often been read primarily as a miracle story demonstrating the power of Jesus of Nazareth over death. Yet when read carefully, it could be interpreted with implications for Christian social justice work today.
Lazarus’ death occurs in a community bound together by friendship, grief, and solidarity. When Jesus arrives, he does not stand apart from the suffering of those around him. Instead, he weeps alongside them. This moment reveals a profound truth: divine compassion is not distant from human pain. This gospel’s words ring out, “Jesus wept.” For Christian communities engaged in social justice work, this suggests that faithful action begins with genuine solidarity. Before transforming suffering, one must be willing to feel it and stand with those who experience it.
The command Jesus gives at the tomb in our reading is also significant. Although Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave, he then tells the surrounding community, “Unbind him, and let him go.” In our reading this week, Lazarus emerges alive, but still wrapped in the burial cloths. It is the community’s task to remove them. The miracle is therefore not completed by Jesus alone but requires communal participation. I can’t help but think of Moses’ words in the Exodus story to Pharaoh: “Let my people go!” These stories, Exodus and John 11, both show we have a work to do of participating in our liberation.
For Christian social justice movements, our story also offers a powerful lesson for this moment of U.S. imperialism. Systems of injustice built on poverty, racism, exclusion, and violence can function like burial wrappings that keep people bound even after life has returned. Liberation requires more than individual transformation; it calls communities to participate actively in our unbinding.
We can interpret this story of resurrection as as about something much more relevant today than life after death later. In the story of Lazarus, resurrection interrupts grief and despair in the present. It doesn’t ask us to wait for hope in the future. It offers us hope for today. It restores a person to community, relationship, and dignity today, not only as Martha says, “in the resurrection.” Christian social justice work can be understood in similar terms. Ours is the work of participating in life-giving transformation here and now.
Seen this way, the resurrection of Lazarus becomes not only a miracle story but a call. Communities that follow Jesus are invited to help roll away the stones of injustice and participate in the unbinding of those whom death-dealing systems have harmed and wrapped in despair now.
Lastly Lazarus’ resurrection points forward in John’s narrative to Jesus’ resurrection. First, Jesus’ death on the cross can be better understood, not as a divine requirement for atonement, but as the tragic outcome of imperial state violence. In the first century, the Roman Empire used crucifixion was a punishment to publicly terrorize those it considered threats to its political and social order. It was meant to humiliate, silence, and erase dissent. Jesus’ execution fits within this pattern. His message of God’s reign, a vision of justice, shared abundance, and solidarity with the marginalized challenged both imperial power and the systems that benefited from it. The cross, therefore, reveals what oppressive systems often do to those who embody liberating truth telling: they attempt to destroy them.
Seen in this light, the cross is not salvific suffering that redeems the world or because God required a sacrifice. Instead, it exposes the injustice of the powers that killed Jesus. It is the moment when violence, fear, and domination appear to have the final word. The resurrection decisively reverse their apparent victory. By raising Jesus, God vindicates the life and message that empire attempted to extinguish: the resurrection declares that the violence of the cross does not stand as the ultimate reality. The empire’s verdict of death, shame, and defeat is overturned. Life, justice, and truth endure.
In this way, the resurrection undoes what the cross attempted to accomplish. The cross tried to silence Jesus’ vision of a just world, but the resurrection amplifies it. The cross sought to erase him, but the resurrection restores Jesus as a living witness to God’s solidarity with the oppressed. The cross represents the worst that systems of domination can inflict; the resurrection reveals that such violence cannot ultimately triumph.
Coupled with the previous event in John’s Gospel, Lazarus’ resurrection, it is the opinion of many today, myself included, that Christian hope does not rest in the cross as a mechanism of salvation, but in the resurrection as God’s refusal to allow injustice and death to have the final word. And that is a message much needed at the moment.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How are you choosing to hold on to hope at this present moment? 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 13: A Story of Hope for our Present Moment
John 11:1-45
The command Jesus gives at the tomb in our reading is also significant. Although Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave, he then tells the surrounding community, “Unbind him, and let him go.” In our reading this week, Lazarus emerges alive, but still wrapped in the burial cloths. It is the community’s task to remove them. Seen this way, the resurrection of Lazarus becomes not only a miracle story but a call. Communities that follow Jesus are invited to help roll away the stones of injustice and participate in the unbinding of those whom death-dealing systems have harmed and wrapped in despair now. In the story of Lazarus, resurrection interrupts grief and despair in the present, today, not later. It doesn’t ask us to wait for hope in the future. It offers us hope for today. It restores a person to community, relationship, and dignity today, not only as Martha says, “in the resurrection.” Christian social justice work can be understood in similar terms. Ours is the work of participating in life-giving transformation here and now.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/a-story-of-hope-for-our-present-moment
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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