Bending Our World’s Arc Toward Justice
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 or engaging within our faith communities, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep that vision alive.
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.”
Image created by Canva
Bending Our World’s Arc Toward Justice
Herb Montgomery | August 8, 2025
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:
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Luke 12:32-40, NRSV)
Luke 12 is one of my favorite chapters in the gospels. It spells out how Luke understood Jesus’ economic vision for a human society under the reign of God. It’s a world where everyone has enough to thrive and no one is hoarding more than they need while others have needs that their community is not meeting. The original audiences would have thought of the Torah’s stories of the ancient Israelites receiving enough manna each day in the wilderness.
This passage begins with the pleasure of God in creating a society like this and inviting each of us into it. Then we encounter its economic foundation. People that have more than they need will sell their superfluous possessions—in this context, farm lands stolen through predatory debt and default—and give to those their economic system had plunged into poverty. The word the NRSV uses for what they should give is “alms.” Alms used to mean money or food given to poor people. Jesus here is describing a community of resource-sharing, giving, and a commitment to making sure everyone is taken care of. It’s a community founded on a more just distribution of the wealth that had been created by the unjust economic system they already had. Scholar James Robinson describes it in his book The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News. We read from this book last week:
“The human dilemma is, in large part, that we are each other’s fate. We become the tool of evil that ruins another person as we look out for ourselves, having long abandoned any youthful idealism we might once have cherished. But if we each would cease and desist from pushing the other down to keep ourselves up, then the vicious cycle would be broken. Society would become mutually supportive rather than self-destructive. This is what Jesus was up to. Jesus’ message was simple, for he wanted to cut straight through to the point: trust God to look out for you by providing people who will care for you, and listen to him when he calls on you to provide for them. God is somebody you can trust, so give it a try.” (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News, Kindle Edition Loc. 58)
On the next page Robinson continues:
“Put in language derived from his sayings: I am hungry because you hoard food. You are cold because I hoard clothing. Our dilemma is that we all hoard supplies in our backpacks and put our trust in our wallets! Such ‘security”’ should be replaced by God reigning, which means both what I trust God to do (to activate you to share food with me) and what I hear God telling me to do (to share clothes with you). We should not carry money while bypassing the poor or wear a backpack with extra clothes and food while ignoring the cold and hungry lying in the gutter. This is why the beggars, the hungry, the depressed are fortunate: God, that is, those in whom God rules, those who hearken to God, will care for them. The needy are called upon to trust that God’s reigning is there for them (‘Theirs is the kingdom of God”’).” (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News, Kindle Edition. Loc 71)
The early Jesus followers grasped these gospel truths and sought to put them into practice:
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:44-45)
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:33-35)
Next, Luke’s Jesus shares a story about expectation and preparedness in the context of the unjust and unjustifiable practice of slavery. The original audience would have heard this story as being about restoring the reign of God, God’s just future. Today many sectors of Christians typically interpret this passage about Jesus’ second advent . But the original audience for this story would have heard this story through a different filter.
The Hebrew prophets spoke of their God as having abandoned the people as a result of societal abuses and injustices toward vulnerable people.
“I will forsake my house, abandon my inheritance; I will give the one I love into the hands of her enemies.” (Jeremiah 12:7)
But if their society would return to justice, their God would also return to them and their temple:
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)
The underlying theme of Jesus’ story in our reading is that the coming of the kingdom, Jesus’ vision for human community, could come at any moment, so stay ready. This reminds me of the clarion call often given today to “stay woke.” Don’t allow yourself to be acculturated to injustice. Don’t let yourself become desensitized to the suffering of those being presently harmed. Don’t let inequity, corruption, and brutality become normalized.
It is interesting to me that both last week’s and this week’s readings have us praying for and being prepared for the kingdom to arrive at some unexpected time in the future. This week’s reading also uses the figure of the Son of Man. The Son of Man was a liberating agent from imperial injustice, oppression, and violence in the apocalyptic chapter of Daniel 7. Calling us to look for these events in the future is a change in the Jesus story from those passages where Jesus announces that the kingdom had arrived or that the time had come.
Given that Luke was most likely written not only after Jesus’ crucifixion but also after the Romans razed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E., it would be much easier to call people to be ready for the kingdom. It would be much easier to tell them that it was still coming than that it had already arrived. Honestly, 2,000 years later, not much about that has changed. But I’m reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of the moral universe as a long arc bending toward justice. We must also remember that the arc doesn’t bend toward justice automatically. If the universe’s arc is going to bend toward justice, we’re going to have to bend it that way. And that may explain the change in the gospels’ language: the people were still in the ashes of imperial violence with Jesus’ execution and Jerusalem’s destruction.
That famous arc of justice requires deliberate and courageous efforts from those who choose to stand on the side of equity, compassion, and truth. Choosing to bend that arc toward justice is an act of hope, and also one of resistance. It means refusing to accept the world as it is and daring to imagine a world as it could be—a world where all people are treated with dignity, where systems serve the vulnerable, and where peace is rooted in justice or fairness.
This choice is not always easy. Especially right now, when we are witnessing so many caving to injustice and bowing the knee for expediency. Choosing justice may cost us comfort, popularity, or privilege. But it is a path that gives life deeper meaning. It invites us to be co-creators of a more just and loving society. Whether we are advocating for racial equity, economic fairness, gender and LGBTQ inclusion, or environmental stewardship, each small act of justice matters. Every word spoken, every protest joined, every policy challenged adds weight to the arc’s bend. History honors those who didn’t wait for justice to arrive, but who helped carry it forward. That choice—to act—is always ours.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How do you choose to bend our universe’s moral arc toward justice in your own life? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 23: Luke 12.32-40. Lectionary C, Proper 14
Bending Our World’s Moral Arc Toward Justice
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 32: Bending Our World’s Moral Arc Toward Justice
Luke 12:32-40
“That famous arc of justice requires deliberate and courageous efforts from those who choose to stand on the side of equity, compassion, and truth. Choosing to bend that arc toward justice is an act of hope, and also one of resistance. It means refusing to accept the world as it is and daring to imagine a world as it could be—a world where all people are treated with dignity, where systems serve the vulnerable, and where peace is rooted in justice or fairness.This choice is not always easy. Especially right now, when we are witnessing so many caving to injustice and bowing the knee for expediency. Choosing justice may cost us comfort, popularity, or privilege. But it is a path that gives life deeper meaning. It invites us to be co-creators of a more just and loving society. Whether we are advocating for racial equity, economic fairness, gender and LGBTQ inclusion, or environmental stewardship, each small act of justice matters. Every word spoken, every protest joined, every policy challenged adds weight to the arc’s bend. History honors those who didn’t wait for justice to arrive, but who helped carry it forward. That choice—to act—is always ours.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/bending-our-worlds-moral-arc-toward-justice
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 Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support.
We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth
Herb Montgomery | August 1, 2025
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:
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21)
In this passage, social location matters. Inheritance was an argument for the wealthy elites, and in Jesus’ time there was no middle class. There were wealthy elites and the poor. And in the gospel stories, Jesus emerged in Galilee as a prophet of the poor.
Consider how each synoptic gospel connects Jesus not to the wealthy but to the poor.
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor . . . (Mark 10:21)
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. (Mark 12:43)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Matthew 11:5)
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor . . . (Matthew 19:21)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor (Luke 4:18)
Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20)
So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Luke 7:22)
But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:41)
Sell your possessions and give to the poor (Luke 12:33)
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor (Luke 14:13)
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor (Luke 18:22)
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor . . . Today salvation has come to this house (Luke 19:8-9)
He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. (Luke 21:2-3)
These texts place Jesus on the side of the poor. Jesus, as a prophet of the poor, tells a story about the meaninglessness of hoarding wealth. To what end was all this man’s wealth hoarded? James Robertson, commenting on Jesus’ teaching of wealth redistribution and resource sharing, writes:
“The human dilemma is, in large part, that we are each other’s fate. We become the tool of evil that ruins another person as we look out for ourselves, having long abandoned any youthful idealism we might once have cherished. But if we each would cease and desist from pushing the other down to keep ourselves up, then the vicious cycle would be broken. Society would become mutually supportive rather than self-destructive. This is what Jesus was up to. Jesus’ message was simple, for he wanted to cut straight through to the point: trust God to look out for you by providing people who will care for you, and listen to him when he calls on you to provide for them. God is somebody you can trust, so give it a try.” (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News, Kindle Edition Loc. 58)
Robinson continues:
“Put in language derived from his sayings: I am hungry because you hoard food. You are cold because I hoard clothing. Our dilemma is that we all hoard supplies in our backpacks and put our trust in our wallets! Such ‘security’ should be replaced by God reigning, which means both what I trust God to do (to activate you to share food with me) and what I hear God telling me to do (to share clothes with you). We should not carry money while bypassing the poor or wear a backpack with extra clothes and food while ignoring the cold and hungry lying in the gutter. This is why the beggars, the hungry, the depressed are fortunate: God, that is, those in whom God rules, those who hearken to God, will care for them. The needy are called upon to trust that God’s reigning is there for them (‘Theirs is the kingdom of God”’).” (James M. Robinson, The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News, Kindle Edition. Loc 71)
These words give us much to think about. Robinson evaluates Jesus’ teachings by what happens in the early church when Christians tried to put them into practice. Notice the result: “There were no needy persons among them.” The early Jesus movement had accomplished the goal of these ancient stories: they eliminated poverty in their midst.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)
Over and over again in the gospels, Jesus places hoarding one’s wealth in tension with sharing it with others:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)
Being “rich toward God” doesn’t mean giving all your money to religious institutions. It means using your means to mitigate the suffering of the others with whom we share this world as our home. We live in a system today that creates both wealth and poverty. As that economic system continues, the gap between the two classes continues to expand. Wealth, when viewed through the lens of compassion and responsibility, can be very powerfully shared for advancing human dignity and well-being. In a world where inequality continues to deepen and many struggle to meet basic needs, those who have access to financial resources are uniquely called to be agents of healing and justice. Using wealth to help others is not just an act of charity—it is a moral imperative that affirms our shared humanity.
At its best, wealth can serve as a bridge between abundance and need. It can fund education for children who might otherwise go without schooling, provide clean water for communities where it is scarce, support healthcare systems, build affordable housing, and sustain efforts to address climate change and systemic poverty. These are not merely abstract goals; they represent real lives changed, futures made possible, and hope restored.
And using wealth for the good of others requires more than good intentions—it also calls for intentionality, humility, and equity. True generosity listens before it gives. It involves understanding the needs of communities rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions. It resists the temptation to give in ways that perpetuate or preserve power imbalances. Instead, it seeks to empower, to lift up, and to restore dignity.
Faith traditions, moral philosophies, and humanitarian values all speak to the sacred responsibility that comes with wealth. Jesus taught that to love one’s neighbor means to meet their needs—not out of guilt, or duty, but out of genuine care. The Hebrew prophets cried out for justice, not just charity. Across cultures, the wise and ethical have consistently called upon those with means to see their wealth not as an end in itself, but as a resource for the greater good.
In practical terms, this might mean supporting local organizations doing transformative work, investing in sustainable enterprises that uplift communities, or simply being present and generous in the lives of neighbors, friends, and strangers. It also includes advocating for fairer systems that redistribute opportunity and reduce barriers.
In the end, wealth is not measured by how much we can accumulate, but by how much good it enables in our lives and others’. This is what it may mean to be rich toward God. It means being rich toward our fellow humans. When we use what we have to love, to serve, and to repair the world around us, we step into a deeper purpose—one that honors both the giver and the receiver.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What would sharing wealth rather than hoarding wealth look like in our society 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 22: Luke 12.13-21. Lectionary C, Proper 13
The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 31: The Moral Dilemma and Challenge of Wealth
Luke 12:13-21
“Faith traditions, moral philosophies, and humanitarian values all speak to the sacred responsibility that comes with wealth. Jesus taught that to love one’s neighbor means to meet their needs—not out of guilt, or duty, but out of genuine care. The Hebrew prophets cried out for justice, not just charity. Across cultures, the wise and ethical have consistently called upon those with means to see their wealth not as an end in itself, but as a resource for the greater good. In the end, wealth, especially gained in an economic system such as our present one, is not measured by how much we can accumulate, but by how much good it enables in our lives and others’. This is what it may mean to be rich toward God. It means being rich toward our fellow humans. When we use what we have to love, to serve, and to repair the world around us, we step into a deeper purpose—one that honors both the giver and the receiver.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-moral-dilemma-and-challenge-of-wealth
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 Prayer For Liberation
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
A Prayer For Liberation
Herb Montgomery | July 25, 2025
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:
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:1-13)
Our passage this week is Luke’s version of what many Christians call the Lord’s Prayer. It begins by referring to God as “Father.”
I believe that this version of the Lord’s prayer isn’t defining God’s gender as much as it defines the role Luke’s community believed God played in the affairs of the world. They understood God through the paradigm of their own world view at that time. Many of us today have come to understand that it is problematic to only allow the male gender to be represented in the Divine. In keeping with the parental nature of “father” today, prayers like the one Jesus prayed could just as accurately in our culture be addressed to “Mother/Father” God. In that time, a householder or a parental provider made sure everyone in the family had what they needed to thrive. Today, in our world that role could be a mother, a father, both, or more, depending on the nature of the family one belongs to.
The first request in Jesus’ prayer is for the coming of the reign of God or God’s “Kingdom.” For the people for whom this prayer was written, the reign of God simply meant a world where God’s desire for justice, compassion, and safety for all would be made manifest. In this world, here and now, all violence, injustice, and oppression would be put right. It would be a world rich with diversity, yet marked by ethics we today name as equity and inclusion. Then, the immediate context was Roman oppression of the people praying this prayer. Today, injustice takes many forms, and this prayer addresses them all.
This is evident in the next request, for our daily bread. This isn’t a prayer for the assurance of an afterlife or a ticket into a heavenly realm. Nor is it for private piety or holiness. This is a prayer for the basic needs of our material, concrete, well-being—our daily bread. Simply put, it is a prayer for enough to eat each day. It is a prayer for all to have what they need, not simply to survive, but to thrive. This is not a request for an inward, private spiritual experience, nor for post mortem security. It’s a prayer for the needs we have right now, here, in our physical world. At the heart of all of Jesus’ teachings in the gospels is that the material needs of people are holy.
And this leads us to the next request in Luke’s version which is for the forgiveness of sins, which had a longer history in the forgiveness of literal debt. This portion of the prayer is rooted in the Hebrew idea of a jubilee. First, let’s consider how debt was originally to be handled in the Torah:
“‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.” (Leviticus 25:35-38)
So, if a fellow Israelite fell on hard times, they were to be helped. No interest or profit was to be made off of their plight. This theme continued in Deuteronomy:
“You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.” (Deuteronomy 23:20)
Yet the instruction for how to help a fellow Israelite did not end with prohibiting interest or profit. It went even further to require eventual and complete debt cancellation. If the debt could not be paid off interest-free in seven years, not only was there to be no profit to the lender, they would now take a loss:
“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you.” (Deuteronomy 15:1-3)
A version of the Lord’s Prayer also exists in Matthew’s gospel. Most scholars believe this version was written earlier than Luke. It reads:
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)
It is fascinating to me that the early forms of the Lord’s prayer were economic. It was less about forgiving general sins and trespasses and more about restoring the original Torah ethic of debt forgiveness. John Dominic Crossan writes on this point:
“Matthew works from ‘debts’ through ‘trespasses’ to ‘sins,’ but Luke gets there right away . . . ‘Debts’ was originally intended quite literally. Jesus meant that eternal peasant dyad of enough bread for today and no debt for tomorrow. Were it originally and clearly metaphorical—‘debts’ meaning ‘sins’—everyone would have understood that intention and the progression in terminology from “debts” to “trespasses” to “sins” would not have been necessary. Another is that, from Mark through Matthew and into Luke, “debts” change to “trespasses” and then to “sins.” In its present format, therefore, it seems advisable to read Matthew’s text as including both debt and sin—not debt alone, not sin alone, and certainly not sin instead of debt, but both together. Indeed, the ultimate challenge may be to ponder their interaction. And, at least for the biblical tradition, when debt creates too much inequality, it has become sinful.” (John Dominic Crossan, The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer, p. 159-160.)
This was a prayer of liberation and economic justice for people living in poverty.
Lastly, our reading closes with a story about shameless persistence in prayer. I will be the first to admit that I don’t understand how prayer works. But it helps me in reading this passage to keep everything in its context. Luke’s audience was an oppressed people being encouraged to persevere in their prayers and actions for liberation. They were praying for the end of all injustice, oppression, and violence. They were praying for liberation from financial debt. They were praying that they would have enough food on their tables. They were praying and working for justice in this world, their world. And whether we would define ourselves as praying people or not, persisting in the work of justice even against what seem to be insurmountable odds, is an encouragement still needed today. Maybe the temptation we are to pray not to be led into is the temptation to give up hope or give in to despair. And if this is how we choose to read this prayer, this a prayer I can say “Amen” to.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What section of the Lord’s prayer speaks most to you this week? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 21: Luke 11.1-13. Lectionary C, Proper 12
Mary, Martha, and Gender Equality
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 30: A Prayer For Liberation
Luke 11:1-13
“Our reading closes with a story about shameless persistence in prayer. I will be the first to admit that I don’t understand how prayer works. But it helps me in reading this passage to keep everything in its context. Luke’s audience was an oppressed people being encouraged to persevere in their prayers and actions for liberation. They were praying for the end of all injustice, oppression, and violence. They were praying for liberation from financial debt. They were praying that they would have enough food on their tables. They were praying and working for justice in this world, their world. And whether we would define ourselves as praying people or not, persisting in the work of justice even against what seem to be insurmountable odds, is an encouragement still needed today. Maybe the temptation we are to pray not to be led into is the temptation to give up hope or give in to despair. And if this is how we choose to read this prayer, this a prayer I can say ‘Amen’ to.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/a-prayer-for-liberation
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
Mary, Martha and Gender Equality
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
Mary, Martha and Gender Equality
Herb Montgomery | July 18, 2025
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:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
The story of Mary and Martha is unique to Luke’s version of the Jesus story. No other canonical gospel mentions it. It introduces two Jesus followers that John would later tell different stories about (see John 11:1-44; 12:1-8).
A lot has been said throughout Christian history about Mary’s spiritual devotion in this story. Usually these comments emphasize how Mary prioritized “time at Jesus’ feet” over Martha’s preparations to host Jesus and his disciples in their home.
But if that is all we take from this story, we miss the subversive point of this narrative.
First, this story has always bothered me because Martha’s actions as the matron of her home seem to be devalued. The level of work she is doing to make sure Jesus and disciples (even in their claim to need precious little: “few things are needed”) should not undervalued.
And there is a deeper lesson subverting the expected patriarch, too. Not only does the story not name a male householder, giving the impression that Martha is the matriarch of the home, there is a cultural divide under the surface of the story as well. Mary’s actions deeply transgressed cultural, chauvinistic lines that women were not supposed to cross. C.S. Keener explains:
“People normally sat on chairs or, at banquets, reclined on couches; but disciples sat at the feet of their teachers. Serious disciples were preparing to be teachers—a role not permitted to women. (The one notable exception in the second century was a learned rabbi’s daughter who had married another learned rabbi; but most rabbis rejected her opinions.) Mary’s posture and eagerness to absorb Jesus’ teaching at the expense of a more traditional womanly role would have shocked most Jewish men.” (C.S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, p. 218)
Mary is acting as if she is preparing to be a teacher or a Rabbi herself in the new fledgling movement centered on Jesus’ teachings. Culturally, women would not have been allowed to fill that role. And whereas the disciples would have expected Jesus to put Mary back “in her place,” Jesus praises her for sitting at his feat instead of sending her to the back of the room with the other women. In this new movement, women were not to be treated as less than. Women were to be recognized fully as teachers, too.
This is the challenge of relying only on the text of the Bible in passages like our reading this week. In the Bible, passages that teach patriarchal misogyny against women exist along with passages that subvert chauvinistic ways of viewing and treating women. The Bible is not univocal on the subject of egalitarianism between the sexes. It’s simply not. Those whose biases are against women will find plenty in the Bible to support their prejudices. Those who believe in and fight for gender equality will also find passages in the Bible to support their efforts.
Even in the work of Paul we find both kinds of texts:
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
And:
Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. (1 Corinthians 14:34)
Some have solved the dilemma by stating that we must discern the trajectory of our sacred text. Yes, they say, we find both sets of texts in our Bible, but we should ask, which direction is the text moving in as a whole? Is the Bible moving toward sexism or away from it?
I’m not sure it’s that simple.
With the issue of slavery, U.S. Christians who supported slavery during the abolitionist movement accused Christian abolitionists of throwing away the Bible in order to oppose slavery.
With the call for LGBTQ inclusion in our society and the Christian church as a whole, homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic Christians state that Christians who are welcoming and affirming of our LGBTQ family and friends are throwing away the Bible to affirm them.
Here too, whenever subjects arise such as women’s ordination in denominations refuse to recognize and honor the equality of women in ministry, those who view gender equality in the church as evil say that Christians who support egalitarianism must throw away their Bibles.
The Bible and gender equality is a subject of ongoing theological debate within many Christian communities. This debate draws passionate voices from both complementarian and egalitarian perspectives. Egalitarianism holds that men and women are created equal in worth, dignity, and capacity, and that their equality should extend into all areas of life—including leadership roles in the church, home, and society. When read through an egalitarian lens, the Bible can offer a strong foundation for gender equality.
The biblical case for egalitarianism typically begins in Genesis. In the creation narrative of Genesis 1, both man and woman are created in the image of God: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, NRSV). This passage affirms that both men and women equally reflect God’s image and share in the divine mandate to care for creation (Genesis 1:28). There is no hint of hierarchy in this first creation account.
Patriarchy then appears in Genesis 3:16 when God tells Eve, “your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Debate rages over whether this statement is descriptive or prescriptive. Egalitarians protest that these words describe the broken relational dynamic resulting from sin, not God’s original intent for male-female relationships. The rest of the biblical story, from this perspective, is seen as God working to restore creation and overcome the destructive consequences of sin including gender-based oppression.
Throughout the rest of our sacred text, women are depicted as active agents in God’s liberative work. In the Hebrew scriptures, figures such as Deborah, a prophet and judge (Judges 4–5); Huldah, a prophet consulted by the king’s priests (2 Kings 22); and Esther, who risked her life to save her people stand out as examples of female leadership. These women act with courage and divine authority, often in ways that challenge the gender norms of their time.
In our reading this week, as in the rest of the gospels, Jesus’ interactions with women were countercultural and deeply affirming. He welcomed women as disciples (Luke 8:1–3) and revealed deep theological truths to them (John 4:7–26). After His resurrection, Jesus first appeared to women and commissioned them to tell the good news to the male disciples (Matthew 28:1–10; John 20:11–18), an act that many interpret as Jesus placing women at the forefront of the disciples’ gospel proclamation.
Certain sectors of the early Jesus community continued this pattern. This was not universal, however, as debate even then existed between patriarchal early followers and those who perceived Jesus as teaching more gender equality. In the sectors that practiced more gender equality, we find such examples as Phoebe (Romans 16:1–2), Junia (Romans 16:7), and Priscilla (Acts 18:26). These women were leaders in the early Christian movement. Their existence in the early church being praised by Paul should be held in tension with Paul’s often-quoted passages that seem to limit women’s roles. Many scholars and believers today do see a consistent trajectory toward gender equality in scriptures. These scholars believe that, from creation stories to the early church, Scripture reveals a God who values, empowers, and calls all genders to participate fully in what it means to follow Jesus.
It is also just as true that the Bible has historically been used to support patriarchal systems. And the Bible is not univocal on this or any subject. The Bible is a collection of texts considered sacred. These texts were written, redacted, collected and compiled by over hundreds of years, within multiple cultures. Even by the most conservative estimates, that’s almost 50 different authors (this doesn’t include redactors, translators, or compilers). Of course it’s not univocal on every subject!
What we must ask ourselves in our contexts today is whether a passage or an interpretation of a passage is life-giving? We must ask who is it hurting? Is it moving us closer to a world that is a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone, even those different from ourselves, or away from one?
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What stories in the Bible do you believe teach egalitarianism? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 20: Luke 10.38-42. Lectionary C, Proper 11
Mary, Martha, and Gender Equality
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 28: Mary, Martha and Gender Equality
Luke 10:38-42
The Bible and gender equality is a subject of ongoing theological debate within many Christian communities. This debate draws passionate voices from both complementarian and egalitarian perspectives. Egalitarianism holds that men and women are created equal in worth, dignity, and capacity, and that their equality should extend into all areas of life—including leadership roles in the church, home, and society. When read through an egalitarian lens, the Gospels can offer a strong foundation for gender equality. It is also just as true that the Bible has historically been used to support patriarchal systems. What we must ask ourselves in our contexts today is whether a passage or an interpretation of a passage is life-giving? We must ask who is it hurting? Is it moving us closer to a world that is a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone, even those different from ourselves, or away from one?
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/mary-martha-and-gender-equality
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
Dependency and the Community of Justice
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
Dependency and the Community of Justice
Herb Montgomery | July 5, 2025
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:
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ . . .
“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20)
In our reading this week, we encounter a version of Jesus’ instructions to the disciples he sent ahead of him to various rural communities. Though the versions of these instructions differ slightly, each of them reveal a plan of dependence. Stephen Patterson describes it this way:
“What does it actually mean for the empire of God to come? It begins with a knock at the door. On the stoop stand two itinerant beggars, with no purse, no knapsack, no shoes, no staff. They are so ill-equipped that they must cast their fate before the feet of a would-be host. This is a point often made by historical Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan. These Q folk are sort of like ancient Cynics, but their goal is not the Cynic goal of self-sufficiency; these itinerants are sent only for dependency. To survive they must reach out to other human beings. They offer them peace—this is how the empire arrives. And if their peace is accepted, they eat and drink—this is how the empire of God is consummated, in table fellowship. Then another tradition is tacked on, beginning with the words ‘Whenever you enter a town.’ This is perhaps the older part of the tradition, for this, and only this, also has a parallel in the Gospel of Thomas (14). There is also an echo of it in Paul’s letter known as 1 Corinthians (10: 27). Here, as in the first tradition, the itinerants are instructed, ‘Eat what is set before you.’ Again, the first move is to ask. The empire comes when someone receives food from another. But then something is offered in return: care for the sick. The empire of God here involves an exchange: food for care.” (Stephen Patterson, The Lost Way: How Two Forgotten Gospels Are Rewriting the Story of Christian Origins, p. 74-75)
It may be difficult for those of us who are Westerners today to get our heads around Jesus’ plan for the disciples. From the very first moments of our lives, Western cultures acculturate us into an individualist way of relating to those around us. We place a high value on being self-reliant: being able to take care of ourselves without being dependent on others. As part of nature, though, we are dependent on much that is around us including others in our communities. It is this dependence on community and our communities’ interdependence with others that Jesus’ instruction to the twelve calls us to lean into.
The very first way people would be introduced to Jesus’ teachings was by encountering two itinerant beggars on their doorstep. Some would send them away. Others would welcome them in based on their need. For those who showed compassionate hospitality or a disposition to share, preparation for Jesus’ upcoming visit would begin. They were already showing they were open to the values of the kingdom. And it was with these people that Jesus’ life-giving kingdom teachings would take first root. When he arrived, he would find them.
As human beings, we depend on one another for survival, growth, and well-being. From birth, we rely on others for our care, nourishment, and protection, and that need for connection, support, and community remains essential as we grow. No one builds a life all by themselves. In our present culture, too, we depend on rural, Midwestern farmers for food. We depend on trade workers and builders for shelter. We depend on teachers for knowledge. Emotionally, we ever seek to know and be known. We seek companionship, love, and empathy, which shape our identity and our mental health. What I believe Jesus sought to foster in these stories is that even the smallest acts of kindness—cooperation with a beggar on a person’s doorstep—could ripple through their communities, reinforcing the truth that we are interwoven. Our interconnectedness isn’t a weakness; it’s a profound strength that reminds us of our shared humanity. Recognizing our dependence on each other encourages compassion, cooperation, and a more just and caring world.
The last part of our reading portrays the disciples after they return from their assignments. They are excited and amazed because even demons submit to them. But Jesus redirects their joy and understanding, and emphasizes a deeper and more enduring focus than the supernatural realm. I appreciate this.
In Luke, Jesus tells the disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” This statement has multiple layers but it is deeply connected to the worldview of Luke’s audience. Believing there was an unseen world, with unseen powers at work, they believed these powers were connected to both oppressors and the subjugated in the seen world. At one level, Jesus’ statement uses Satan’s defeat in the unseen world to signal approaching liberation for subjugated people in the seen world. Jesus is declaring that the disciples’ success is evidence that Satan’s kingdom is being overthrown in the unseen dimension of their reality. The coming of God’s reign (“the kingdom”) signals a turning point: the power of the oppressors is being broken.
Jesus continues, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” This is rich symbolic language. “Snakes and scorpions” likely represent the forces of evil behind the people’s political and economic oppression by Rome. Jesus isn’t promoting recklessness or invulnerability to physical harm, but rather assures His disciples that they are harbingers of a new day where the “oppressed are set free” (see Luke 4:18). Injustice, in all its forms, cannot ultimately defeat those who are sent with the authority of the “reign of God” now breaking through.
However, the heart of this passage lies in Jesus’ next words: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Here, Jesus redirects the disciples’ excitement from what they can do in the unseen world to their citizenship in the kingdom here in the seen world. Names written in the kingdom of heaven echo Rome’s population censuses in subjugated territories for taxation purposes. Jesus is admonishing his disciples not to get excited about what is happening in the unseen world but to focus on the justice being established in the seen one. The power to cast out demons in the unseen world is not the disciples’ most important gift. Certainly these are signs of the arrival of God’s kingdom in opposition to Rome, but Jesus urges His disciples to place their joy not in supernatural success or power, but in the arrival of a new reign, the reign of the kingdom of heaven, where “on earth as it is in heaven” all injustice, oppression and violence are put right.
This passage reminds us today to focus on justice work here and now. Not to focus on supernatural realms, but on our own present reality. Luke’s Jesus anchors his disciples’ joy in something much deeper than what’s unseen: their belonging to the beloved community of love, compassion, and justice rather than having their names written in the books of Rome. It’s a call to keep our focus on what the reign of God means for our concrete material lives in matters of justice and compassion and in making our world a safer home for everyone. Justice creates a much larger community than ancient Rome or any nation or religion today. And when we work to make our world a more just home, we are part of this community—now and forever.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What does leaning into our dependency on one another look like for you? Which do you find more difficult, leaning on others, or being there for others to lean on you? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 18: Luke 10.1-11, 16-20. Lectionary C, Proper 9
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 27: Dependency and the Community of Justice
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
“This passage reminds us today to focus on justice work here and now. Not to focus on supernatural realms, but on our own present reality. Luke’s Jesus anchors his disciples’ joy in something much deeper than what’s unseen: their belonging to the beloved community of love, compassion, and justice rather than having their names written in the books of Rome. It’s a call to keep our focus on what the reign of God means for our concrete material lives in matters of justice and compassion and in making our world a safer home for everyone. Justice creates a much larger community than ancient Rome or any nation or religion today. And when we work to make our world a more just home, we are part of this community—now and forever.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/dependency-and-the-community-of-justice
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
Caring for Those Outside the Tribe
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
Caring for Those Outside the Tribe
Herb Montgomery | June 28, 2025
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:
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:51-62)
This passage was formative in helping me question who western Christianity labels as having rejected Jesus. I grew up being taught that if you don’t accept Jesus as your savior, if you reject Jesus and his offer of salvation, God would send you to hell after you died and you would burn forever and ever and ever.
I know today that only some sectors of Christianity have taught what I was taught. There have always been differing beliefs about what happens to those who “reject Jesus” in this life, and that’s a whole discussion in itself. What I’ve learned through the years is that before Christianity became wedded to the Roman empire, eternal burning after death was a minority belief. Most Christians before Constantine were actually universalists, and our reading this week was a part of the myriad of scriptures that informed their belief.
Notice that in in the beginning of this week’s lectionary reading, an entire village rejects Jesus because of his association with Jerusalem and the hatred that existed between certain Samaritans and Judeans during that time. James and John respond to those villagers like might today: “Should we call down fire from heaven and destroy them?” Jesus rebukes them. Also notice that James and John only asked whether the village should be annihilated. Eternal torment goes even further than annihilation. And yet the disciples still earned a rebuke and the declaration that they didn’t know what spirit they were actually of.
For those curious, early Christians had three major views about what would happen to a person who rejected Jesus in the next life. The minority views were that these people would face eternal torment or simply cease to be. The majority of Jesus followers believed that all people would eventually be restored. They were hopeful universalists.
Today we also have the reality that many Christians conflate rejecting Jesus with rejecting Christianity. Today, some Christians don’t believe in turning the other cheek themselves, much less a God who would do so. Today, a multitude of Christians are looking forward to their enemies being destroyed or tormented. This way of looking at our world and those with whom we share our world can only leech into other areas of our lives. Christians have often shown that attitude in the way they have historically viewed and related to those different from them. Whether in relating to those of other religions, across racial and cultural differences, or across differences in gender or sexuality, many Christians have struggled to relate to differences in life-giving ways. Our passage this week challenges us to consider our spirit when we relate to those different from ourselves.
Next, having removed threat as a motive for following Jesus, we encounter three characteristics of what it means to follow the Jesus of these stories. Jesus first comments on his homelessness.
This epigram is reminiscent of the Cynic philosophers who probably wandered about Galilee in Jesus’ day. The Cynics, who taught by precept and example, were noted for the simple life: they went about barefooted, often with long hair, with a single garment, and frequently slept on the ground. Cynicism was a school of Greek philosophy founded in the fifth century B.C.E. by a pupil of Socrates. It lasted for a thousand years and was widely influential. Cynics typically wore threadbare cloaks, and carried begging bags and staffs. These spartan figures lived life at its simplest-without house, family, bed, undershirt, or utensil. (The Five Gospels, Robert W. Funk, p. 316)
The Cynics may have embraced a simple way of living out of philosophical disagreements with the society around them, but there is a difference between their lifestyle and the one Jesus lived in the gospels. Whereas Cynics were seeking independence, Jesus drew attention to our dependence on one another. We need each other to survive. We are connected to each other, a part of one another, whether we want to be connected or not. Jesus’ statement was also an act of solidarity with poor people forced to live this way too. Cynics choose to live like this. Poverty forced others to.
In the last two parts of the passage, we encounter a man who wants to bury one of his parents and another who wants to say goodbye to their family, both before following Jesus. From our perspective today, it seems Jesus is telling potential followers to value family ties less than their commitment to following Jesus. In our hyper-individualistic society today, valuing following Jesus above family ties misses the cultural context of this passage. Many Christians today sacrifice their family in following Jesus and miss the point of the passage entirely.
Luke 9 isn’t about family as we think about it today as much as it is about economics. Jesus wasn’t against family. He did critique the economic system of his day, which made a person’s economic survival directly dependent on the family system they belonged to. Jesus called his followers away from the family-based economic system that led to the harms widows and the fatherless who had lost their patriarch faced to a community-based economic system rooted in access and acceptance, one where social safety nets took care of all who were in need whether they were family or not.
In Ched Myer’s book Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus, Myers states, “Among members of a family, goods and services were freely given (full reciprocity).” (Carney, p. 48). Among the members of a clan or family, help, care and gifts would be often given; but an attention was also given to maintaining a balanced a balance on receiving from those to whom the help was given, as well. This was a form of balanced reciprocity: receiving help but expected to serve the family’s needs, as well. Jesu called his followers to care for those outside the tribe. In Jesus’ vision of the kingdom, mutuality would not end at family tribal lines, but rather envelope the entire community.
To understand Jesus’ deprioritizing family ties in gospels in a life giving way, we must understand these portions of the Jesus story in their cultural economic setting, not the nuclear family model that is prevalent today. Jesus was calling for a new economy, the economy of “the kingdom” mentioned in Acts 2-4, where poverty was eliminated not just within a family but across the entire Jesus community.
Where does this leave us today? Not belittling family ties, but working for economic justice. Wealth inequality continues to widen globally. Many workers struggle to earn a living wage, while a small percentage hold disproportionate economic power. Fair access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities remains uneven, particularly for marginalized communities. Rising costs of housing and basic needs further strain low- and middle-income families. Economic justice calls for policies that ensure fair wages, progressive taxation, and affordable healthcare. It also involves addressing systemic barriers rooted in race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. In today’s world, achieving economic justice means creating an economy that prioritizes human dignity, shared prosperity, and the common good over excessive profit and unchecked corporate power.
The family based economic system of Jesus’ day created vast wealth for some but economic hardship and poverty for many others. Today, we can take a page from Jesus’ critique and work for economic justice for everyone in our society.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What would a society where we are committed to making sure everyone has enough to thrive look like to you? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 17: Luke 9.51-62. Lectionary C, Proper 8
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 26: Caring for Those Outside the Tribe
Luke 9:51-62
“Where does this leave us today? Not belittling family ties, but working for economic justice. Wealth inequality continues to widen globally. Many workers struggle to earn a living wage, while a small percentage hold disproportionate economic power. Fair access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities remains uneven, particularly for marginalized communities. Rising costs of housing and basic needs further strain low- and middle-income families. Economic justice calls for policies that ensure fair wages, progressive taxation, and affordable healthcare. It also involves addressing systemic barriers rooted in race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. In today’s world, achieving economic justice means creating an economy that prioritizes human dignity, shared prosperity, and the common good over excessive profit and unchecked corporate power. The family based economic system of Jesus’ day created vast wealth for some but economic hardship and poverty for many others. Today, we can take a page from Jesus’ critique and work for economic justice for everyone in our society.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/caring-for-those-outside-the-tribe
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 Gerasenes and the Current Migrant Crisis
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
The Gerasenes and the Current Migrant Crisis
Herb Montgomery | June 21, 2025
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:
Luke 8:26-39
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. ()
The setting of our reading this week is Galilee. This is the region where the gospels place the majority of Jesus ministry. Galilee had a certain social location too. Galileans were among the most marginalized in the Roman empire. Galilee was an agrarian region, with farm workers who spoke with a recognizable accent and were viewed even in Jewish society as backward and too closely associated with Gentiles. Consider how Robert Romero describes Galileans in his book Brown Church:
(Robert Chao Romero, Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity, p. 16)
As the Brown Church, we take solace in knowing that Jesus, our Lord, was also Brown. As a working class, young adult, Jewish man living in the colonized territory of Galilee, he also occupied a space of social, political, cultural, and religious liminality. Geographically, Galilee was a borderlands region where Jewish, Greek, and Roman worlds collided. As a sign of their cultural mestizaje, Galileans like Jesus spoke with an accent and were bilingual. Politically, they were ruled by the Roman Empire, subject to oppressive tribute, and dehumanized by imperial laws that made them second class citizens in their own historic land. Even among his own people, Jesus and other Galilean Jews were looked down as jíbaro, as backwards campesinos, who lived far from the center of religious and economic power in the capital of Jerusalem. When God chose to dwell among us, to take on human flesh, and to make our suffering his own, he chose to be Brown.
The Galileans we encounter this week were also pig farmers. This has produced a challenge for certain interpreters today since the Hebrew people considered pigs to be unclean and farming them seems out of place. Yet, when taken with how Galileans were viewed by other regions of Judea, pig farming becomes a bit more plausible. Galilean pig farming could have been big business to their Gentile customers. It could indicate their hybrid interpretations of Torah fidelity or a lack of Torah fidelity altogether.
I have written in other places about how demon possession and specifically the name “legion,” was used in the gospels as a symbol for Roman occupation (possession) of the land (see Exorcism of a Man with an Unclean Spirit). Just as studies on on the impact of colonialism on the mental health of Indigenous people show psychological abnormalities and self harm are a significant, well-documented issue, imperialism and colonialism, both, also affected the mental health of subjugated people. Colonial practices and attitudes led to various forms of mental illness and psychological distress, and colonizers have sometimes interpreted or pathologized these experiences in ways that align with their own cultural understandings, including their beliefs about “demon possession.” Exorcism in the gospels therefore had a much more subversive, political meaning than our post-Enlightenment readings of these ancient storiesreveal.
William Herzog reminds us what life was like for those in Galilee living under the combined oppression (possession) of both Rome and Herod:
(William R. Herzog II, Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed, p. 296)
The peasant village in Palestine during the early decades of the first century was under increasing stress. The cumulative effects of Herodian rule combined with the rigors of Roman colonialism and the demands of the Temple hierarchy had taken their toll.
There is another layer to this story as well. Both Mark and Luke make narrative connections to the original Exodus liberation folklore, too:
(Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus, pp. 426-427)
Mark appears to acknowledge the reality that “no one had the strength to subdue” the demon of Roman military occupation (5:4)—including the Jewish rebels. Yet he makes his revolutionary stance clear by symbolically reenacting the exodus story through a “herd” of pigs. With the divine command, the imperial forces are drowned in the sea.
As I write this this week, I can’t help but see parallels between Rome stationing legions of soldiers throughout subjugated territories and the National Guard and the military in Los Angeles right now. The president of the United States this past weekend called for the arrest and imprisonment of a state governor. Every day, with the way the present administration is relating to our migrant population, instead of writing immigration laws to solve the present, broken system, they are sacrificing the U.S. constitution on the altar of authoritarianism and dictatorship. Migrants already faced a crisis here in the U.S. before this year. The actions being taken now only make matters multiple times worse.
The immigration crisis is a complex, multifaceted problem facing many countries around the world today. The crisis stems from several factors including political instability, economic hardship, violence, and climate change, which together compel millions of people to leave their home countries in search of something better. And who can blame them?
A major driver of this crisis is ongoing conflict in regions such as Central America. Many individuals and families flee from violence related to gangs, war, and political oppression, some of which has had either the support of the U.S. or was even created by the U.S. going back to the U.S.-Mexico War and farther.
In Central America, countries like Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala suffer from high rates of violent crime and corruption, pushing many to embark on dangerous journeys toward the United States or Mexico. Economic factors also play a part in compelling people to migrate in hopes of a better life.
And all of this doesn’t even take into account how climate change is increasingly contributing to displacement. Droughts, floods, and other natural disasters devastate communities, especially in vulnerable regions, destroying livelihoods and forcing people to move. This environmental migration often intersects with economic and political causes, complicating efforts even more.
As a “destination country,” the U.S. continues to grapple with an outdated, biased, and overwhelmed immigration system. We are failing to balance border security with adequate protection and support for migrants and refugees. Add to all of this the fear-mongering and misinformation used to manipulate voters in heated political debates that polarize the public and put calls for stronger immigration controls in opposition to appeals for compassion and comprehensive reform. Misinformation is at the heart of the two realities our citizens are living in. Some call for cruelty, others for compassion.
The present immigration crisis is driven by a complicated intersection of violence, poverty, and environmental factors, and we need cooperation, compassion, and long-term solutions for the root causes. Current policies are violating people’s human rights. Migration to the U.S. is not new, and our present response to migration is unsustainable and brutally cruel.
As followers of Jesus, whose teachings were shaped by the Hebrew prophets and the Torah, it would do us well to listen to those same sources and allow them to inform our stances today:
(Exodus 22:21)
“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”
(Exodus 23:9)
Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
(Leviticus 19:33, 34)
When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
(Jeremiah 22:3)
This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
(Ezekiel 22:29)
The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.
Today, our policies resemble more those ancient stories of how Sodom and Gomorrah treated strangers who sought hospitality or safety (today we would call it Asylum) within their borders, rather than the compassionate justice that calls us all.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What does Jesus being a memeber of marginalized mean to you this week? 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 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking. Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What does Jesus being a memeber of marginalized mean to you this week? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 16: Luke 8.26-39. Lectionary C, Proper 7
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 25: The Gerasenes and the Current Migrant Crisis
Luke 8:26-39
“The present immigration crisis is driven by a complicated intersection of violence, poverty, and environmental factors, and we need cooperation, compassion, and long-term solutions for the root causes. Current policies are violating people’s human rights. Migration to the U.S. is not new, and our present response to migration is unsustainable and brutally cruel. As followers of Jesus, whose teachings were shaped by the Hebrew prophets and the Torah, it would do us well to listen to those same sources and allow them to inform our stances today.”
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
I Have Much More to Say to You
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
I Have Much More to Say to You
Herb Montgomery | June 13, 2025
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this first weekend after Pentecost is from the gospel of John:
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:12-15)
One of the things I believe the gospel of John gets right is its repeated call to take Jesus’ liberation work further than Jesus could in his own lifetime. This challenge doesn’t need to fill us with anxiety, and perfection isn’t the goal. Our justice work today can follow the same trajectory as Jesus’ work, and be in harmony with the values we perceive in Jesus’ gospel. As long as we are endeavoring to do this, sometimes we will get it wrong and sometimes we will get it right. And when we do get it right, healing justice will be the result.
You find this idea echoed in other parts of the gospel of John as well:
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these . . .” (John 14:12)
More revelations, greater deeds, continuation of the Spirit: all of these narrative elements hint that the Johannine community believed they were to build on Jesus’ initial work. We can do that in for our context, time, and spaces, too!
Jesus built on the justice tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures:
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)
Today, we can build on Jesus’ work, with these themes as our foundation too. Literalists among us have often cited passages like this and only been concerned with those who are literally widowed or fatherless. But the principle here is to prioritize and center whomever our society makes vulnerable to harm. In patriarchal societies like the ones both Proverbs and Isaiah were written for, community members not connected to a man (widows were without a husband, while the fatherless were without a present father) were vulnerable to social, political, and economic harm. Today we can mark other differences that make certain people in our communities vulnerable to harm. Today we don’t only use patriarchal biases We also use differences like race, gender, sexuality, education, culture, legal status or citizenship, and more to make community members vulnerable.
Today, we still have poor people, as well as the elderly and children. We must also be cognizant of how differences of race, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and other factors are used to justify cruelty and harm. As Brock and Parker remind us, “The work of justice requires paying attention to how difference is used to justify oppression.” (Rita Nakashima Brock & Rebecca Parker, Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire, p. 396)
What Brock and Parker call the “work of justice” is essential for creating a safe, just and compassionate society. Today, several areas of society urgently require social justice to ensure that all people, regardless of their differences, experience equity and safety. The apostle James explains it well when he says, our faith without works of social justice is worthless:
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:15-17)
We must deeply question and reject a gospel that has no social impact toward justice:
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? (1 John 3:17)
Societal sins are creating an immigration crisis in our nation today. Robert Chao Romero writes, “A five-alarm fire is raging through the Latina/o immigrant community. Millions are impacted. And yet, relatively few outside of our community—and very few within the evangelical community—seem to care. In fact, through their xenophobic rhetoric many are intentionally stoking the flames without regard to the many lives being consumed” (Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity, p. 207. Published in 2020).
Romero continues, “Seeing ourselves in the Exodus narrative, we apply the biblical text to our present experience and declare:
Afterward the Brown Church went to Donald Trump and said, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, so that they may live lives of shalom and abundance in the land that was once theirs.’”
But Donald Trump said, “Who is the LORD that I should heed him and let the Hispanics go? I worship the God of Make America Great Again, Manifest Destiny, and America First. I do not know about the Christianity of which you speak—this Jesus of Galilee and the God of the Oppressed.” . . .
But the president of the United States said to them, “Brown Church, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!”
—Exodus 5:1-4, Contemporary Chicana/o Version
(Ibid., pp. 210-211)
Another prominent area in need of reform is the criminal justice system. Racial profiling, disproportionate sentencing, police brutality, and mass incarceration particularly affect marginalized communities. Social justice in this area calls for equitable law enforcement practices, judicial fairness, and rehabilitation over punishment. Ensuring accountability for law enforcement and promoting restorative justice are also crucial steps.
Consider getting involved in our education system to address inequality. Social justice in education means meeting funding gaps and providing support services to meet diverse student needs. Consider getting involved in the battle for everyone to have even basic health care. The US is considered by many to be a “major nation” due to its substantial economic influence, its powerful military presence, and its role in international organizations. Yet we are the only high-income nation in the world not to ensure everyone has healthcare as a basic human right. Justice requires that everyone can access necessary services regardless of income. You could engage social justice in the workplace. Workplace justice means ensuring fair wages, equal hiring practices, and safe, inclusive environments. Labor rights and protections against exploitation are also foundational to workplace justice. Or how about getting involved in environmental justice? Marginalized communities often live in areas with higher vulnerability to pollution, waste, and climate-related risks. Environmental justice involves pushing our elected officials toward regulating the environment and involving the community in decision-making about environmental issues.
And this only scratches the surface. Jesus’ followers today could choose to see so much more in the Jesus story than a call to charity. Hearing Jesus’ words in John’s gospel, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” invites us to perceive the truth that achieving a world that is safe, compassionate, and a just home for everyone in our time requires systemic change, policy reform, and collective commitment to equity, inclusion, and human dignity that embraces and celebrates all of our differences.
Christianity and social justice have always been deeply connected. Whether Christians have historically been found fighting against social justice movements or supporting and working alongside them, Christianity and social justice are connected first and foremost through the teachings of Jesus Christ, who emphasized love, compassion, and care for the marginalized. Central to our gospel is the belief that all humans are created in the image of God, are objects of God’s love and salvation, and deserve dignity and equality. The Hebrew scriptures, too, repeatedly call for justice, particularly for the poor, oppressed, and vulnerable, as seen in verses like Micah 6:8, which urges believers to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”
Today, we can find Christians on both sides of the social justice work. Some work for a better world here and now, and others are afraid of change, biased against differences, and opposed to the efforts of more justice-oriented Christians working to address systemic injustice, advocate for peace, and end oppression and marginalization. While the different communities within the early Jesus movement held various interpretations of his teachings, the core principle for all them was that faith must be expressed through action. The book of James defines faith as including actions that strive for justice for the oppressed. Christians today who aim to reflect God’s love and build a more compassionate and safe world are wading out into the deep waters of the “much more” Jesus had to share with us, for such a time as this.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What does expanding on the Jesus story look like for you this week? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 15: John 16.12-15. Lectionary C, Trinity Sunday
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 24: I Have Much More to Say to You
John 16:12-15
“Today, we can build on Jesus’ work, with these themes as our foundation too. Literalists among us have often cited passages like this and only been concerned with those who are literally widowed or fatherless. But the principle here is to prioritize and center whomever our society makes vulnerable to harm. In patriarchal societies like the ones both Proverbs and Isaiah were written for, community members not connected to a man (widows were without a husband, while the fatherless were without a present father) were vulnerable to social, political, and economic harm. Today we can mark other differences that make certain people in our communities vulnerable to harm. Today we don’t only use patriarchal biases We also use differences like race, gender, sexuality, education, culture, legal status or citizenship, and more to make community members vulnerable.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/i-have-much-more-to-say-to-you
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
Pentecost and Social Justice
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
Pentecost and Social Justice
Herb Montgomery | June 6, 2025
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 came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Acts 2:1-21
This is the narrative of the day of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the early Jesus movement. Many Western Christians celebrate this day each year this coming weekend. It’s a time to remember this event and all that the gift of the Spirit means.
There has always been a rich diversity of opinions on what the gift of the Spirit actually did for the early church. I choose to focus on the concrete, material differences that this outpouring made. To grasp this, let’s start in Luke. The gospel of Luke is connected to the book of Acts; Acts continues Luke’s initial story. Some believe that these books were written by the same person, but whether they were or not, they were meant to be read together.
In the gospel of Luke, the Spirit being upon Jesus bore a certain, distinct fruit. Notice first, how many times the Spirit is connected to Jesus in Luke 4:
First, in Luke 4:1:
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…
Then, in Luke 4:14, 15:
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
Then we reach the third mention in Luke 4:16-19:
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Out of all the passages in the Hebrew Scriptures that the author of the book of Luke could have chosen to characterize Jesus’ ministry, that author chose this one from Isaiah. The Hebrew prophets, specifically Isaiah, understood the Spirit was intrinsically connected with liberation for the oppressed:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor. (Isaiah 61:1-2)
What I love about Luke’s and Acts’ connections s that in both books, the Spirit gives birth to justice in the lives of those upon whom the Spirit rests.
In Luke, echoing Isaiah, the Spirit being on Jesus led to liberation for the oppressed. Notice that in Acts, in the same chapter as Pentecost, we find a similar effect:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:42-45)
And what was the result? Two chapters later we read:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-34)
There was not one needy person among them. Within their community, they had eradicated poverty. How? The passage explains:
For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:34-35)
What does this mean for those who desire a fresh outpouring of spirit on Jesus’ followers today?
The Church living in the wake of Pentecost should be concerned first and foremost with injustice, violence, and oppression in our world today. We should be sharing a gospel that is good news to the poor. We should be passionate about liberating the oppressed and participating in actions alongside others who are endeavoring to make our world a safe, compassionate home for everyone, including those who are different from us. Those who claim to follow the Jesus of our story cannot be indifferent to the tremendous social injustices taking place around us right now. We must reject a narrow, limited version of Christianity that is only concerned with private piety, personal spirituality, or giving people assurance of post mortem heaven. Christianity that resembles the Jesus in our story refuses to leave our material lives, including injustices we and others face, untouched or unchallenged by God’s love and Jesus’ redemption. A gospel that only focuses on believing in Jesus so that a person can be forgiven and go to heaven after they die is insufficient. Having the same Spirit on us that was also on the Hebrew Prophets and Jesus means being dedicated, like them, to matters of justice and the social dimensions of Jesus’ gospel. Jesus taught about a God who had a heart for social justice. And that God called his followers to make sure others around them had what they needed to thrive.
Pentecost reminds us that Christians should be deeply concerned with social justice because it reflects the heart of God’s love for humanity. Throughout the Bible, there is a clear emphasis on caring for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. In Micah 6:8, believers are called to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” This verse and others, such as Proverbs 31:8–9 and Isaiah 1:17, stress the importance of speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves and defending the rights of the vulnerable.
Jesus himself modeled social justice during his ministry: healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and standing with the outcasts of society. To follow Christ means to uphold his values, including actively working toward fairness, equity, and compassion in our communities. Social justice is not a political trend. It is a spiritual calling rooted in love, and a church imbued with the Spirit will heed this call.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How is the Spirit and Social Justice connected for you 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 14: Acts 2.1-21. Lectionary C, Pentecost
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 23: Pentecost and Social Justice
Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost reminds us that Christians should be deeply concerned with social justice because it reflects the heart of God’s love for humanity. Throughout the Bible, there is a clear emphasis on caring for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. In Micah 6:8, believers are called to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” This verse and others, such as Proverbs 31:8–9 and Isaiah 1:17, stress the importance of speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves and defending the rights of the vulnerable. Jesus himself modeled social justice during his ministry: healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and standing with the outcasts of society. To follow Christ means to uphold his values, including actively working toward fairness, equity, and compassion in our communities. Social justice is not a political trend. It is a spiritual calling rooted in love, and a church imbued with the Spirit will heed this call.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/pentecost-and-social-justice
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
Carrying on the Work of Love and Justice
We want to take this moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our supporters for your support of Renewed Heart Ministry’s work of love, justice, and compassion. At a time when ministries like ours are being asked to achieve more with fewer resources, your support is so deeply appreciated, and we want to simply say thank you. Whether in our larger society or within our local faith communities, Renewed Heart Ministries remains committed to advocating for change, working towards a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for everyone, and being a source of love. From all of us here at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you for your generous support. We deeply appreciate you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Image created by Canva
Carrying on the Work of Love and Justice
Herb Montgomery | May 30, 2025
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this weekend is from Luke’s version of the ascension:
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:44-53)
Our reading this week is from Luke. It would be amiss to speak of the ascension in Luke without mentioning how the other gospels approach the end of Jesus’ story. Originally, Mark’s gospel had no ascension. It ends with the women at the tomb:
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:8)
In Matthew, the ascension takes place in Galilee not Jerusalem:
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” (Matthew 28:7)
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:10)
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
The gospel of John includes multiple stories about Jesus appearing after the resurrection but has no ascension story.
Luke’s gospel does have an ascension. Unlike Matthew’s version, Luke’s ascension story doesn’t take place in Galilee, but in Jerusalem. All of the disciples then stay in Jerusalem, not Galilee, until Pentecost, when they receive the Holy Spirit. Matthew’s version of the Jesus story, remember, was written for the community of Jesus followers in the region of Galilee, so its ending there makes sense. Luke and Acts were instead written for the community of Jesus followers in Judea. That community was centered in Jerusalem and expanded out into more cosmopolitan regions of the Roman Empire. Its alternative ending makes sense, too, given the community it was written for. Both communities had a story that encouraged them to keep following Jesus in ways relevant to their location. For Luke’s readers, it was important to ground the Jesus story in the tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures.
If the key story details of Jesus’ suffering, resurrection, repentance, forgiveness in this week’s reading sound familiar, creedal even, it’s because this was one of the passages that influenced what ultimately became the Apostles’ creed. Today these words show us today what the goals of that first century Lukan Jesus community were. The phrase “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” begins in Luke with John the Baptist:
He [John] went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:3)
And it’s that message that Jesus and then the apostles under the gift of the Holy Spirit were to take to the ends of the world:
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
The Lukan Jesus community saw their community becoming more metropolitan, and they believed that their community should expand beyond their roots in Jewish culture and scripture to bring Jesus’ teachings to the entire world.
Again, the repentance for the forgiveness of sins that they taught had a quality that began with John the Baptist in Luke 3. John’s repentance was not for personal, private, individual sins. John called his listeners to a repentance for community sins, social and political choices, that were not only making the most marginalized vulnerable to harm, but also being the conduits of that harm as well. The elite, the powerful, propertied, and privileged, had become complicit with the Roman empire’s exploitation and extraction of the masses in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. John then came, echoing the Hebrew prophets, calling for national repentance for national sins in the hopes that the people would experience national forgiveness. Remember, this forgiveness was to start in Jerusalem and go to the end of the world.
In the Hebrew scriptures, forgiveness did not mean being allowed to go to heaven when one dies. It meant liberation from oppression here on earth, violence being replaced with safety and peace, and injustice giving way to compassion and equity. It meant social healing, not private, personal, individual benefit that was separate from everyone else.
Consider how forgiveness is treated in the books of Chronicles:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways [repent], then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
That forgiveness isn’t connected to a post mortem destination later, but to healing of their land in this life, and it was not simply for Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, but also for the entire world.
A more vernacular way of describing the “healing of the land” today would be to speak of societal healing. This healing was to live on in the lives of the Jesus followers who would now carry on the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone. Three components of that work are worth singling out today.
The first is Jesus’ emphasis on community. In the Jewish language of the 1st Century, the gospels refer to community as “the kingdom.” While the label of “kingdom” is problematic for us today, for Jesus in the gospels, it meant a community where the reign of love and compassion dictated our societal decisions. It was a society where love and compassion governed the distribution of resources with the hope of being distributively just. (See the stories at the beginning of the book of Acts.)
The second is that the heart of this community was the value of those presently being socially marginalized and excluded. Liberation theologians refer to this as a “preferential option for the poor.” The ethic of prioritizing those being marginalized begins with the poor and today should also include those excluded because of race, gender, orientation, culture, education, and more. Any time someone is being marginalized, scapegoated, or pushed to the undersides and edges of our collective life together, Jesus’ teachings call us to prioritize that group to restore equity. In the gospels, Jesus’ God loves all people equally. That love should lead us to have a unique concern for the distinct needs of all who are marginalized.
And third, Jesus’ teachings were much more than a list of things to believe. Jesus taught his followers how to live. His teachings weren’t ways to gain the favor of a divine being or gain entrance into paradise. They were ways to live in response to the immense suffering of those around them. Consider these words from Jesus-following communities carrying on his teachings:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17).
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17)
Notice these actions were not centered around a debate of personal piety. They were in response the material needs of those around them.
This gives Jesus followers today much to ponder. Are we seeking to make our world a better place for all or are the lives of those who are different from us less safe and just because of our actions? If we don’t start here, anything more is pointless.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What does repentance for societal sins and forgiveness for societal sins look like to you this week? 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.
Thank you for listening to The Social Jesus Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a moment to like and subscribe and if the podcast platform you’re using offers this option, please leave us a positive review. This helps others find our podcast as well.
You can watch our YouTube show each week called “Just Talking”. Each week, Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and social justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking. If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking.
Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.
And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of “Just Talking” Now Online!
Lectionary Readings in the context of Love, Inclusion, & Social Justice
Season 3, Episode 13: Luke 24.44-53. Lectionary C, Easter 7 (Ascension of the Lord)
Each week, we’ll discuss the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend in the context of love, inclusion, and justice. We hope that our talking will be “just” talking (as in justice) and that we’ll be inspired to do more than “just talking” during our brief conversations each week.
If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out.
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 2 Episode 22: Carrying on the Work of Love and Justice
Luke 24:44-53
“Repentance for the forgiveness of sins that they taught had a quality that began with John the Baptist in Luke 3. John’s repentance was not for personal, private, individual sins. John called his listeners to a repentance for community sins, social and political choices, that were not only making the most marginalized vulnerable to harm, but also being the conduits of that harm as well. The elite, the powerful, propertied, and privileged, had become complicit with the Roman empire’s exploitation and extraction of the masses in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. John then came, echoing the Hebrew prophets, calling for national repentance for national sins in the hopes that the people would experience national forgiveness. In the Hebrew scriptures, forgiveness did not mean being allowed to go to heaven when one dies. It meant liberation from oppression here on earth, violence being replaced with safety and peace, and injustice giving way to compassion and equity. It meant social healing, not private, personal, individual benefit that was separate from everyone else. That forgiveness isn’t connected to a post mortem destination later, but to healing of their land in this life. A more vernacular way of describing the “healing of the land” today would be to speak of societal healing for societal sins being committed right now.”
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/carrying-on-the-work-of-love-and-justice
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
If you find blessing, encouragement and renewal here,
please consider becoming a Monthly Partner with a reoccurring monthly donation of your choosing.
$5 / monthFollow Us
