A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl
Herb Montgomery | June 5, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of Matthew:
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”. . .
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district. (Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26)
Our reading this week includes three stories. First, is the calling of Matthew, the tax collector. Matthew’s calling is more than a story of personal conversion. It is a radical social and political moment that reveals the justice-centered character of Jesus’ ministry. In the Roman world, tax collectors were widely despised because they worked within an exploitative imperial system that extracted wealth from ordinary people. They were often viewed as collaborators with oppression, who benefitted from economic injustice while their neighbors suffered. Matthew’s tax booth therefore symbolizes a social order built on exclusion, hierarchy, and economic exploitation.
When Jesus sees Matthew and says, “Follow me,” he does not offer mere private spiritual salvation. Jesus interrupts the social boundaries that defined who was worthy of dignity and belonging. In calling Matthew, Jesus demonstrates that transformation is possible even for those entangled in unjust systems. Yet the story is not about excusing exploitation. Instead, it reveals that the work of justice includes restoration, reconciliation, and the creation of new community beyond the divisions imposed by empire. Jesus called Matthew away from his tax booth to follow the path of the kingdom.
The meal that follows is equally important. Jesus eats with “tax collectors and sinners,” people considered morally and socially unclean in respectable society. In the ancient world, table fellowship carried deep political and social meaning: to share a table was to recognize someone’s humanity and worth. Jesus’ actions challenge systems that separate the pure from the impure, the righteous from the marginalized, and the powerful from the rejected. His ministry consistently moves toward those pushed to the edges of society.
The criticism about Jesus’ fellowship with the marginalized reveals a competing vision of holiness based primarily on separation. Jesus responds to it by quoting Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Mercy in this verse is not sentimental kindness. It is covenantal justice, faithful solidarity, and compassionate action that restores human dignity. Jesus teaches that true faithfulness to God cannot be separated from the way people are treated in society.
In the context of our justice work today, this passage challenges communities to examine who is excluded, demonized, or denied belonging. It also asks whether faith communities merely preserve respectability or actively participate in healing the socially, politically, economically, and even religiously wounded. Jesus does not ignore injustice. Neither does he abandon people to the identities oppressive systems assign to them. Instead, he creates a new community where transformation for those entangled in unjust systems, whether as oppressed, oppressor, or both, become possible together.
Matthew’s calling reminds readers that the gospel is not only about individual morality. It is about rebuilding human relationships and reshaping society according to compassion, liberation, and radical inclusion.
Next, we encounter the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Like the calling of Matthew, this story is also far more than a private miracle narrative. It is a profound confrontation with systems of exclusion, purity, power, and human dignity, and this brief encounter reveals Jesus standing in solidarity with a woman pushed to the margins of society.
According to the purity laws of the ancient world, a woman experiencing continual bleeding was considered ritually unclean. Her condition was not merely medical; it also carried devastating social, economic, and religious consequences. She would have been excluded from normal community life, likely isolated from worship, avoided in public, and treated as a source of contamination. Her suffering was therefore physical, economic, emotional, and spiritual. Matthew’s Gospel presents her not simply as sick but as socially displaced too.
What makes the story radical is that the woman acts with agency. In a culture where women often lacked public power, she pushes through the crowd and reaches for the fringe of Jesus’ cloak. Her movement toward Jesus is an act of courage and resistance against a system that had taught her she was untouchable. She refuses to accept exclusion as the final word over her life.
Equally important is Jesus’ response. Rather than rebuking her for violating purity expectations, Jesus publicly restores her dignity. He turns toward her, calls her “daughter,” and affirms her faith. This language matters. In a society that had defined her by impurity, Jesus redefines her by relationship and belonging. He does not treat her as a problem to remove, but as a person to honor.
In the context of justice, this story challenges religious and social systems that exclude vulnerable people in the name of order, purity, respectability, or tradition. Jesus consistently moves toward those whom society pushes away: the poor, the sick, women, foreigners, sinners, and the oppressed. The healing of the bleeding woman demonstrates that the kingdom of God is not built around protecting social boundaries, but around restoring human beings to fullness of life and community.
The story also speaks powerfully today. Many people still live at the edges of society because of illness, poverty, gender, disability, race, orientation, or stigma. The woman with the issue of blood reminds readers that justice is not merely charity or private compassion. Justice involves restoring dignity, breaking systems of exclusion, and creating communities where those once considered “unclean” or unwanted are fully welcomed and valued. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as one who transforms not only bodies but social realities as well.
Lastly, we read the story of Jairus’ daughter in our reading this week. Jairus, a synagogue leader, comes to Jesus in desperation because his daughter has died. At the same time, Matthew intertwines this story with the healing of a woman who had suffered from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Together, these stories reveal Jesus confronting systems of exclusion, restoring dignity, and affirming the value of lives society often overlooks.
Jairus is a respected religious leader, someone with status and influence. His position cannot shield him from grief, though. Meanwhile, the bleeding woman represents the opposite end of the social spectrum. Because of purity laws, she would have been considered ritually unclean, marginalized from worship and community life. Jesus responds to both people with compassion.
In Matthew’s telling, social status neither elevates nor diminishes a person’s worth. The raising of Jairus’ daughter is especially significant because Jesus touches the hand of a dead girl. According to purity customs, contact with a corpse brought ritual uncleanness. Yet Jesus consistently prioritizes human restoration over social systems that isolate and stigmatize. In our story, Jesus brings life where death has ruled. This reflects the heart of justice in Matthew’s Gospel: Matthew’s Jesus continues to work toward dignity, inclusion, and hope.
The young girl’s restoration, too, reminds us that children in Jesus’ society, especially girls in the ancient world, often possessed little social power. Yet Jesus centers her life as precious and worthy of communal attention. The kingdom Jesus announces is one where even the most vulnerable are not ignored, but restored to fullness of life.
The story of Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the issue of blood carries multiple layers of meaning that reveal the deeply social and political dimensions of healing. Placing the synagogue leader beside the bleeding woman in this story teaches the Jesus community to practice a preferential option for those pushed to the margins of society. In a world where we are often tempted to prioritize the Jairuses in our world who have positions of power and influence, Jesus responds to the respected religious leader only after he has fully healed an unnamed and excluded woman whose suffering had rendered her invisible within her community.
There is another layer, too. In the Gospel of Mark’s version of these stories, for example, both females are connected through the repeated number twelve. The woman has suffered from bleeding for twelve years, while Jairus’ daughter is twelve years old. This literary connection invites readers to interpret their stories together. Both are experiencing forms of death shaped by the patriarchal and purity structures of their society.
The woman with the issue of blood has already endured years of exclusion. According to purity laws, her bleeding rendered her ritually unclean, cutting her off from normal religious, social, and economic life. She lived in isolation, shame, and vulnerability. Jairus’ daughter stands at the threshold of entering that same world.
Jesus’ actions challenge these systems directly. He allows the bleeding woman to touch him without condemnation, restoring her dignity and publicly calling her “daughter.” He then takes Jairus’ daughter by the hand and raises her to life. In both scenes, Jesus crosses purity boundaries and resists structures that devalue women’s bodies and lives. Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus as a liberating force who restores women not only physically, but socially, spiritually, and communally.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How do our three stories this week inform your own justice work, today? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 24: A Tax Collector, A Marginalized Woman, and A Sleeping Girl
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
These stories also speaks powerfully to us, today. Many people still live at the edges of society because of illness, poverty, gender, disability, race, orientation, or stigma. Our passage reminds readers that justice is not merely charity or private compassion. Justice involves restoring dignity, breaking systems of exclusion, and creating communities where those once considered “unclean” or unwanted are fully welcomed and valued. Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus as one who transforms not only bodies but social realities as well. Juxtaposing these two stories together was intended to teach the practice of a preferential option for those pushed to the margins of society.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism
Herb Montgomery | May 29, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this first week after Pentecost is from the gospel of Matthew:
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
The very first sentence in our reading this week says that all eleven disciples left and went to Galilee. This is starkly different from Luke’s version that we read a couple weeks ago: Luke says that all eleven disciples stay in Jerusalem in Judea, not Galilee, and the ascension happens there. The endings of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke offer two different geographical visions of the early Jesus movement, and each reflects the theological priorities of the communities where each version of the gospel emerged. In Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples leave Jerusalem after the resurrection and travel north to Galilee, where the risen Jesus commissions them on a mountain. Galilee is significant because it is the borderland of Israel, a place associated with outsiders, Gentiles, and the poor. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus’ ministry began in “Galilee of the nations,” a region already marked by cultural mixture and political marginality. By ending his Gospel there, Matthew presents the Christian mission as emerging from the edges rather than the center. From this northern frontier, Jesus sends the disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” The movement outward to the whole world begins from a place already connected to diversity and inclusion.
Luke’s Gospel presents a very different ending. Instead of leaving Jerusalem, the disciples remain there after the resurrection. Jesus instructs them to stay in the city until they receive power from the Holy Spirit. In Luke and its sequel, Acts, Jerusalem becomes the sacred center from which the gospel spreads outward: first to Judea, then Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. Luke roots the Christian movement firmly in the story of Israel, emphasizing continuity with the Temple, Jewish worship, and the promises of God. The mission to the nations begins not from the margins but from the historic and spiritual heart of Jewish faith.
Together, these two endings reveal complementary truths. Matthew emphasizes the gospel arising from the periphery and moving beyond boundaries, while Luke emphasizes the gospel flowing outward from sacred tradition and communal continuity. One begins in Galilee, the other in Jerusalem, but both envision a message destined for the whole world.
What jumps out next in this reading is a phrase used referring to the 11 disciples: “some doubted.” This brief phrase is one of the most strikingly human moments in the Gospel of Matthew. The disciples have reached Galilee, the place Jesus instructed them to go, and when they see the risen Jesus, they worship him. Yet Matthew adds that “some doubted.” Even in the presence of the resurrected Jesus himself, faith and uncertainty exist side by side.
The Greek behind our Engish translations here can suggest hesitation, wavering, or uncertainty. Rather than being the enemy of faith, the word communicates honesty. The disciples are not rejecting Jesus; rather, they are struggling to comprehend the overwhelming reality before them. And yet, they are still included among the 11. They are not rejected for their doubt. Their uncertainty is not a deal breaker. Matthew presents resurrection faith not as instant certainty, but as something emerging through awe, fear, and wonder. And this gives me hope that, today, for those who are inspired to follow the ethical teachings found in the Jesus story yet who remain uncertain about some of the supernatural claims of the Jesus story, there is still room.
This phrase, “some doubted,” also gives authenticity to the Gospel narrative. Matthew does not portray the disciples as flawless heroes with unshakable confidence. Instead, they are ordinary people trying to grasp an extraordinary event. Their doubt becomes part of the story of discipleship itself.
Importantly, Jesus does not rebuke or exclude the doubters. Immediately afterward, he commissions all of them to go into the world and make disciples. In Matthew, then, mission does not wait for perfect certainty. The risen Jesus sends questioning followers who still are inspired by the ethics of love and justice he taught them into the world anyway.
Before we consider a healthier alternative interpretation of Matthew’s great commission, I want to take a moment to address the way the “Great Commission” of Matthew has proven vulnerable to abuse and discuss how colonizers used it as a key text to justify their atrocities.
The “Great Commission” has often been interpreted as a call to spread the message of Jesus to all nations. Within the history of European colonialism, however, this passage was frequently distorted into a theological justification for conquest, cultural domination, and forced assimilation. Colonial powers often merged Christian mission with imperial expansion, treating the command to “make disciples of all nations” as permission to control lands and peoples rather than serve them.
During the colonial era, missionaries sometimes traveled alongside armies, traders, and empire builders. Indigenous cultures, languages, and spiritual traditions were frequently dismissed and erased as inferior or “uncivilized.” In many places across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, conversion to Christianity became tied to abandoning local identity. Schools and churches established by colonial governments often prohibited native languages and practices, teaching instead that European culture was synonymous with Christianity itself. The gospel became entangled with Whiteness, nationalism, and empire. (This stands in stark contrast with the lessons we gleaned from the Pentecost stories in Acts last week.)
This abuse of Matthew’s text ignored the larger teachings of Jesus found throughout the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus consistently rejected domination and violence. He taught humility, service, love of neighbor, and solidarity with the marginalized. The same Gospel that contains the Great Commission also contains the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus blesses the poor and commands love for enemies. Colonial uses of Matthew 28 often emphasized authority while neglecting compassion, justice, and mutuality.
The phrase “all nations” was transformed from an inclusive vision into a program of religious and cultural control. Rather than recognizing the humanity and wisdom of different peoples, colonial Christianity often attempted to erase them. This created lasting wounds that continue to shape relationships between Christianity and Indigenous communities today.
Many theologians today, especially those from postcolonial and liberation traditions, argue that Matthew’s Great Commission should be understood differently. It is undeniable that The Great Commission in the Gospel of Gospel of Matthew has too often been distorted into a mandate for domination rather than discipleship. In the hands of colonial powers, “go and make disciples of all nations” became an excuse for conquest, forced conversion, cultural destruction, and the blessing of empire. Indigenous peoples across the world experienced the “gospel” arriving alongside military violence, economic exploitation, and racial hierarchy. In this misuse of the Commission, Christianity was separated from the teachings of Jesus and fused with power, nationalism, and control.
Yet the Gospel of Matthew itself points toward a radically different vision. The risen Jesus does not commission armies or empires. He commissions disciples who have learned the way of the Sermon on the Mount: peacemaking, mercy, humility, justice, reconciliation, and love of neighbor and enemy alike. The Great Commission is not a command to erase cultures or dominate nations. It is a call to embody the liberating teachings of Jesus within every culture and community. In many of the Indigenous populations Colonialism erased, these ethics were already being practiced, and rather than being affirming, Colonialist Christians committed the exact opposite of what the Jesus of their gospel story intended.
Recovering Matthew’s commission from its colonial misuse requires repentance, listening to marginalized voices, and separating the message of Jesus from the history of empire that too often claimed to speak in his name. A healthy, life-giving understanding of the Great Commission sees these words in Matthew not as a justification for seeking control over others but as a call to solidarity with them. It calls Christians to confront systems that crush human dignity and to participate in healing, liberation, and restoration. To “make disciples” means nurturing communities shaped by compassion, economic sharing, nonviolence, truth-telling, and radical welcome.
Matthew’s Gospel ends, not in the centers of imperial power, but in Galilee, a marginalized region far from Rome’s throne. From the margins, the disciples are sent into the world carrying the love, compassion, inclusion and justice of Jesus rather than the sword of empire: “I am with you always,” Jesus tells them. In this vision, the Great Commission becomes an invitation to join the Divine’s work of justice, liberation, and beloved community among all peoples. It becomes an invitation to form communities shaped by the teachings of love. These teachings are rooted in mercy, justice, reconciliation, and humility shared through teaching and learning. The Great Commission calls Christians especially not to impose power but instead to embody a radically different way of living together: one where all humans find around them a safe, compassionate, just space where even the most vulnerable among us can feel at home.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does the abusive history surrounding Matthew’s Great Commission inform your own justice work, today? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 23: The Great Commission, Doubt, and Post-Colonialism
Matthew 28:16-20
Recovering Matthew’s commission from its colonial misuse requires repentance, listening to marginalized voices, and separating the message of Jesus from the history of empire that too often claimed to speak in his name. A healthy, life-giving understanding of the Great Commission sees these words in Matthew not as a justification for seeking control over others but as a call to solidarity with them. It calls Christians to confront systems that crush human dignity and to participate in healing, liberation, and restoration. It means nurturing communities shaped by diversity, compassion, economic sharing, nonviolence, truth-telling, and radical welcome.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
Lessons from Pentecost
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Lessons from Pentecost
Herb Montgomery | May 15, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the book of Acts.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21)
Our reading this week is the story of Pentecost from the book of Acts. This reading offers a powerful vision of the kind of world Jesus’ followers imagined in the wake of of his ministry. It was a world rooted in inclusion, shared humanity, and collective transformation. The gathering of diverse individuals “all together in one place” suggests the importance of community as their starting point and grounding for the kind of change they would be working toward. This holds meaning for Jesus- followers today who are working for a just world. Justice movements begin when people come together across differences, united in purpose, with hope for social transformation.
Today, we could interpret the dramatic arrival of the Spirit in our reading, like a rushing wind, as a disruptive force that challenges the status quo. Justice often emerges in moments that unsettle comfort and expose inequality. The wind filling the entire house could symbolize how movements for justice cannot remain contained but spread, reaching into every corner of society and demanding attention.
The image of “divided tongues, as of fire” resting on each person is also especially meaningful in this context. Each individual receives the same Spirit, affirming their equal worth and shared empowerment. This speaks to the idea that no one is excluded from the capacity to speak, act, and lead. Power is not centralized but distributed among the people. Yet in our time, the major sectors of Christianity still fail in this area. Whether by not granting women the same access to ministry as men, or in excluding those of faith who also identify as LGBTQ, Christians fail to grasp the full imagery and lessons of Pentecost.
Perhaps the most striking detail in our story is the ability that these followers received to speak in different languages. This reflects a radical inclusivity: people are not required to conform to a single dominant culture or voice. Instead, their differences are honored and made intelligible to one another. This story calls for listening across barriers, whether linguistic, cultural, and social, so that marginalized voices are not erased but amplified.
Ultimately, Pentecost reveals a vision of unity that does not erase diversity. It models a community where differences become strengths and collective empowerment leads to transformation. In this way, the passage challenges us to build a more just world grounded in equity, participation, and the courage to embrace our human diversity.
Debates over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) often reveal a tension between fear of change and the hope for a more just community. Critics sometimes object to DEI by arguing that it disrupts tradition, lowers standards, or creates division by emphasizing differences. Beneath these objections, thought, there is often a deeper concern: uncertainty about shifting cultural norms and a perceived loss of familiarity or control. Diversity, equity, and inclusion, however, are not division, but efforts to ensure that people of different backgrounds are seen, heard, and treated fairly.
A striking parallel appears in our Pentecost narrative this week. In that moment in the Book of Acts, a diverse crowd in Jerusalem hears a message spoken in many languages, each in their own native tongue. The reaction is mixed: amazement, curiosity, and openness coexist along with skepticism and mockery. Some ask, “What does this mean?” while others dismiss the event, claiming the speakers are simply drunk. This range of responses mirrors contemporary reactions to DEI efforts. When confronted with unfamiliar expressions of identity or inclusion, some people lean in with curiosity while others reject or ridicule what they do not understand.
Our reading this week can be read as a powerful image of inclusion where communication occurs across difference without erasing those differences. The miracle is not that everyone suddenly speaks the same language, but that each person is addressed where they are. In a similar way, DEI seeks not uniformity, but equity. It seeks to create conditions where diverse voices can be acknowledged and valued. Read in this context, Pentecost tells us that resistance to diversity stems more from the challenge diversity poses to the status quo. Pentecost invites us to answer the question again: will people respond to difference with openness, curiosity, respect, and reflection, or with dismissal and/or ridicule.
Lastly, let’s consider Peter’s reference to the words of the prophet Joel as a means to interpret this outpouring of the Spirit on ordinary people. This passage carries deeply transformative implications. Peter declares that God’s Spirit is being given not only to religious elites or political rulers, but to “all flesh”—sons and daughters, young and old, servants and laborers alike. This is a radical vision of inclusion, dignity, and shared humanity.
Joel’s prophecy challenges systems built on hierarchy, exclusion, and domination. In the ancient world, power was concentrated in the hands of wealthy men, religious authorities, and empire. Yet Peter announces that God’s Spirit is now empowering those who were often marginalized or silenced. Women speak prophetically. The young are given vision. The elderly are honored. Enslaved people receive the same Spirit as everyone else. The movement of God is democratized.
This vision speaks powerfully to modern struggles for societal justice. It affirms that every person possesses sacred worth and a voice that matters. The Spirit is not reserved for the privileged. In our language today, we would say the Spirit is poured out on all people regardless of sex, class, ethnicity, orientation, gender identity, or social status. Peter’s use of Joel points toward a community where liberation, mutual care, and shared participation replace domination and exclusion.
The passage also carries an urgent moral warning. Joel speaks of upheaval and judgment, reminding listeners that unjust systems cannot endure forever. Yet the prophecy ends with hope: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Salvation here is not merely private or individual; it points toward collective healing, restoration, and a new social reality shaped by justice and compassion.
In this way, Peter’s sermon presents Pentecost as more than a mere religious or spiritual event. It is the announcement of a new humanity where God’s Spirit empowers ordinary people to participate in the transformation of the world in genuine, material and concrete ways.
In the end, our Pentecost story reveals that the Spirit of God is not confined to the powerful, the privileged, or the religious or political elite. People from many nations hear the good news in their own languages, and the Spirit breaks barriers of culture, class, and exclusion. In Acts, this Spirit goes on to create a community where resources are shared, poverty is eradicated, dignity is regained and restored, and no one is left invisible. Pentecost is therefore not only a spiritual event but also a social vision: a world transformed by radical inclusion, collective care, and courageous truth-telling. And it still calls to us today to resist our present-day systems of oppression and create communities in our context that embody justice, compassion, and liberation for all people.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does Pentecost inform your own justice work, today? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 22: Lessons from Pentecost
Acts 2:1-21
The Pentecost story reveals that the Spirit of God is not confined to the powerful, the privileged, or the religious or political elite. People from many nations hear the good news in their own languages, and the Spirit breaks barriers of culture, class, and exclusion. In Acts, this Spirit goes on to create a community where resources are shared, poverty is eradicated, dignity is regained and restored, and no one is left invisible. Pentecost is therefore not only a spiritual event but also a social vision: a world transformed by radical inclusion, collective care, and courageous truth-telling. And it still calls to us today to resist our present-day systems of oppression and create communities in our context that embody justice, compassion, and liberation for all people. In our language today, we would say the Spirit is poured out on all people regardless of sex, class, ethnicity, orientation, gender identity, or social status. Peter’s use of Joel points toward a community where liberation, mutual care, and shared participation replace domination and exclusion.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/lessons-from-pentecost
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today
Herb Montgomery | May 15, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of Luke.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sinsis to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:44-53)
Our reading reflects the early Christian community interpreting Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and its ongoing significance within the framework of the Jewish scriptures. That’s why this passage jumps right in with Jesus saying “Everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” By the time Luke was written, it was a retrospective account: the followers of Jesus are reading their sacred texts anew in light of Jesus’ life, state execution, and their belief that he had been raised.
Modern scholarship generally recognizes that Second Temple Jewish texts do not contain a direct prediction of a suffering and rising Messiah in the way this passage suggests. Instead, what we see here is a creative and interpretive rereading of diverse scriptural traditions such as lament psalms, the suffering servant passages in Isaiah, and prophetic narratives of vindication, all woven together to construct a coherent narrative the disciples were now interpreting as hints toward Jesus. This process is often described as pesher, where earlier texts are understood to find their fuller meaning in present events. Pesher (Hebrew for “interpretation”) is an interpretive technique found in the Dead Sea Scrolls where scriptural verses are treated as prophecies directly fulfilled in the contemporary time of the interpreter. It was common among the early Jewish Jesus followers when it came to Jesus and their scriptures.
The phrase “he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” is interesting here, too. This reflects the community’s belief that understanding Jesus’ life, teachings, death, and resurrection requires a certain interpretive scriptural lens. In other words, this interpretation of scripture is not self-evident. Their minds had to be “opened.” The claim of these early Jesus followers was that their scriptures must now be read through their experience with Jesus. This suggests that for the author of Luke’s gospel the authority of these interpretations lies not in their obviousness, but in the communal and theological commitments of the Jesus-following community that is doing the reading.
Additionally, the emphasis on necessity through phrases such as “must be fulfilled” or “the Messiah is to suffer” reveals an understandable effort by early Jesus followers to make sense of Jesus’ death at the hands of Rome. By framing Jesus’ suffering and resurrection as divinely ordained and scripturally grounded, Luke’s community tries to make sense of the trauma of the death of Jesus. The narrative transforms what could be seen as failure into fulfillment, thereby reinforcing faith and identity.
The beginning of our reading this week underscores how early Christianity positioned itself within, rather than outside of, Jewish tradition. The appeal to “the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms” asserts continuity even as it introduces a radically new interpretation. In my opinion, this portion of Luke’s gospel is best understood not as a transparent window into Jesus’ own self-understanding, but as a sophisticated theological construction that reveals how his followers came to understand Jesus and their relation to Jesus in the aftermath of his death.
Next in our reading this week, we encounter the phrase “repentance and forgiveness of sins.” This phrase in the gospels and the book of Acts is often read through an individualistic lens relating to private moral failure, inward remorse, and personal absolution. Yet when situated within the world of the Hebrew prophets, these terms carry a far more communal and political weight. They are not primarily about isolated interior states but about the restoration of right relationships in society, which the prophets consistently described as justice.
The Greek word for repentance here, metanoia, suggests a change of mind or direction. In the prophetic tradition, however, that turning is never merely inward. It is a collective reorientation of a people who have strayed from societal justice. The prophets repeatedly call Israel not simply to feel remorse but to “return” (shuv). Shuv means to dismantle systems of exploitation and to reestablish equitable social life. Isaiah, for example, rejects empty personal, religious ritual, and demands that the people “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Repentance is measurable not by private confession but by transformed social practice.
Likewise, forgiveness of sins in this prophetic framework is not divine leniency toward individuals. It is the restoration of a community in which harms are repaired and right relationships are rebuilt. The vision of Jeremiah speaks of a renewed covenant where injustice is no longer embedded in the social order (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Similarly, Ezekiel links forgiveness with the giving of a “new heart” that enables the people to practice justice (Ezekiel 36:26–27). Forgiveness, then, is not an abstract declaration but a lived reality of communal healing and transformation.
When the gospel of Luke puts this prophetic language on the lips of Jesus, the author signals continuity with the Hebrew prophetic tradition. The “forgiveness of sins” proclaimed to all nations is inseparable from the liberation announced earlier in Luke’s Gospel. This is Jesus’ good news to the poor, release to captives, and freedom for the oppressed (Luke 4:18–19). Sin, in this context, is not personal wrongdoing but participation in unjust systems that harm others. Repentance, therefore, entails turning away from those systems and actively participating in their transformation.
This reading challenges modern tendencies to privatize faith. Luke’s vision, grounded in the prophets, calls communities into a shared process of accountability, societal justice, and restoration. Repentance becomes a public act of reordering life toward justice, and forgiveness becomes the social reality that emerges when liberation takes root. Together, they name not a cycle of individual, private, personal guilt and absolution but a collective social movement toward a more just and compassionate world.
Lastly this week, let’s consider the different endings in Luke’s Gospel and Matthew’s Gospel. These endings in Matthew and Luke present two distinct narrative trajectories for the spread of the Jesus movement, and those trajectories reflect each community’s theological and social priorities.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the movement begins in Galilee and expands outward to “the nations.” After the resurrection, the disciples are directed away from Jerusalem and back to the margins of Galilee, a region often associated with cultural mixture and distance from religious power. There, on a mountain, the risen Jesus gives what is often called the Great Commission to make disciples of “all nations.” The geography matters. Galilee represents a space outside elite control where the movement first took root among ordinary people. Matthew’s ending suggests that the renewal Jesus inaugurated does not depend on Jerusalem’s institutional authority. Instead, it emerges from the periphery and moves outward, crossing boundaries of ethnicity and identity. The implication is that transformative change begins among those closest to the grassroots and radiates globally.
Luke, by contrast, recenters the story in Jerusalem. In his Gospel, the disciples are told to remain in the city until they are “clothed with power from on high.” They never return to Galilee but stay in Jerusalem. For Luke, the Jesus movement begins in the symbolic and political heart of Jewish life before extending outward. This trajectory is continued in its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, which describes the message going from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and then “to the ends of the earth.” For Luke, Jerusalem is not rejected but reinterpreted. Jerusalem becomes the launching point for the Jesus’ community’s universal mission. The movement does not bypass the center; it transforms it and then moves outward in widening circles.
These differing endings reveal two complementary but very different visions. Matthew emphasizes decentralization: the good news arises among marginalized communities and challenges dominant systems from the outside. Luke emphasizes continuity and expansion: the movement begins within the historic center of religious life and then pushes beyond it to include ever-wider circles of people.
Taken together, these perspectives offer a fuller understanding of how the early Jesus movement grew and unfolded. It was far from univocal. For some, the movement was radical, returning to its roots on the margins of Galilee. For others, the movement was radical in another way, remaining in the heart of Jerusalem and challenging the social, religious, and economic elite class. What can we glean from these gospel endings?
Change may arise from the margins, as Matthew suggests, where new possibilities are imagined from entrenched power. At the same time, as Luke presents, transformation can also engage the center, reshaping unjust systems from within before extending outward. The early Jesus movement, as remembered through both of these two lenses, is rooted in overlooked places on the margins and in direct interaction or even conflict with the centers of society. In whichever place or social location we find ourselves today, both endings encourage us as we continue, on the margins outside of systems or within them, working together to shape our world into a just, compassionate, safe home for all of us.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How is this week’s reading informing your own justice work? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 21:Luke’s Ascension Story and Our Justice Work Today
Luke 24:44-53
Change may arise from the margins, as Matthew suggests, where new possibilities are imagined from entrenched power. At the same time, as Luke presents, transformation can also engage the center, reshaping unjust systems from within before extending outward. The early Jesus movement, as remembered through both of these two lenses, is rooted in overlooked places on the margins and in direct interaction or even conflict with the centers of society. In whichever place or social location we find ourselves today, both endings encourage us as we continue, on the margins outside of systems or within them, working together to shape our world into a just, compassionate, safe home for all of us.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
Herb Montgomery | May 8, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of John.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” (John 14:15-21)
Our reading this week begins with Jesus’ words, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I can appreciate the intent of this saying. It attempts to shift the idea of love from sentiment into lived, embodied practice and intentional choices. Love is not reduced to belief, personal devotion, or worship but demonstrated through action. In the context of Jesus’ teachings on justice, this statement takes on a deeply communal and ethical dimension. To love Jesus is to align oneself with the values that shaped his life: compassion, inclusion, honoring the humanity of the other, and restoring those pushed to the margins.
So Jesus’ commandments are not abstract rules but expressions of relational justice. They call for feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, confronting systems that dehumanize, and standing in solidarity with the oppressed. In this sense, obedience is not about rigid moralism but about participating in the healing of the world. Love becomes visible in how we treat the most vulnerable among us.
Following Jesus, then, makes justice more than an optional extension of faith. Practicing justice is one of faith’s clearest expressions. When communities organize for living wages in the midst of dramatic inflation, when communities challenge racial or gender inequities, when communities advocate for LGBTQ inclusion or to protect our environment, they are enacting the kind of love Jesus describes. They are “keeping” his commandments in ways that transform both individuals and systems.
Importantly, this kind of love requires courage. It often places people at odds with dominant cultural or religious norms, just as Jesus himself was. Yet the call remains. Love that is faithful to Jesus cannot remain passive in the face of injustice. It must move, speak, and act. Ultimately, Jesus’ words invite us to redefine devotion, belief, and worship. To love him is not merely to affirm him, but to live as he lived, participating in the work of justice, mercy, and collective liberation.
Next in our reading, Jesus promises that the Father will send the Spirit as an Advocate to be with his followers. The word “Advocate” (paraklētos) carries legal, relational, and communal meaning. It means one who stands alongside, speaks on behalf of, defends, and strengthens. In the context of social justice, this image becomes profoundly relevant.
An advocate is most needed where there is injustice—where voices are silenced, where systems marginalize, where truth is distorted. Jesus’ promise of the Spirit signals that the work of confronting injustice does not end with him; it continues through a community empowered to embody the Divine’s solidarity with the oppressed in an unjust world. The Spirit is not distant or abstract but present in the struggle, aligning with those who are oppressed and equipping others to stand with them.
This reframes justice as more than human effort or moral aspiration and as participation in the ongoing work of the Spirit. When communities organize for equity, when they tell hard truths about injustice, when they defend the dignity of those excluded, they echo the role of the Advocate. The Spirit leads into truth, not only personal truth, but also social truth that exposes systems that harm and calls for transformation.
At the same time, the Spirit as Advocate challenges comfort. Advocacy is rarely neutral; it involves taking sides, often at a cost. Advocacy is standing on the side of those being marginalized, excluded, and harmed. To receive the Spirit is to be drawn into courageous action, to speak when silence would be easier, and to remain present when others turn away.
Lastly, the Advocate sustains hope. Justice work can be exhausting, marked by setbacks and resistance. The promise of the Spirit assures that this work is not carried alone. There is a sustaining presence that renews our courage, deepens our compassion, and continually calls us back to love expressed through justice.
In this way, the Spirit as Advocate is both comfort and commission. As Jesus followers, the
Spirit as Advocate empowers a faithful, justice-seeking community to stand alongside the vulnerable and to persist in the work of social transformation as we work together to shape our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for all.
Next, in our reading, Jesus promises, “I will not leave you orphaned.” This speaks directly to experiences of abandonment, vulnerability, and disconnection that the early Jesus community had to face. To be “orphaned” is not only a personal condition but also a social one. Communities pushed to the margins, stripped of power, and denied belonging often live in a state of systemic orphanhood. Jesus’ words resist this reality and declare that abandonment is not the final truth.
“I am coming to you” refers to how much Jesus’ presence meant to the Johannine community of John’s gospel. To them, Jesus was not a distant, abstract presence, but One who stood in solidarity with them. This challenged any spirituality that was tempted to withdraw from others who are also suffering. Jesus’ promise calls us to a solidarity that, as Jesus modeled, draws near to those who are excluded and vulnerable. Justice begins not with detached solutions, but with incarnational proximity.
Then, when Jesus says, “because I live, you also will live,” he ties our life to his own resurrection. This is a vision of flourishing that stands in contrast to systems that crucify. Jesus’ resurrection was not simply about coming back to life but a response to an imperial cross. We are called to participate in this resurrection life, to dismantle structures that produce death-dealing conditions, and to cultivate systems where all can truly live and thrive.
Finally, Jesus’ words, “you in me, and I in you” reveals a profound interconnectedness. This mutual connection dismantles our tendencies to separate and dehumanize. If Jesus is present within each person, then injustice against anyone is a violation of Jesus too. “Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.” In John’s gospel, following this connected Jesus calls us to see Jesus in every person. Each of us is connected to one another and in a shared life.
As we wrap up our discussion on this week’s reading we are once again brought to love being framed not as sentiment or belief alone but as embodied practice: “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me” shifts the focus from internal devotion to lived commitment. In the context of following Jesus in the work of justice in our world today, this becomes a powerful ethical lens: love is measured by what we do, how we respond to injustice, how we treat the marginalized, and how we participate in repairing the things that are broken in our world.
Keeping these commandments is not about rigid rule-following but about aligning one’s life with the values we see the Jesus of our gospel stories consistently taught, values such as compassion, solidarity, mercy, and justice. To “keep” these is to enact them in real, material, concrete ways. It means advocating for those whose humanity is denied, confronting systems that perpetuate harm, and building communities rooted in equity and care for one another. Love, in this sense, becomes public and political, and not confined to private spirituality.
The promise that “those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them” is a paradigm within the Johannine community that suggests a reciprocal, relational dynamic. As people engage in justice work are grounded in love, they come to experience a deeper awareness of the Divine. This revelation is encountered in the faces of those we work alongside in solidarity with, in acts of courage, and in collective movements for liberation. The presence of Jesus takes form in the struggle for justice itself.
This passage also challenges performative or superficial approaches to justice. It is not enough to claim love or alignment with a cause. The call is to sustained, faithful action. Love that keeps commandments is persistent, even when the work is difficult, slow, or costly. It resists apathy and refuses neutrality in the face of oppression. And the promise of being loved and accompanied also offers sustenance. Justice work can be exhausting and disheartening, but this passage roots that labor in deeper relationship. It reminds practitioners that they are not alone; their work participates in a larger movement of Divine love unfolding in the world.
Ultimately, this teaching in the gospel of John reframes justice work as a spiritual practice. To love is to act, and to act in love is to encounter the Divine. The work of justice is not separate from faith. It is one of the primary ways that love becomes visible, transformative, and real.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How is this week’s reading informing your own justice work? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 20: The Promise of the Holy Spirit
John 14:15-21
Our reading also challenges performative or superficial approaches to justice. It is not enough to claim love or alignment with a cause. The call is to sustained, faithful action. Love that keeps commandments is persistent, even when the work is difficult, slow, or costly. It resists apathy and refuses neutrality in the face of oppression. And the promise of being loved and accompanied also offers sustenance. Justice work can be exhausting and disheartening, but this passage roots that labor in deeper relationship. It reminds practitioners that they are not alone; their work participates in a larger movement of Divine love unfolding in the world. Ultimately, this teaching in the gospel of John reframes justice work as a spiritual practice. To love is to act, and to act in love is to encounter the Divine. The work of justice is not separate from faith. It is one of the primary ways that love becomes visible, transformative, and real.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-promise-of-the-holy-spirit
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
Justice Lessons from the Gospel of John
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
Justice Lessons from the Gospel of John
Herb Montgomery | May 1, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of John.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 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, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:1-14)
Let’s start this week with a little context. In our reading, Jesus speaks to a community about to face uncertainty, fear, and loss through Jesus’ crucifixion. And in advance, Jesus says to them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” These are not abstract spiritual words; they are spoken on the edge of a crisis. That context matters. Often, justice movements are born in moments like these, in hearts that see suffering and feel the weight of disappointed hopes deeply. Jesus does not deny what is about to happen; instead, he invites them to keep believing in the midst of it. What he says next, in this context, is profound.
“My Father’s house has many rooms” offers a vision of radical belonging. In a world structured by exclusion, where systems determine who is in and who is out, this imagery disrupts scarcity and hierarchy. There is room, not just for some but for many. Jesus says, “Many rooms.” For Jesus followers committed to justice, this becomes a theological grounding for inclusion: immigrants, LGBTQ people, the poor, the marginalized, and those historically pushed to the edges are not afterthoughts in the Divine household. They are already accounted for. The work of justice, then, is not creating belonging from scratch, but aligning our communities with a reality of belonging that already exists in the heart and “house” of the Divine.
Jesus continues with a promise to “prepare a place.” This promise is not about a distant future. It instead speaks to the active work of making space. His preparation implies intention. Cooperation or alignment with “preparing places” in the midst of a world of injustice looks like dismantling barriers, transgressing boundaries, redistributing resources, and cultivating communities where every person’s humanity is celebrated, embraced, and supported. It is the labor of making “many rooms” visible and accessible here and now.
Then Thomas butts in with an honest, vulnerable, and unpolished question that resonates deeply with anyone engaged in this kind of change-making today: “We don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Our work is often marked by uncertainty about the way. We don’t know the way. The path forward is rarely clear. As the saying goes, we make the road by walking. And in that process, our strategies sometimes fail. Progress is uneven. As we learned two weeks ago from this same Thomas, doubt is not a sign of failure; it is part of honest engagement.
Jesus’ response to the question reframes “the way.” The way is not merely a roadmap or a set of steps. It is also relational, embodied, and lived. For justice practitioners, this means the path is not only about outcomes, but is also about how we walk, how we treat one another, how we center love, how we resist dehumanization even as we confront it.
So “Do not let your hearts be troubled” is not a call to passive comfort. It’s an invitation to grounded courage. In the face of injustice, troubled hearts can either harden or deepen. Jesus calls us toward deepening: to trust that there is room enough, love enough, and future enough to sustain our long, uncertain, and necessary work of justice. We will have to endure crosses. Yet the resurrection calls us past those crosses to hope in what will follow next.
Next in our reading, we encounter the gospel of John’s famous declaration, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” These words of Jesus in John are often heard as a boundary marker. Yet in its original context, his statement functions less as exclusion and more as revelation. Jesus is pointing to a way of being in the world that embodies love, compassion and justice. When he tells Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father,” Jesus grounds this way of being in his own practice. If we want to know what the Divine is like, what this way of love, compassion, and justice is like, we look at how Jesus himself lived. We stop and take note of the marginalized people who Jesus centered and stood in solidarity with and the systemic injustice that Jesus resisted.
This has direct implications for me personally. Jesus’ life consistently moved toward those pushed to the margins, those excluded by systems of power and privilege. He touched those labelled by society as untouchable. He ate with those stigmatized by others. He confronted structures that burdened them while protecting the powerful. If Jesus is “the way,” then the path of the Divine is not found in abstract doctrine, but in participating in these same actions of restorative justice and radical inclusion.
“The truth,” in John, is not merely correct information; it is unveiled reality. Jesus exposes the lies that sustain injustice. He exposes the myth that some lives matter more than others, the illusion that domination brings peace, the belief that the Divine endorses systems of exclusion. In embodying truth, Jesus disrupts these narratives and invites us into a different vision of community, one rooted in mutual care, a firm grasp on our diverse humanity, and our liberation from a status quo that does harm.
“The life” that Jesus offers in our reading is not about what comes after death. It is a present, tangible experience of justice that emerges wherever love, compassion, and inclusion take root. When Jesus followers organize for things like fair wages, challenge racial injustice, gender discrimination, or LGBTQ exclusion, protect the vulnerable, and create spaces of belonging for those presently being excluded, they are participating in that life. They are aligning themselves with the Divine as revealed in John’s Jesus.
Jesus’ response to Philip, “Don’t you know me?” can be heard as a challenge to us as well. We may claim devotion to Jesus while missing the clearest revelation of the Divine in Jesus’ life and work. To see Jesus is to see a God who sides with the oppressed, who confronts injustice, and who calls us into solidarity with those on the underside of power.
In this light, following “the way” is not about securing access to the sacred or the Divine; it is about embodying God’s justice in the world. It is about becoming, together, a living reflection of the Divine compassion, love and justice Jesus modeled in the stories.
Lastly, in our reading this week, belief is not framed as mere assent to doctrine but as trust expressed through action. Jesus points to “the works” as evidence. He points to tangible acts of healing, restoration, and liberation. In our context today, this reframes faith as participation in the ongoing work of mending the world. To believe in Jesus, then, is to embody his commitment to those pushed to the margins, to confront systems that diminish human dignity, and to practice a love that is public, courageous, and transformative.
The promise that believers will do “even greater things” is not about spectacle or power for its own sake, but about the multiplying impact of collective action. As communities organize for justice, and as they address discrimination, racism, exclusion, and environmental harm, they continue the trajectory of Jesus’ work on a broader scale. The language of asking in Jesus’ name invites us to align with his character and mission. It’s not a blank check for personal desire but calls for discernment. Are our hopes rooted in the flourishing of all? Praying in Jesus’ name, then, connects our commitment and our collective actions. It means committing ourselves to the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does this week’s reading invite you to move beyond simply believing in or worshiping Jesus? What actions or changes does it call you toward? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 19: Justice Lessons from the Gospel of John
John 14:1-14
Our imagery this week offers a vision of radical belonging. In a world structured by exclusion, where systems determine who is in and who is out, this imagery disrupts scarcity and hierarchy. There is room, not just for some but for many. Jesus says, “Many rooms.” For Jesus followers committed to justice, this becomes a theological grounding for inclusion: immigrants, LGBTQ people, the poor, the marginalized, and those historically pushed to the edges are not afterthoughts in the Divine household. They are already accounted for. The work of justice, then, is not creating belonging from scratch, but aligning our communities with a reality of belonging that already exists in the heart and “house” of the Divine.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/justice-lessons-from-the-gospel-of-john
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
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The Imagery of a Good Shepherd
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
The Imagery of a Good Shepherd
Herb Montgomery | April 24, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of John:
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:1-10)
Our reading this week contains some of the most well-known imagery for Jesus in the gospels. The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is also one of the most powerful metaphors in the Christian tradition, especially when read through the lens of social justice.
Here in the gospel of John, Jesus Christ describes the good shepherd as one who knows the sheep, calls them by name, leads them to safety, and lays down his life for them. This is not a distant or abstract leadership model. It is relational, protective, and deeply invested in the well-being of the most vulnerable.
In contrast to exploitative systems that prioritize profit, control, or power, the Good Shepherd stands as a critique of unjust leadership. Jesus explicitly contrasts the good shepherd with “hired hands” who abandon the sheep when danger comes. This imagery exposes systems and leaders who neglect marginalized communities when they are most at risk, whether through economic inequality, racial injustice, gender favoritism, LGBTQ exclusion, or environmental destruction. The Good Shepherd does not flee in the face of wolves; instead, he confronts the threat and remains in solidarity with the flock.
This metaphor also emphasizes dignity and recognition. The shepherd “calls his own sheep by name,” suggesting that every individual is known and valued. Movements to make our world a more compassionate just home for everyone also echo this insistence on visibility and humanity, resisting systems that reduce people to statistics, labels, or disposable labor. To follow the Good Shepherd is to affirm that no one is invisible, and no one is beyond care or belonging.
Moreover, the Good Shepherd leads the sheep into abundant life. This abundance is not merely spiritual. It has material implications too. Access to food, safety, healthcare, and community are all part of what it means for people to truly live. In this way, the shepherd’s role aligns with justice work that seeks to create conditions where all can thrive, not just survive.
Also, the Good Shepherd imagery in the gospels forms a community that transcends boundaries: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” This challenges exclusionary systems and calls for a radical inclusivity that crosses lines we create from our human differences. We are invited to participate in this vision, gathering diverse communities into shared care and mutual responsibility. To embrace Jesus as the Good Shepherd is to reject apathy and complicity in injustice. It is to embody a form of solidarity and community rooted in courage, compassion, and a relentless commitment to the well-being of all.
In our reading this week, though, Jesus is more than the good shepherd. He also declares, “I am the gate,” an image that is both pastoral and political. In the ancient world, a shepherd sometimes lay across the entrance of the sheepfold at night, becoming a living gate and both protector and point of entry. This metaphor speaks not only to spiritual care most often associated with this imagery in a religious context, but also to questions of belonging, access, and safety, concerns that are central to justice in any kind of community.
To say that Jesus is the gate is to say that access to the abundant life John’s Jesus preached flows through a posture of protection, solidarity, and care for the vulnerable. Jesus as gate is not a barrier designed to exclude the marginalized; rather, it is a safeguard against forces that exploit, harm, and dehumanize them. Jesus contrasts himself with thieves and bandits. These are those who “climb in by another way” (John 10:1). These figures can be understood as systems (religious, political, social, economic) and individuals in positions of power that prey on the weak, hoard resources, and deny others humanity. They can also represent unjust structures that maintain inequality while claiming legitimacy.
By identifying himself as the gate, Jesus centers the well-being of the sheep. For the Johannine community out of which this gospel emerged, this metaphor is about the well-being of the community over gatekeeping for the purpose of protecting and preserving of power. The gate exists so that the sheep “may come in and go out and find pasture,” a phrase that evokes freedom, sustenance, and flourishing. This is not mere survival; it is the Gospel of John’s “abundant life.”
This applies to justice movements today. We can echo this vision as we seek not only to alleviate suffering but to create conditions where all people can thrive, not just a privileged few, and where we work together to create a world that is a compassionate, just, safe home for all.
This image of a gate also brings to mind the subject of access and how it is controlled. Who gets to enter? Who is kept out? Jesus redefines these boundaries by aligning himself with those on the margins. The gate does not serve the powerful; it protects the vulnerable from them. In this way, Jesus subverts systems that use “gates” to exclude, again, whether religious, political, economic, or social.
Moreover, the gate is relational, not institutional. It is not a rigid structure but a living person. This suggests that justice is not achieved merely through policies or systems, but through embodied solidarity. It’s accomplished through people who, like the shepherd, place themselves at the threshold to ensure others are safe and free.
In a world marked by exclusion, injustice and inequity, the image of Jesus as the gate invites communities to reimagine access, protection, and belonging. It calls for the dismantling of harmful barriers and the creation of spaces where all can enter Jesus’ vision for human community, move freely there, and experience the fullness of life.
In the earliest centuries of Christianity, the dominant image of Jesus was not the crucified victim but the Good Shepherd. (For a detailed history of this see Parker and Brock’s Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire.) Originally drawn from gospel passages such as our reading this week, early Christian artists echoed this image of shepherd. The shepherd carried a sheep on his shoulders, which symbolized care, protection, and intimate solidarity with the vulnerable. This image reflected a marginal movement shaped by communities living under the shadow of imperial power, where survival depended on mutual care and resistance to systems of domination.
However, as Christianity moved from the margins to the center of power, particularly after Constantine the Great legalized it in the fourth century and it align with the Roman Empire, the dominant imagery of Jesus began to shift. The cross, once a symbol of state terror and execution, became the central emblem of the faith and replaced the image of the Good Shepherd. What had been a sign of imperial violence against dissidents became, paradoxically, a symbol that often supported those imperial structures.
This symbolic shift was not merely artistic but also theological and political. The shepherd image emphasizes care, guidance, and the flourishing of the community, particularly the most vulnerable. It invites us to imitate acts of compassion and justice. By contrast, an overemphasis on the cross, especially when interpreted through frameworks that prioritize passive suffering or divine sanction of violence, becomes religious imagery that accomplishes its original purpose (terror) with a religious twist. It becomes a subtle communication that this is what the Divine is really like. He may have done this to his son instead of you, but don’t cross him! Or he may cross you, too! With this change, the cross becomes an instrument of empire used to suppress resistance once again. Now, though, it suppresses resistance using fear of the Divine (often disguised in the language of Divine love) and human institutions define compliance or “obedience.”
As Christianity became intertwined with imperial power, the cross was often reframed to emphasize obedience, sacrifice, and submission. Those in power, both within ecclesiastical and imperial systems, used this interpretation to justify hierarchical systems, discourage dissent, and sanctify suffering rather than challenge its causes. The crucified Jesus, once a victim of injustice, was presented in ways that muted the political reality of his execution and the critique it implied of imperial violence.
Meanwhile, the Good Shepherd image, with its implications of mutual care and its challenge to“the hired hand” who abandons the sheep, receded in prominence. It was less easily co-opted by systems that benefited from inequality and control. A shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep in opposition to predators invites resistance to injustice, not accommodation to it.
In our context today, recovering the image of Jesus as shepherd is a way of reclaiming a vision of faith rooted in solidarity, protection, and the flourishing of all people. It reminds us that the earliest Christian imagination centered not on glorifying suffering but on resisting the forces that cause it and nurturing communities where abundant life, where justice and compassion, are possible.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does the imagery of Jesus as the Good Shepherd inform your justice work today? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 18: The Imagery of a Good Shepherd
John 10:1-10
As Christianity moved from the margins to the center of power, particularly after Constantine the Great legalized it in the fourth century and it align with the Roman Empire, the dominant imagery of Jesus began to shift. The cross, once a symbol of state terror and execution, became the central emblem of the faith and replaced the image of the Good Shepherd. What had been a sign of imperial violence against dissidents became, paradoxically, a symbol that often supported those imperial structures. This symbolic shift was not merely artistic but also theological and political. The shepherd image emphasizes care, guidance, and the flourishing of the community, particularly the most vulnerable. It invites us to imitate acts of compassion and justice. By contrast, an overemphasis on the cross, especially when interpreted through frameworks that prioritize passive suffering or divine sanction of violence, becomes religious imagery that accomplishes its original purpose (terror) with a religious twist. Recovering the image of Jesus as shepherd is a way of reclaiming a vision of faith rooted in solidarity, protection, and the flourishing of all, espeically those marginalized.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-imagery-of-a-good-shepherd
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
The Road We Walk When Our Hopes Have Been Deeply Disappointed
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
The Road We Walk When Our Hopes Have Been Deeply Disappointed
Herb Montgomery | April 17, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of Luke.
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. (Luke 24:13-35)
Our story this week is the walk to Emmaus found in in Luke 24:13–35. At its core, this is a story about disorientation, companionship, and the slow, often unrecognized emergence of hope. Two disciples leave Jerusalem in the aftermath of Jesus’ state execution, carrying with them shattered expectations of being part of movement for change that the empire has, once again, crushed. “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” Their words echo the grief familiar to anyone engaged in justice work today who has faced disappointing outcomes for their movement and labor: moments when movements falter, when violence prevails, when the arc of history itself seems to bend away from justice rather than toward it.
This passage speaks powerfully into my own lived experience in justice work because it refuses to deny despair. The disciples are not portrayed as faithless for their sorrow; they are honest. They had hoped for a different outcome, and instead they witnessed state violence, public execution, and the silencing of Jesus’ prophetic voice. In this way, the road to Emmaus begins not with triumph but with trauma. For modern justice movements confronting racism, economic inequality, gender unfairness, environmental collapse, LGBTQ exclusion, or other forms of systemic harm, our story mirrors the emotional landscape we often find ourselves inhabiting. Hope can sometimes be naive. Either way, hope also involves risk, and in moments where things don’t turn out the way we hoped, hope is something we can lose. We might even find ourselves feeling foolish.
It is precisely in this moment in our story, a moment of deep disillusionment, that the risen Jesus appears, though unrecognized. This detail is crucial. The presence of Jesus is not immediately obvious, nor does he come wrapped in spectacle or power. Instead, he comes alongside the disciples in the form of a stranger who listens and asks questions: “What are you discussing?” It’s a reminder that renewed hope begins with camaraderie. Recovering from such moments of disappointment begins with walking alongside others, hearing their stories, and honoring their grief.
In my own journey, I have too often given into the temptation to rush toward solutions, to fix, to speak, to act decisively. I agree that action is essential. Yet, this part of the Emmaus story suggests that listening is itself a form of sacred work. The stranger does not interrupt the disciples’ lament; he invites it. He creates space for them to articulate their pain and confusion. This models a form of solidarity rooted not in saviorism but in presence.
As the journey continues, the stranger begins to reinterpret their story, framing their experience within a larger narrative. He speaks of suffering not as defeat but as part of a broader movement toward liberation. I believe this reframing is vital. Systems of oppression often seek to define setbacks as final, to convince communities that resistance is futile. The Emmaus story resists that narrative. It insists that what appears to be the end may, in fact, be a hidden beginning. Jesus is about to show us the narrative meaning of resurrection: change is always forged through struggle and setbacks. The disciples are about to discover that, even in our most disappointing moments, injustice is neither permanent nor inevitable. Love and justice hold a power that cannot be buried.
Still, that recognition does not come on the road. It comes at the table.
When the disciples invite this stranger to stay with them, they enact a practice of hospitality. Their world is structured by exclusion and hierarchy, and so the simple act of welcoming the other becomes a site of transformation. It is in the breaking of bread, a shared, communal act that held great meaning for early Jesus followers, that their eyes are opened. They recognize the presence of the One who had been with them all along. He had been with them all along.
This moment carries some other profound implications, too. Liberation is not only something we strive toward. It is something we practice as we strive, through acts of inclusion, mutual care, and shared humanity. Our daily life choices harmonize with our overall vision for what we desire our world to be. The shared table in this week’s story becomes a symbol of the kind of world that movements seek to build, a world where resources are shared, where strangers become companions, and where ours and others’ humanity is affirmed.
It is here that recognition dawns. Recognition, in our story, happens in the context of these smaller, more communal actions not larger public ones. The disciples come to their awakening together. Justice movements, likewise, are also interpersonal endeavors. They depend on relationships, on shared community with others and with shared vision. The Emmaus story reminds us that clarity often emerges not in solitude but in the midst of communal life alongside others.
When recognition does finally dawn, the disciples recall, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?” This language of a “burning heart” points to an awakening that is both emotional and embodied. Our work, too, is sustained by a deep, often visceral conviction that another world is possible. And this conviction many times will be renewed in the wake of deep disappointment. This renewal, even after we thought we had lost, is what keeps movements alive in the face of exhaustion and opposition for generations.
After they recognize Jesus, the disciples immediately return to Jerusalem. This is another important detail. Jerusalem is the place they had just left, the place of danger and repression, where their loss just took place. Yet their encounter with Jesus on the road transforms their original trajectory. They move back toward the center of struggle, not away from it. Hope does not lead them to escape the world’s pain but to re-engage it with renewed purpose.
For me, when I think of justice work today, this moment in the story deeply resonates. Encounters that rekindle hope, whether through relational community or private reflection, do not lead us away from our work; they send us back into it. They empower us to take it up again. The goal is not to find a safe distance from injustice but to return with a deeper sense of possibility and resilience.
The Emmaus story also challenges dominant notions of power. The risen Jesus is not revealed through domination or force but through vulnerability, relationship, and shared humanity. This stands in stark contrast to the systems of oppression that justice movements seek to dismantle today. These systems rely on coercion, exclusion, and control. The way of Jesus on the road to Emmaus reminds us that true transformation emerges not from replicating the patterns and methods we are trying to change, but from embodying alternative forms of influence rooted in love, solidarity, and walking alongside others on the way.
Finally, the story underscores the importance of storytelling itself. The early Jesus followers’ journey was shaped by the stories they tell: first a story of defeat, then a story of hope. Justice movements today are similarly narrative-driven. They challenge dominant stories that justify inequality by offering alternative narratives that envision a world shaped by liberation and justice, a world that is a safe home for everyone. The work of justice, in many ways, begins with the work of reimagining what our world could be and inviting others into that imagining.
What I love about our story this week is that the walk to Emmaus does not erase deep disappointment, glossing over it with easy, pat, or trite answers. Instead, it provides a framework for navigating the complexities of justice work in our midnight hours. In moments when things don’t turn out the way we had hoped, we can acknowledge our grief, we can practice presence with one another. We can lean into our community. It is here that hope is often renewed, new visions are born, hope reawakens, and we return to the struggle with a new understanding of what we have just encountered. Our story reminds us that even when hopes are dashed and the path forward is unclear, we are not alone, and, sometimes, the very act of walking together is where transformation begins.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. Share an experience (if you’re comfortable doing so) with your group of when you had your hope rekindled after a disappointing outcome.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 17: The Road We Walk When Our Hopes Have Been Deeply Disappointed
Luke 24:13-35
Our story this week speaks powerfully into our own lived experiences in justice work because it refuses to deny despair. The disciples are not portrayed as faithless for their sorrow; they are honest. They had hoped for a different outcome, and instead they witnessed state violence, public execution, and the silencing of Jesus’ prophetic voice. In this way, the road to Emmaus begins not with triumph but with trauma. For modern justice movements confronting racism, economic inequality, gender unfairness, environmental collapse, LGBTQ exclusion, or other forms of systemic harm, our story mirrors the emotional landscape we often find ourselves inhabiting. Hope can sometimes be naive. Either way, hope also involves risk, and in moments where things don’t turn out the way we hoped, hope is something we can lose. We might even find ourselves feeling foolish. This week Emmaus does not erase deep disappointment, glossing over it with easy, pat, or trite answers. Instead, it provides a framework for navigating the complexities of justice work in our midnight hours. In moments when things don’t turn out the way we had hoped, we can acknowledge our grief, we can practice presence with one another. We can lean into our community. It is here that hope is often renewed, new visions are born, hope reawakens, and we return to the struggle with a new understanding of what we have just encountered. This story reminds us that even when hopes are dashed and the path forward is unclear, we are not alone, and, sometimes, the very act of walking together is where transformation begins.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
When Doubt Leads to a More Tangible Experience
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
When Doubt Leads to a More Tangible Experience
Herb Montgomery | April 9, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the gospel of John:
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-31)
The post resurrection narratives in the Gospel of John are some of the most interesting in the four gospels. Let’s jump right in. In John 20, the risen Jesus appears to his disciples behind locked doors. This is a little group gripped by fear. They’ve just watched their teacher being crucified on a Roman cross. We find them now in the shadow of the empire and its violence. Into that space, Jesus appears and speaks peace, not as passive comfort but as a declaration that the forces they are afraid of have not prevailed. In John’s version of the stories, Jesus shows his wounds to them, revealing that resurrection does not erase crucifixion but overcomes and undoes it. The marks of injustice remain visible. And now they become reframed as a testimony against the powers that inflicted them.
In the beginning of our reading this week that we also encounter Jesus breathing on the disciples. As Jesus does so, he says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This act echoes the Jewish creation narratives in Genesis, where the Divine breath first imparts life to humanity. In John, however, that breath is not only for life but also for their assignment. The Spirit animates this little group that is called to embody the same peace, justice, and love that Jesus proclaims. It’s in them that Jesus’ teachings are now to live on, rooted in justice, restoration, and the healing of all in our world that is broken and harming the marginalized and vulnerable. Jesus’ breath is a commissioning: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” This passage harkens back to Jesus’ earlier words in John 3: the Father had not sent Jesus to condemn the world, but to heal it.
What many miss is that this scene is profoundly political. The disciples are sent back not into safety but into the world that crucified Jesus. The Spirit empowers them to confront those systems of oppression with courage and solidarity. The authority to forgive or retain sins can be understood as the responsibility to name injustice truthfully while also participating in restoration and reconciliation. Forgiveness is not a denial of harm but a pathway toward liberation from cycles of injustice and violence.
Thus, the breathing of the Spirit in John’s resurrection narrative forms a community shaped by their memory of suffering, their encounter with the Divine’s response to that suffering, and their being empowered to transform our collective human suffering. The risen Jesus sends his followers to continue his work of standing with the marginalized, challenging injustice, and embodying a peace that mere violence and strength cannot give.
Next, let’s consider the portion of our reading that is about Thomas. Those disciples named in the gospel of John honor and legitimize the communities who formed around the lives of each named apostle. This is true of Peter, Mary, and others in John’s gospel. We remember Thomas for his doubt, yet his story is far richer than a simple failure of faith. When the other disciples proclaim that they have seen the risen Jesus, Thomas refuses to accept their testimony secondhand. He insists on seeing and touching for himself, declaring that he will not believe without direct experience. Rather than rejecting Thomas, Jesus meets him in his uncertainty, and invites him to touch his wounds. This moment affirms that doubt is not the opposite of faith but often a pathway into a deeper, more embodied experience.
Thomas offers an important lesson for us: authentic faith does not require suppressing questions or ignoring evidence. In Christian movements for justice especially, people are often confronted with competing narratives, misinformation, and systems that obscure truth. Like Thomas, we are called to seek truth honestly, to question easy answers, and to resist accepting claims without examination. This kind of critical engagement strengthens, rather than weakens, our commitment.
Additionally, Jesus’ response to Thomas models a compassionate approach to those who struggle. He does not shame or exclude Thomas but meets him where he is. This informs us that we too are to create spaces where people can wrestle with uncertainty, unlearn harmful assumptions, and grow at their own pace. Transformation rarely happens through coercion; it happens through deconstruction, reconstruction, community, relationships, and believing the best about one another.
Finally, Thomas’ confession, “My Lord and my God,” emerges not despite his doubt but through it. Likewise, our work today is not fueled by blind certainty but by a hope that has faced hard questions and still chooses to believe in the possibility of a more just and compassionate world.
Let’s wrap up this week by considering the double ending of John’s gospel. The Gospel of John presents what many scholars describe as two endings, each offering a distinct theological emphasis. The first appears in our reading this week, at the close of chapter 20 (John 20:30–31). The narrative seems to reach a deliberate and satisfying conclusion at this point. After recounting the resurrection appearances of Jesus (including his encounters with Mary Magdalene, the gathered disciples, and Thomas) the author of John’s gospel steps back and addresses the listeners directly. The purpose statement at the end of chapter 20 declares that although Jesus performed many other signs not recorded in the book, these have been written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” This statement is in keeping with the language of John’s gospel overall.
This ending functions both as a summary and as an invitation to follow this Jesus. It includes the themes of signs, belief, and life that run throughout John’s Gospel. The story of Thomas is especially significant here: moving from doubt to confession, he proclaims Jesus as “My Lord and my God.” Immediately after this, the text extends a blessing to those who have not seen and yet believe. In this way, the conclusion shifts attention from the original witnesses to future listeners, and draws them into the story’s purpose.
This ending also completes the story. The narrative arc has reached its climax. The faith that it elevates moves one to follow John’s Jesus, grounded in the testimony of contemporary followers rather than each one being an eyewitness. Following Jesus is the desired response, and the listener receives a clear call: trust in the Jesus that John’s Gospel presents and enter into the life that this Jesus offers.
The presence of a second ending in chapter 21 does not diminish this conclusion but could supplement it. Still, John 20 stands as a self-contained finale that emphasizes belief in the knowledge gained through Jesus as a gateway to life. It frames John’s version of the Jesus story as a written witness designed to inspire us, even today, to hear and follow the teachings of Jesus.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does the story of Thomas encourage you to be honest with your own questions concering the Jesus story? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 16: When Doubt Leads to a More Tangible Experience
John 20:19-31
Thomas offers an important lesson for us: authentic faith does not require suppressing questions or ignoring evidence. In Christian movements for justice especially, people are often confronted with competing narratives, misinformation, and systems that obscure truth. Like Thomas, we are called to seek truth honestly, to question easy answers, and to resist accepting claims without examination. This kind of critical engagement strengthens, rather than weakens, our commitment. Additionally, Jesus’ response to Thomas models a compassionate approach to those who struggle. He does not shame or exclude Thomas but meets him where he is. This informs us that we too are to create spaces where people can wrestle with uncertainty, unlearn harmful assumptions, and grow at their own pace. Transformation rarely happens through coercion; it happens through deconstruction, reconstruction, community, relationships, and believing the best about one another.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
Are you getting all of RHM’s Free Resources?
Free Sign Up Here
The Resurrection and Our Hope for Liberation
We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.
Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.
To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.
If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”
The Resurrection and Our Hope for Liberation
Herb Montgomery | April 3, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading leading up to Easter this weekend is found in the Gospel of Matthew.
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1-10)
This is my favorite time of year in the Christian calendar. It’s a time to reflect on the story truths of the resurrection narratives in the Gospels, to remember that state violence and systemic, imperial injustice do not have to have the final word in our world. The stories of Jesus’ resurrection boldly declare that systems built on domination and death cannot ultimately silence truth, compassion, justice. They proclaim that solidarity with the marginalized, in the end, is worth whatever price we pay along the way. Our efforts to shape our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone are worth it. This time of year calls us to remember when, for those in our Gospels, what empire tried to crush on the cross was raised up again in living defiance. For Jesus followers committed to social justice, resurrection faith becomes more than belief; it becomes courage to resist oppression, stand with the marginalized, and work for a world where we reclaim our humanity again and again despite every force that tries to bury hope or silence love in our world.
Today, Easter stands at the heart of the Christian liturgical calendar as a declaration that death, injustice, and oppressive power do not have the final word. The empty tomb is not merely a miraculous event to be debated within our contemporary naturalistic world view, it is also a story of disruption of systems that continue to “crucify” today. The narrative truth of our story proclaims that the forces of empire, violence, and exclusion, made visible in every crucifixion and used to silence opposition through fear, are undone. Resurrection is not an escape from the world’s injustice. It’s a decisive response to it.
The empty tomb announces that what was meant to silence Jesus’ message of justice and liberation has failed. The execution of Jesus was an act of state violence, a public warning to anyone who would challenge systems of domination. Yet the resurrection exposes the lie at the heart of that power. Empires are not permanent, unquestionable, or unavoidably victorious. No. Love and justice are powers in their own right and cannot be buried forever. The stone is rolled away, not just from a grave, but also from the illusion that injustice will endure forever.
For us today, the resurrection carries important social implications. It calls us to see that the suffering of the marginalized is not invisible or forgotten. Just as God stood in solidarity with Jesus, raising him from death, so too does the Divine stand with those who are oppressed, exploited, and cast aside today. Easter invites us to align ourselves with God in that same solidarity. It challenges us to resist systems that crucify, whether through poverty, racism, patriarchy, economic inequality, LGBTQ phobias, or exclusion, and calls us to participate in the work of liberation, restoration, and justice.
The empty tomb also reframes how we understand hope. Hope is not passive optimism or waiting for change to come from elsewhere. Resurrection hope is active, embodied, and courageous. It is the kind of hope that compels action even when outcomes seem uncertain. The women who first encountered the empty tomb did not fully understand what had happened, but they moved forward anyway, carrying the message. In the same way, we are called to act for justice even when the path ahead is unclear.
Easter teaches us that what appears to be defeat can become the very place where transformation begins. The cross was intended to end a movement, yet became the catalyst for one that would keep challenging injustice across generations. That invites us to reconsider our own moments of discouragement. Setbacks in the struggle for justice are not the end of the story. ew life often emerges from places of loss and despair.
Ultimately, Easter invites us to live differently, to embody resurrection in our daily lives, and to practice compassion, pursue equity and equality, and confront injustice with courage. The empty tomb is more than something to “believe in” in the sense of belonging to a creed; it also tells a truth at the heart of every movement for change: change doesn’t happen without struggle and setbacks. Even in our midnight moments, the dawn is still ahead. Winter gives way to spring. And in that light, the resurrection is something to participate in. It asks us to roll away stones in our own communities, to bring life where there is death, and to come together in the ongoing work of renewal. In a world still marked by injustice and inequality, Easter proclaims that another way is possible, and we are called to be part of bringing it to life.
Lastly, in our reading this week, the role of women as the first proclaimers of the resurrection is both striking and theologically profound. At a moment when the narrative turns from death to new life, it is women, specifically Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary,” who are entrusted with the first announcement of the risen Jesus. This detail is not incidental; it is central to understanding the nature of the gospel itself.
In the cultural and legal context of the first century Mediterranean world, women’s testimony was often marginalized or dismissed. Yet Matthew deliberately places these women at the heart of the resurrection story. They are the first to encounter the empty tomb, the first to receive the angelic proclamation, “He is not here; for he has been raised.” And they are the first to be commissioned to share this good news with the other disciples. Their role subverts conventional patriarchal expectations, signaling that the resurrection inaugurates not only new life but also a rending and reordering of social hierarchies.
The women are not passive observers but active participants. They come to the tomb with intention, and though they experience fear, they also embody “great joy.” This combination of awe and courage becomes the posture of authentic proclamation. When they encounter the risen Jesus himself, they respond with renewed commitment. And Jesus reiterates the commission the angel already gave them: they are to go and tell Jesus’ other disciples to meet him in Galilee. It’s a significant difference from other post-resurrection narratives in the Synoptics. In this moment, these women function as apostles: they are the ones sent with a message, and their witness forms the bridge between the resurrection and the gospel.
If we are to center the gospel in Jesus’ resurrecting rather than his dying, we must receive the gospel first proclaimed by women witnesses. Before any formal preaching, before the commissioning of the eleven, the women carry this good news. The gospel, then, is first proclaimed not in a synagogue or public square but along a road through the voices of those whose authority society often questioned. This underscores a key theme in Matthew: God’s reign is revealed through those on the margins, those overlooked or undervalued by dominant systems of power.
The contrast in Matthew 28 between the women and the Roman guards further highlights their role. While the guards are bribed to spread a false narrative, the women faithfully bear truthful witness despite the risks. Matthew sets up a clear tension between competing proclamations: one rooted in fear and self-preservation, the other in hope. The integrity of the women’s testimony becomes foundational to the teaching of Jesus living on in the lives of his disciples.
Theologically, this moment reshapes how we understand authority in the community of Jesus’ followers. Authority is not grounded in status, gender, or institutional power, but in an encounter with the gospel and a commitment to following Jesus’ teachings in the work to reshape our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for all. The women’s role in this week’s story anticipates that broader work. They bear witness to resurrection in ways that challenge injustice and expand inclusion from the very beginning of the gospel and the proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection.
In our reading this week, we encounter women who are not merely witnesses to the resurrection but are its first heralds. Their voices carry the initial echo of the gospel, reminding readers that the good news begins on the margins, transforming individuals as well as the structures that shape human community.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. What good news is the story of Jesus’ resurrection reminding you of this year? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
I want to say a special thank you to all of our supporters out there. And if you would like to join them in supporting Renewed Heart Ministries’ work you can do so by going to renewedheartministries.com and clicking donate.
My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
As always, you can find Renewed Heart Ministries each week on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Threads. If you haven’t done so already, please follow us on your chosen social media platforms for our daily posts.
If you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.
Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
I love each of you dearly,
I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 15: The Resurrection and Our Hope for Liberation
Matthew 28:1-10
Ultimately, Easter invites us to live differently, to embody resurrection in our daily lives, and to practice compassion, pursue equity and equality, and confront injustice with courage. The empty tomb is more than something to “believe in” in the sense of belonging to a creed; it also tells a truth at the heart of every movement for change: change doesn’t happen without struggle and setbacks. Even in our midnight moments, the dawn is still ahead. Winter gives way to spring. And in that light, the resurrection is something to participate in. It asks us to roll away stones in our own communities, to bring life where there is death, and to come together in the ongoing work of renewal. In a world still marked by injustice and inequality, Easter proclaims that another way is possible, and we are called to be part of bringing it to life.
Available on all major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
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