In this episode, Ken returns to the work of Walter Brueggemann, this week exploring the tension between order and justice in the New Testament through the life and ministry of Jesus. Brueggemann contends that God is always on the side of justice, even when it disrupts the order of theday. Jesus focused much of his ministry on those excluded from societal benefits enjoyed by those with power, showing compassion not only through individual acts of justice and mercy but by boldly challenging systems that oppressed anddehumanized the powerless. He exposed how law, order, and religious systems and structures were often used to manipulate and preserve power for some at the expense of so many others.

According to Brueggemann, opposition to Jesus was mobilized primarily because his actions threatened the political and economic order of his time. When we stand with the harmed and marginalized, the powers that be – those who benefit from the status quo – will often move against us. Jesus calls the Church to share in his mission – to be his hands and feet in ministries of justice and prophetic protest.

Jesus represented God’s intervention into the social powers, institutions, and ideologies that crushed the powerless and diminished human dignity. The prophetic witness of both the Old and New Testaments affirms that God’s desire for justice cannot be contained. God’s will WILL be done, and the Kingdom WILL come. So take courage and do not lose hope in the pursuit of justice and the ministry of shalom. Good Friday has passed, and Easter is coming!

This episode was recorded on February 6th, 2026.