Following Jesus Means Pursuing Justice: A Reflection on Faith, Power, and the Margins

For me, taking a stand against injustice is a vital part of what it means to follow Christ. To love your neighbor as yourself. To seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Jesus said he came to bring good news to the poor, to set the captives free, to give sight to the blind, and to proclaim freedom for the oppressed. He consistently reached out to those on the margins—the hurting, the poor, the ostracized, and those seen as “less than.” He repeatedly said that the first would be last and the last would be first, calling this the epitome of the Kingdom of God.

So when I pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, (MT 6: 9,10)” I believe this has to be a vital, primary part of what it means to live as a follower of Christ—to be like Christ.

More Than a Ticket to Heaven

There’s often a message in certain circles that the “main thing” is the individual salvation of souls—whether someone will go to heaven when they die. But to me, salvation is so much more complex and intertwined with life here and now. It’s not just about checking a box or securing a destination.

To know Jesus is to know someone who deeply cares about those who are oppressed. To bring it home: this means queer and immigrant people, people of color, women whose voices have been silenced, people living with disabilities, and those experiencing poverty. These are the voices often discounted and diminished, and Jesus says those voices matter.

The Jesus I know—the one I talk to—says that “the least of these” matter. That my Latino family, friends, and clients matter. That my queer and trans friends and clients matter. That those struggling financially because of systems full of barriers matter.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

This phrase—“keep the main thing the main thing”—is something I’ve often heard in church spaces. It’s usually meant to prioritize “introducing people to Jesus” or “focusing on salvation.” And yet, I find myself feeling flabbergasted at how compartmentalized this can be. How could introducing people to Jesus be separated from pursuing justice and loving mercy?

Isn’t that exactly what Jesus did? He healed, welcomed, fed, called out injustice, and reached for the margins. He didn’t separate the spiritual from the social—he wove them together.

Faithful Resistance to Christian Nationalism

Some who speak out against Christian nationalism focus solely on the legal separation of church and state. I agree—no one religion should dominate the U.S. landscape. But that alone is not enough. We also have to confront the false form of Christianity that is being used to justify exclusion, control, and harm.

Right now, oppression is being carried out in Jesus’ name. That’s why calling out Christian nationalism must also include reclaiming Jesus' true message: one of humility, justice, and radical love.

This distorted Christianity reminds me of the scene in Matthew 19, where people tried to keep children away from Jesus.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’”

It’s not just about literal children. The way many treat marginalized people today—the immigrant, the trans person, the disabled, the poor—echoes that same spirit of exclusion. But Jesus’ response is clear: welcome them. Make space for them. The Kingdom belongs to them.

Jesus Was Marginalized—And He Went Even Further

Jesus didn’t come only to die a terrible death so we could go to heaven. He lived. He was born into a poor, humble context and often had no home. He lived under the oppressive Roman Empire and still reached out to those even more marginalized than he was.

He called out the corruption and mistreatment of others by those in power—especially religious leaders (Matthew 15, Matthew 23). He didn’t just care for disembodied souls. He healed the blind, the crippled, the mute, the imprisoned. He fed the hungry. He acknowledged the suffering of a conquered people (Matthew 17), and he offered a vision of reversal: that in the Kingdom of God, the last would be first.

 Childlike Humility vs. Nationalistic “Greatness”

In Matthew 18, when asked who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus answers:

“Unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven… anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest.”

This “greatness” stands in sharp contrast to the rhetoric of movements like “Make America Great Again” and Christian nationalism. Greatness, according to Jesus, is humility, not domination.

The Rich Young Ruler & the Vineyard Workers

Lately, I’ve been struck by how Matthew 19 and 20 are connected. This shift in awareness came after reading the book “The Politics of Jesus” by Obery Hendricks (Obery. M. Hendricks, Jr. The Politics of Jesus, 2006) and how he explores a different meaning for the parable of the Vineyard Workers. 

But first I would like to back up and explore the context leading up to this parable. In Matthew 19, a rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus lists commandments, which the man says he has kept. Then Jesus says:

“If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

But the man walks away sad, for he had many possessions.

Jesus turns to his disciples and says:

“It’s very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven… It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter.”

He then affirms:

“Everyone who has given up houses, or family, or property for my sake will receive 100 times as much… But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest.” (MT 19:30)

Matthew 20 continues this theme with the parable of the vineyard workers. Often taught as a picture of God’s grace, I’ve started to wonder: What if Jesus is critiquing the landowner? 

Matthew 20 starts out “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like…” thus indicating a continuation from MT 19:30 listed above.

In this passage, the workers who toiled all day were paid the same as those who only worked an hour. There is also a question of whether the vineyard owner was paying a living wage or not, especially for workers who needed to care for family members. In the IVP Bible Background Commentary (IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament, IVP Academic, 1993), Craig Keener states: “A denarius was the normal daily wage for a laborer. It would provide basic subsistence but was not a generous amount by any means.” And Richard Horsely in the book Jesus and Empire states: “The denarius while considered a fair day’s wage, barely covered subsistence for a peasant family under the Roman Taxation system. “ (Richard A. Horsely, Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the World Disorder, Fortress Press, 2003) Vineyard workers often worked one day at a time, living day to day and working for their daily bread and other daily needs. When they spoke up, the landowner stated that the money was his to do with as he pleased. Today, we see similar dynamics with migrant farm workers in the U.S.—underpaid, overworked, and dismissed when they advocate for themselves. They are also “Day laborers,” suffering under an unjust and oppressive system.

Jesus’ words again present a “kingdom” in which things work differently:

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16). No longer will the underpaid, marginalized worker go unconsidered and silenced. The people who heard Jesus’ parable at the time knew the experience of oppression. They lived it! 

Jesus Redefines Leadership

Jesus then goes on to say:

“The rulers in this world lord it over their people… But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader must be your servant. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25–28)

This is the opposite of Christian nationalism, political domination, or pride in privilege. Jesus teaches that greatness means servanthood—especially to the oppressed.

We also see in Matthew 25: 34-40, “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then the righteous ones will reply: ‘Lord when do we ever see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink or a stranger and show you hospitality or naked and give you clothing. When do we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ and the king will say ‘I tell you the truth when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters you were doing it to me!’”

Wow! We see it, that how we treat those who are hungry, sick, in prison, and oppressed matters. It matters so much so that Jesus emphasizes that how we treat others… is how we are treating him.

Justice, Mercy, and Faith: The More Important Things

And in Matthew 23:23, Jesus directly calls out the religious elite:

“What sorrow awaits you… Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith… Do not neglect the more important things.”

So What Is the Main Thing?

If someone says the primary goal of being a Christian is simply to “lead others to Christ,” or “introduce people to Jesus,” then I ask:

Which Christ are you leading them to? 

If it’s the Jesus of the Gospels, then justice and mercy aren’t side issues. They’re essential. Kingdom living starts now—with radical humility, solidarity with the oppressed, and love in action. 

The next time I pray, “The Lord’s prayer,” may I consider the kind of kingdom God has invited me to participate in.