Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (ESV)
I was just thinking that we don’t talk about repentance very much, do we? Why is that? Do we think it’s too offensive to tell someone that they need to repent? Do we not understand it?
The word repent literally means “to think differently.” So, it’s not just something we ‘do.’ It’s a whole new way of thinking. It means we think differently about sin, God, and how we should respond to both.
When Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son, He says that after a long stint of reckless living, the son finally “came to himself,” and then he came to his father and said, “I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” In other words, he realized that his lifestyle wasn’t just harmful to him, but it was an assault on God, Himself. Isn’t that really what sin is?
The prodigal son didn’t just feel sorry for his actions and their consequences, he completely changed his mind about them. Change - isn’t this what Jesus died for? I’m not talking about changing the way we feel or even what we do. Repentance is a change that goes much deeper than that.
Again, repentance isn’t just something we ‘do’ nor is it even feeling sorry for what we did. It’s a new way of thinking, which causes us to respond to God in a new way.
