Read Matthew 4:1-17

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.“

Repentance is rarely discussed today for many reasons, but most of all I think we avoid it for one key reason – change. Repentance is a line in the sand between the OLD and the NEW. Jesus, likewise, offers a whole NEW way of living if we are willing to repent, leaving our old life behind. 

Jesus says the Old Testament (the part of the Bible written before Jesus) was preparing people for His coming which would usher in a whole new way of knowing and following God. This new way of knowing God is for anyone who repents of their sin. They will be forgiven and receive God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in and with them forever. They then know God because he is in and with them!

But all of this starts with repentance. If you were to read through the whole Bible you would see similar but nuanced views of repentance. Christians call the first part of their Bible the Old Testament and comes from the Jewish faith. These writings seem to indicate repentance is a change of direction towards God. The second part of the Bible, the New Testament, covers the writings of the first Christians who followed Jesus and further develops repentance as a deep, fundamental change of mind about God and the way to know him – Jesus’ key message.

In the gospel of Luke (chapter 15) we read a story known as “The Prodigal Son”. However, it may better be called “the Repentant Son” as this is a story of a son who has completely rejected his family, but “comes to his senses”. Once the reality of life apart from his family has dawned upon him, he changes direction and seeks to humbly come home in the hopes that he’ll be accepted as a servant. However, as he approaches the family farm, his father – who has been looking for his return each day – sees him and runs to greet him with overwhelming love and gratitude that his son “who was once lost has been found”. Once the son encounters the love of his Father he then experiences a change of mind. He realises that his dad’s love is unconditional and nothing is being held back!

This is the same journey taken by all those who come to God. We change our direction, give up forging our own road and come looking for God. However, as we seek to do this Jesus makes it clear that the repentance he is looking for requires a whole new way of thinking about God. He is not a father to reject. Nor a father who seeks to punish us for our indignities or rebellions. Our father is the one who has been waiting this whole time and has prepared the way for our return and celebration.

As you read about Jesus, read every command as an invitation to change direction and come to Him. However, he is not a taskmaster to please or a guru to impress. He is the God who has sacrificed himself so that you can experience a new life and a whole new way of knowing Him.