Changing our minds is the difficult thing—

            A very good Biblical word has been lost in our contemporary Christian conversation. The word is “repent.” The basic meaning of the word, repent, in the New Testament is “to change one’s mind.” Jesus began his earthly ministry proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is coming.” He called men and women to embrace the new ways of thinking required for life in the kingdom of heaven. If a person decided to come after him, Jesus warned that they should be prepared to change some ways of thinking, abandon some precious beliefs, forsake some strongly held opinions, and discard some engrained prejudices.

            This call to repent was especially difficult for the people of the first century. The Pharisees believed that their good behavior and their devotion to the law assured them of God’s favor. Yet, Jesus repeatedly challenges their defining beliefs and their relationship to God. For Jesus, the stakes were high for the Pharisees because they were so close to the kingdom of God. Jesus called the Sadducees to repent. The Sadducees were the wealthy, the powerful, and the politically connected. They used the law and the religious traditions to increase their wealth and to punish anyone who threatened the status quo. Jesus called for the Zealots to change their attitude. They demanded change through rebellion and violence. They dreamed of honoring God by driving out the Romans and reestablishing the kingdom as it existed under David and Solomon.

            If good respectable people of the first century found Jesus’ call to repent difficult to swallow, sinners choked too on repentance. A woman is caught in the very act of adultery. Her accusers desire to stone her. Jesus intervenes. He scatters her accusers by inviting the one without sin to cast the first stone. Her accusers silenced. Jesus refuses to condemn her. He simply says, “Go and sin no more.” The woman at Jacob’s well attempted to conceal the fact that she had been married multiple times. When Jesus exposes her secret, she feels threatened and becomes defensive. Yet, in time, she discovers that her encounter with Jesus frees her because he knew everything about her. She no longer was a castaway, but a full member of God’s family.

            When we are called to change our minds or to jettison beliefs, there must be some authority we recognize. When I was a younger person living at home, our suppertime was also a time for intense debates. We argued about lots of things. My brother and I challenged my parents’ knowledge. Just outside the kitchen door, there was a bookshelf laden with the 1964 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. It was our authority. We recognized its power to correct us and to settle disputes.

            Jesus calls us to repent and to become participants in the kingdom of God. What is his authority? Well, simply, he is the king of the kingdom. Through his teachings, he shares with us the values and the rules of the God movement. We do not listen to him long before we realize that in his kingdom everything is reversed. Poor people are royalty. Rich people become poor. Outcasts get invited to the banquet the respectable folks ignored. Those last in line get to go to the front of the line. Those in the front get to go to the back. Citizens of the kingdom don’t just love the people who love them, but they love their enemies, too. The people of the kingdom refuse violence by turning the other cheek. If Jesus calls us to repent, he also has to offer alternative ways of thinking. When we repent, we acknowledge his authority to set the rules.

            I guess repentance is missing from contemporary religious language because we secretly don’t want to deal with Jesus. We prefer our own thoughts, prejudices, and perceptions. Recently, I was asked, “Why must I forgive?” The answer was quite simple, “Jesus commands us to forgive.” It really is that simple though we find it hard to believe. Liberation comes as we forsake our anger and grudge-bearing to forgive. Repentance calls us to forsake hostility and embrace love.

            Repentance does call us back to an encounter with Jesus. We are either obedient or rebellious. We either trust his way or we insist on our way. Yet, if we want to be citizens of the kingdom we must live according to the decrees of the kingdom. The wonderful good news is that the decrees of King Jesus always set us free and bring us peace. The changing of our minds is the difficult thing.jamie