It’s an
old-fashioned concept which many people don’t think about today, not even
Christians. The word is ‘repentance’ and most folks avoid it because it
requires honesty and humility. In order to repent, we have to honestly confess
that we have made a mistake which is difficult for a society that justifies
everything. We also have to be humble and confess that we have weaknesses and
faults which damages our pride and deflates our prestige. We are fiercely
individual and self-reliant, so to repent would mean giving up striving for
power, perfection, and position.
The word
in Greek that Mark uses to describe repentance in his gospel is ‘metanoia,’
which involves a realization of being wrong, of feeling our guilt, and seeking
to reverse our mistake. The old way of describing this act of repentance is ‘turning
away from ourselves in order to turn back to God.’ It requires us to sacrifice
our pride and let go of what is holding us back from returning to God. It’s not
an easy process and it truly takes a great deal of effort. It’s not just a matter
of saying ‘sorry’ and moving on – it’s about knowing that we’ve deeply offended
God which causes us to humbly seek divine mercy.
In John’s
time, people were required to publicly profess their sins before being
baptized. That took a lot of courage, especially in a community that strove to
be perfect in both God’s and other people’s eyes. However, when Jesus appeared
on the scene and eventually humbled and sacrificed Himself for our mistakes,
God’s grace was offered in a different way. We still have to repent and humbly
confess our mistakes to Christ, we still have to turn away from ourselves and
look to God for forgiveness and grace, but instead of being baptized publicly
in the River Jordan, we can now be baptized personally by the Holy Spirit in
order to eliminate our sinful, prideful, and past mistakes. With Jesus, we can
be restored to God; with Christ, we can be reconnected to God’s love,
compassion, and care.
So, today,
as we reflect on repentance, let’s ponder for a moment about the things that we
sinfully do which create a barrier between ourselves and God. Let’s honestly
come to Jesus with our humble confessions, so that He can fully forgive us our
past mistakes, strengthen our present resolve, and lead us into a better
future.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, You came into our world to save us from ourselves. We know
that Your perfection eliminates our imperfection and Your humility humbles our
pride. Help us to turn away from ourselves in order to seek God. In Your Holy
Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart
is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor who now lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest baptism drawings. If you would like to see a
larger version, please click this link: Baptism.
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