The Greek for “repent” (metanoeo) means, “to change one’s mind.” However, given Matthew’s emphasis on “bearing fruit,” his idea of “repentance” probably goes back to the Hebrew shuv — “to change one’s ways.” It involves more than just thinking in a different way. The word “Repent” is really a command, and is in the present tense, which denotes continual or repeated actions, i.e., “Keep on repenting!” Repentance is not a door we pass through once that gets us into the kingdom; repentance is the ongoing life of the kingdom people here and now. Warren Carter enhances this understanding by noting that when people repent when prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight. Both “way” and “path” are metaphors for God’s will and purposes (Deut 5:33; Jer 7:23; Matt 7:13-14). God’s purposes, manifested in Jesus, will be experienced either as salvation or as condemnation depending on one’s response to the call – here seen in John’s call to repent. To repent signifies, then, not only specific changes in structures and ways of living, but a basic receptivity to God’s purposes.

Repentance is also a daily renewal of our baptismal vows.  St Paul wrote: “Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life” (Roman 6:3–4). It is living the newness of life that is the focus of repentance best understood. But there is a potential pitfall. If we understand living the newness of life as a sequence of “I can” – “I am sorry for my sins. I can do better. I can please you, God.” Then we over accent our “doing” to our openness to God’s will.  It is the subtle difference between our turning to God without recognizing that in Jesus God has turned to us.

In repenting we ask the God, who has turned towards us, buried us in baptism and raised us to new life, to continue his work of putting us to death. In other words, to repent is to volunteer and ask that the “death of self” which God began to work in us in baptism continue to this day. The repentant person comes before God saying, “I can’t do it myself, God. Let me die to self so that you can give me new life. You buried me in baptism. Bury me again today. Raise me to a new life.” That is the language of repentance. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. 

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand

¹ In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea ² (and) saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  (Mt 3:1-2) What should be our response to the coming of heaven? Should it be worship, praise and giving thanks? Ironically, those are good responses, but in Matthew’s gospel, not the ideal ones. Jesus never reprimands people for failing to worship or give thanks in this gospel (compare Luke 17:17-18), but he does rebuke those who have witnessed his mighty works and not repented (11:20-24). For Matthew, the ideal response seems to be repentance. We know from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew that people can worship God with their lips even when their deeds demonstrate that their hearts are far from God (15:3-9). Thus, the responsive worship of the crowds in 9:8 and 15:31 is commendable but will be in vain if performed with unrepentant hearts.  It is Matthew’s warning to the overtly religious of his day, the Pharisees and Sadducees – and perhaps to us in this season of Advent – it is good to want to celebrate and praise, but make your priority repentance.  Let the coming one change our lives. 

⁴ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. Boring [156] offers, “The description of John’s clothing and food serves to separate him from elegant society and to identify him with the wilderness that was to be the scene of eschatological renewal.” At the same time John appears in the wilderness, he taps into a broad sense among the common people that there is need for something more than the highly ritualized Temple worship and all the technicalities and demands that accompanied the prescribed offerings. People began to wonder if theirs was the time a new Elijah would appear proclaiming the Messiah.  The Gospels of Matthew and Mark both point to an expectation that John is the expected Elijah (cf. 2 Kgs 1:8), an identification that Matthew will later make more explicit and place in the mouth of Jesus (11:14). Even his food separates him from the privileged. Locusts, described as ritually clean food in Lev 11:22 and eaten by the poorer people.

There was something going on in the wilderness. ⁵ At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him ⁶ and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.  Baptism had its place in Jewish tradition – something more than ritual cleansing that could be repeated. Pools used for immersion and washing have been discovered in the Temple ruins, households and in the Qumran communities. Traditionally baptism was a sign of a gentle entering the Jewish faith. John seems to capture this sense of immersion, but reimagines the ritual for one with eschatological implication, calling people back to the true covenant relationship with God. Where Mark’s gospel associated baptism with the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4), but Matthew omits that feature of John’s baptism. Matthew’s point to an entry into life of faith and covenant. Forgiveness is something Matthew reserved for Jesus and later the Church.

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Image credit: John the Baptist Preaching | Pieter Lastman | 1219 | Art Institute of Chicago | PD-US