$H!T Jesus Says. Part 1: Repent

J. Kirk Richards. Sermon on the Mount, oil on panel

Jesus says what he says to wake us out of our complacency; to change and transform us from the inside out. So, if you’re not offended in some way or another, then you’re probably not taking Jesus’ words to heart, or living out his truths in any meaningful way.

Let’s begin by talking about the elephant in the room - the title of our summer sermon series. “Shit Jesus Says.”
 
If you find it shocking or are offended by it then buckle up because nearly everything Jesus says has shocked or offended someone.  

What is more common for us, it was radical for Jesus to say things like, “Pray for your enemy” (Mt. 5:44) or “Turn the other cheek” (Mt. 5:38-39).

Jesus gets pretty dark too and says things like, “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out” (Mt. 5:29).

​Or my favorite, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54). Egads! Right?​

We could argue if the gospel writers are quoting him verbatim, but that would miss the point of what they are trying to make. Jesus says what he says to wake us out of our complacency; to change and transform us from the inside out.

​So, if you’re not offended in some way or another, then you’re probably not taking Jesus’ words to heart, or living out his truths in any meaningful way.
 
Jesus came to change us. That’s how he saves us. But most of us don’t like change. We would rather accept the status quo, or at least side with it, because it’s harder to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow him.

Yet, change is inevitable. It’s bound to happen to everyone who dares to live by the amazing shit Jesus says. But don’t take my word for it, here’s what Jesus has to say:

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”   
​                                              - Matthew 4:17 - 

In three of the four gospels, Jesus begins his ministry saying the same thing, “Repent.” 

​According to Matthew, this wasn’t a new message. Along the riverbank, John the Baptist was saying the same thing as he baptized folks in the Jordan. This tells me it must be something important; something we ought to take seriously.

Now, hearing the word “repent” used to raise the hackles on the back of my neck. Often conjuring up old memories of screaming, sweaty preachers wagging their fingers at me, and telling me I would spend eternity in the flames of God’s BBQ grill if I didn’t renounce sin the way they thought I should.
 
In seminary I discovered Jesus doesn’t say “repent” he says “metanoia” which means something very different in the Greek. Our confusion began when St. Jerome translated the Bible from Greek to Latin. He translated “metanoia” as “due penance” which eventually evolved into repent.
​
If we parse the Greek, we learn “meta” means “to go beyond” and “noia” means “mind.” The most literal meaning would be “to go beyond one’s mind.” Or to use common vernacular I think Jesus is saying, “change your mind.”
 
You see, Jesus is not demanding us to feel remorseful or penitent for our sins, which are good for us to do - we should feel contrite especially when we harm others. And of course, Jesus didn’t come to shame us or guilt us to believe him either. He came to transform and to save us.
 
He starts by emphatically saying, change your way of doing things so sin is no longer a thought. Jesus begins his ministry by reorienting our entire perspective; one that sees the world and our lives through the lens of God’s kingdom. 
 
As we will discover, Jesus wants more from his followers than to simply learn some new social ethic. He wants us to embody and live this new ethic in a way that will shock and offend the world awake. He wants an inward change, a change of heart, a change of thinking, a change in the way we see and approach the world.
 
So, we can say with some great degree of confidence that true repentance moves us away from our self-centered ways to a God-centered worldview that challenges the established norms and systems of power we have created.
 
This is exactly what got Jesus in trouble and eventually killed. He didn’t play by the rules of the world. Instead, Jesus was perfectly obedient the rules of God. He says it himself, “I didn’t come to change the laws and prophets, but to uphold them” (Mt. 5:17-18). This earned him the title in John’s gospel as the very Word of God (John 1:1; 14). Jesus lived God’s word, or Torah, so perfectly that the two became one.
 
Metanoia is not only a doorway for us to reimagine how we perceive reality, make decisions, and interact with others it is also a way to be one with Christ who ushers in a new world and a new world order.
 
Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Spoiler alert! This heaven Jesus is talking about is this space we call Anamesa.

​If we are to believe what Jesus says is true, then heaven is not just some far away celestial, all-inclusive resort. It’s here, in this present space and time. It’s happening right now.
 
Which is why it is imperative for each one of us to look within ourselves and ask, “How does knowing that God has brought heaven to us, change or challenge the way you see and interact with all of creation?”

Although these sayings are nearly 2,000 years old, Jesus’ words are still relevant today. Given the current challenges the world is facing, it’s becoming more apparent that we need to change both the way we understand the kingdom of heaven and how we live in it - economically, politically, legally, and relationally. 

If we are going to take what he says seriously, then we must take an honest look at our own complicity in these systems.
 
We live in an age where material and economic success is often achieved at the expense of human dignity and flourishing. Jesus says, “You cannot serve two masters” (Mt. 6:24)  It’s either God or wealth. Never both
 
Jesus also says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. And to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17) He isn’t telling us to build a Christian nation or to belong to any particular political party. He is reminding us that this world and everything in it belongs to God to whom we must give our true allegiance.
 
Like we see in our own country, governments around the world are under threat from arrogance, corruption and power struggles that are undermining justice; perpetuating inequality and oppression, by favoring the rich over the poor. How quickly we forgot Jesus says, “Whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave” (Mt. 20:27).
 
While individualism continues to erode our relationships, communities and solidarity, what Jesus said then still rings true, “love your neighbor” (Mark 12:30-31) and “reconcile with those who have harmed you” (Mt. 5:23-24).
 
Again, Jesus isn’t telling us to repent so we can get into heaven. He’s inviting us to change the way we think so heaven can get into us.
 
Through Christ, “God is changing the world,” writes Richard Rohr. “But to get everyone and everything there, God needs people who are willing to enter this kingdom and transform it into “life and life more abundantly” (John 10:10).
 
To follow Jesus is to embody his likeness, mimic his actions, and to live faithfully by his words. When we see the world through his eyes, we can’t help but be moved into action.
 
When we feel the world through his heart, it’s impossible not to express compassion and mercy; especially to the weak, marginalized and poor.
 
When we reimagine the world through all the weird things he says, we can’t help but be moved to make real changes and real differences in our own lives and in the lives of others.
 
The kingdom of heaven has come. It’s here. It’s now. So let us repent. And enter into its glory; loving God, loving others, and serving both in the name of Christ Jesus, amen.
 
 
WORK CITED
Adapted from Be The Way…Or In The Way. January 26, 2020.
Adapted from Change Your Mind. Change Your Direction. January 22, 2023.
Rohr, Richard. The Mind Does Not Like To Change. January 25, 2020.