Repent, the Kingdom is Near

Last week, the Gospel reminded us of the meeting between St. John the Baptist and Jesus at the Jordan River. St. John preached repenting from sin and preparing for the coming of the Messiah. The story continues this week, and it is learned that Herod’s fear of the outspoken preacher led him to imprison him. This was the moment for Jesus to take up John’s message and fulfill it with his teaching.

Jesus went back to Galilee and made Capernaum his base for the beginning of his public ministry. In doing so, he fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in the darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death, light has arisen.

Galilee at that time was a highly fertile area, scattered with large villages. It also had seashores where many fishermen earned their living. To the north were the Phoenicians, to the East resided the Syrians, and to the south the Samaritans lived. These people were not the chosen people of Israel; it is to them that Isaiah referred as sitting in the dark.  These Gentiles would hear the words of Jesus because of their proximity to each other.

The first message Jesus chose to proclaim was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” A similar message was uttered by St. John the Baptist. St. John’s words were to prepare his followers to be ready to welcome the Messiah. Since Jesus is the Messiah, his message is much different. He speaks directly to those living in darkness, those who are consumed by and living in their sins. Moreover, saying the kingdom is at hand means the kingdom is personified in the person of Jesus.

The difference between a word, which is a sound spoken by St. John, and the Word itself is that the message comes directly from God. The first message God gives to his people is to repent, for the kingdom has come to them.

What does Jesus mean by repenting? All of us have some idea of what the word means. In everyday parlance, it means being sorry for a bad action we may have committed. A young child, when confronted and disciplined by a parent, is sorry in the face of correction. Usually, the encounter ends with an admonition not to do it again.  The fear of punishment may correct the child, maybe not. In this scenario, the catalyst for change is fear.

By using repentance as the first message of his public teaching, Jesus does not try to scare his listeners. Instead, he encourages those sitting in darkness to consider a far better way of life by embracing the light of goodness.   Repentance in this context must have a component of sorrow, but it does not overshadow a desire to change one’s life more in accordance with the example of Jesus.

Repenting, then, is to decide that the way we are living is not the best version of ourselves.  Once we realize that life is far better when we follow Jesus, we repent. It means we want to change direction, sometimes dramatically, other times just slightly.

Our objective this week is to take the message of repentance seriously. And if we need a course correction, dare to do it.