Preaching & Repentance - Part 1 (of 3)
Matthew 4:17 - Preaching & Repentance
Jesus’s first sermon was only nine words (in English).
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Mt. 4:17
His message was unmistakably clear and consistent.
On clarity —> He was to the point.
On consistency —> Same message as His forerunner, John the Baptist.
But what does He mean by His first imperative command to “Repent…”?
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In the original Greek, “Repent” is “Metanoeite.”
This word carries within it a landscape of transformation.
Meta can mean behind, after, or beyond. For example, the word “metaphysics” refers to immaterial reality which underlies or is beyond the physical.
Noeite is from the root nous, for intellect, reason, or mind.
In one sense, Jesus’s command is a call for a changed mind, to the point of transformation.
But this is not simply a change of opinion.
It’s a complete realignment of our purpose and beliefs and a shift of our existential awareness toward His way of being.
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Why this command?
The Church Fathers often speak of sin’s twofold effect: it darkens the mind and weakens the will.
When Paul alludes to this in his letter to the Romans - “…They became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Rm 1:21) - he’s referring to sin’s distortion of the interior vision and volition of the heart.
This distortion makes us both incapable of communing with Truth and unable to want the Good with any firmness.
In this context, repentance is not simply a turning away from sin.
It is, quite literally, a reorientation toward the Real.
So Jesus’s first word - metanoeite - is aimed precisely at the wound of sin.
His command to repent is meant to heal.
Onward and upward,
Ted
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