A Call to Think Differently
A Call to Think Differently
Did you know that the biblical word “repentance,” or μετάνοια (metanoia) in the Greek, literally means “a change of mind.”
Before Jesus—God-wrapped-in-flesh—began His earthly ministry, John the Baptist stood on the bank of the Jordan River shouting, “Repent!”
Perhaps you, like me, were taught that John was sent to the Jews as a precursor to Jesus, to tell the them it was time to clean up their act (i.e. “stop sinning”), so that they would be deserving of, or at the very least, ready for their salvation. And if that’s the way you understood that narrative as well, then it makes perfect sense now when some Christians preach a salvation message that starts with someone needing to give up (or at least, be prepared to give up) all of their sins before they can receive the salvation Jesus offers.
But if that was the message John was preaching to prepare the way for the Messiah, it begs the question, why did John have such a problem with the Pharisees and Sadducees? Because if John’s objective was to convince people to take God’s laws seriously—well, no one was taking them more seriously than the Jewish religious leaders of that time. In fact, in their effort to keep God’s laws, they had gone so far as to add stricter laws on top of God’s laws, hedging themselves in, so that they wouldn’t even accidentally break one of God’s laws. As self-righteousness goes, there were few more righteous than the Pharisees and Sadducees. Yet when the Pharisees and Sadducees approached the place where John was preaching and baptizing, he called them a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7).
So what if the message John the Baptist was preaching wasn’t “stop sinning”? What if we’ve misunderstood the whole point of his message? What if that was never the reason why John was sent before Jesus? Because to repent is not to “stop sinning.” To repent is to “have a change of mind”—or in faith terms, to let God cause us to think differently about something than we did before.
When John stood on the banks of the Jordan River shouting, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (see Matthew 3:1-3), John was literally appealing to the Jews to think differently—to be open to the possibility that they’d misunderstood or misbelieved about God’s plan for their redemption.
Why? Because God was about to do something that, if their minds were closed off to anything different from what they’d been taught, different from what they’d always believed, or different from what they’d been expecting, they’d never be able to perceive it, believe it, or receive it.
Though the prophet Isaiah had spoken of the coming Messiah long before, the Jewish people had somehow missed the fact that this Messiah would actually be God living among them.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14, ESV
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. - Isaiah 9:6-7, ESV
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
- Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV)
Instead of expecting the God-man, Jesus, the Jews were waiting for another merely human “savior”—someone comparable to Moses or David—their next great human champion, who would deliver them from their earthly enemies. They were waiting for a warrior king to rise up from among their people, who would set them free from the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire.
The Jews had set their expectations far too low, both literally and figuratively.
God, on the other hand, had already set into motion a miracle that was, to the ones who were waiting with eager expectation, entirely unthinkable, and consequently, also unbelievable.
This is why God sent John before Jesus, to appeal to the Jews to “Think differently! Open your mind to a different idea than what you’ve already settled on! Let God convince you of something different than what you’ve been believing! Because the kingdom of heaven has come near… and if you’re not open to the possibility that you’ve been wrong about what that might really look like, you’re going to miss it!”
And sure enough, when Jesus showed up on the scene and began to reveal the truths of the kingdom of heaven to people—truths like “people who belong to My kingdom will love their enemies” and “people who belong to My kingdom will turn the other cheek” and “people who belong to My kingdom will be meek and merciful, and will suffer persecution and slander” and “people who belong to My kingdom won’t judge others” and “people who belong to My kingdom will do what’s right simply because it’s right—not to be rewarded for their goodness”—there were many who hadn’t heeded John’s words. Their minds were set, and so, they could not wrap their heads around what Jesus was telling them. This couldn’t possibly have been the new kingdom their long-awaited Messiah had come to usher in.
So when Jesus finally declared to the people, “Behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:21), which is to say, “It’s here now already—I brought it with Me. It’s Me. The kingdom of heaven is a person, not a place. It’s not about territory or land or occupation or human government; it’s about God dwelling with you. And I’m here. I’m here to teach you, to lead you, and to walk with you. And we’re going to do things differently, from here on out”…
There were some who had listened to John’s appeal to “Think differently, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”—and later, to that same appeal being made by Jesus as He began His ministry (Matthew 4:17)—who were able to receive Jesus’ words, and to believe Him. And while their worldly citizenship, situation, and government did not change, still they became citizens of a new kingdom: the kingdom of heaven.
But there were also others—many—whose minds were already made up before Jesus came onto the scene; and so, in their unwavering zeal for their preconceived ideas about the “coming Messiah” and His kingdom, they missed both.
That’s a sobering thought. Sobering, because it’s still possible today, for you and me to make the same mistake, and to suffer similar consequences…
John’s appeal still ring true, these thousands of years later: “Think differently!” Because repentance is a huge part of Christianity, both for salvation and for the journey through this life with Christ.
Why? Because God is still doing things in our midst that, if our minds are closed off to anything different from what we’ve been taught, different from what we’ve always believed, or different from what we’ve been expecting, we’ll never be able to perceive it, believe it, or receive it.
We are all prone to having our own hopes, expectations, and ideas about who Jesus was and is, and what His kingdom should look like here on this earth. Sometimes, these hopes, expectations, and ideas are passed down to us from our parents or grandparents; sometimes, they’re shaped by pastors, teachers, activists, influencers, or even political leaders; and sometimes, they’re simply born out of our own thoughts, feelings, and desires.
But if you and I want to know and follow Jesus—the real Jesus, and not just Jesus as we’ve imagined Him to be, then rather than building confidence in what we already know and believe to be true, there’s wisdom in keeping our hearts soft and our minds open to the possibility that we might not have it all figured out just yet. Because no matter how long we’ve been a Christian, or how many church services we’ve attended over the years, or even how many Bible studies we’ve done—none of us is the perfect disciple, and there’s always still room for us to grow and to learn (and to unlearn) and to be made more like Jesus.
The kingdom of heaven is here! It doesn’t look like earthly kingdoms do, and it’s never been good at meeting human expectations. Still, it’s here, right now, in our midst; and we’ve been invited to partake in it! But to do so, first, you and I have got to be willing to think differently… because if we don’t, we’re going to miss it.
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