“Repent and believe in the good news!” These are the first words out of Jesus’ mouth in Marks gospel and they are meant as a summary of the entire Gospel.

But what do these words mean? In English, the word “repent” is often misunderstood. It seems to imply that we have already done something wrong, regret it and now commit ourselves to live in a new way. Repentance, understood in this way, means to live beyond a sinful past. Biblically, this is not quite what is meant.

In the gospels, the particular word used for repentance is metanoia. This means to do an about face, to turn around, to face in an entirely new direction. It takes its root in two Greek words: meta – beyond; and nous – mind. Literally, metanoia means to move beyond our present mind – set, beyond our present way of seeing things.

It is interesting to consider that many of the miracles of Jesus are connected to opening up or otherwise healing someone’s eyes, ears or tongue. Eyes are opened in order to see more deeply and spiritually; ears are opened in order to hear more compassionately; and tongues are loosened in order to praise God more freely and to speak words of reconciliation and love to each other. To repent is to allow God to open our minds and heal us so that we can turn and face in a completely new direction.
 

To repent is to allow God to open our minds and heal us