Turn Around
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah
when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.”
Matthew 3:1–3
Turn Around
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” were the young man’s words as he bumped and pushed through the thick crowd. Cries of “Hey” and “Watch Out!” raised from the crowd around him as people found themselves elbowed out of the way. He pushed by one elderly woman who was nearly knocked to the ground, her purse spilling out across the floor, when a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder. The young man half turned his head, raised a hand and offered a rushed, “I’m so sorry”, but when he tried to continue on through the crowd, the man’s hand tightened like a vice. Turning, the young man looked up to see a towering figure before him. The man said in a quietly warning voice, “If you’re sorry, you’re gonna help the lady out”.
Sorry is a word that is used all too often and all too rarely. It is often used as a cheap way of getting out of trouble. Young children learn from an early age that sorry can be a magic word. A quick, “I’m sorry” can keep them from a time out or keep them from being yelled at. As we get older we continue this trend offering this simple phrase to keep peace, but having no real intention of changing our behavior.
John the Baptist was given a specific mission from God to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. He came with a simple message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. The greek term for repent is metanoeo. A.T. Robertson in his seminal work, Word Pictures in the New Testament, has this to say about the term repent, “Broadus used to say that this is the worst translation in the New Testament. The trouble is that the English word “repent” means “to be sorry again” from the Latin repoenitet (impersonal). John did not call on the people to be sorry, but to change (think afterwards) their mental attitudes (μετανοειτε [metanoeite]) and conduct.”[1]
Repentance is more than just offering a passing “sorry” for wrongs done. It is even more than offering heartfelt apologies. True repentance is turning around mentally and physically from sin. In the case of the young man running through the crowd, it means stopping, helping the woman pick up her things, and then proceeding to walk carefully through the crowd. This does not mean that the young man will never again recklessly careen through a crowd, but that when he is faced with his sin, he does more than pay lip service. He turns around and changes his thoughts and actions.
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Mt 3:2.