John the Baptist’s declaration, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near,” must have seemed confusing in the extreme. To begin a process of citizenship by confession and renunciation of sinful behaviour followed by ritual immersion in the local river must have sounded strange to Jewish ears, whose attention was primarily focused on liberation from the occupying Roman power. Nevertheless, they responded in droves, changing their ways and submitting to a baptism of repentance in anticipation of this new kingdom and its long awaited king.

Jesus’ ministry as part of the New Covenant initially and exclusively targeted the children of Israel and the condition of their sinful hearts, as he sought to firstly fulfill the priestly role of His royal calling as the “ram of God”, only later opening up the message to Gentile ears.

Neither John nor Jesus ever suggested regret over sin, the mindset of “I wish I hadn’t thought, said or done that,” nor even remorse — “I feel bad for my sin” — but rather concrete repentance. Simply put, repentance means “reversal” or “to change, turn around, and proceed in the opposite direction.” Paul identified two varieties of such emotion over sin and explained to the Corinthians, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

When Judas betrayed the Messiah for the price of a slave, his remorse did not lead him to any such “godly sorrow” and demonstrable change. Rather, taking matters into his own hands, he took his own life, his hung and bloated body finally falling into the valley of Ben Hinnom.

In contrast, Peter who after Christ’s arrest was positively identified and accused of association with the condemned man by more than two witnesses, denied emphatically even knowing Him, and wept bitterly when his eyes met his master’s as the rooster crowed. After Jesus’ resurrection, however, Peter was fully restored by the very man he had denied and whose own example of faith became the bedrock of faith for millions.

Years later, tradition teaches us Peter’s confession of Jesus of Nazareth led ultimately to his own death also by crucifixion and entirely by his own volition, in stark contrast to his earlier denial purely to save his own skin. He had repented from fear of death to embrace the only legitimate fear Christians may possess — the fear of the Lord. For Judas, however, the final judgment would be so great that Jesus commented it would be “better if he had not been born” (implying a fate awaited him worse than death) whereas Peter gained a place as a beloved son in an everlasting Kingdom.

Jesus’ encounter with the diminutive tax collector Zacchaeus resulted not in a formal apology to all those he had ripped off, but a fourfold multiplication of their financial loss and distribution of half his net wealth to the poor, far exceeding the restorative demands of Mosaic Law. John’s words, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance,” demanded evidence of change. The final proof is thus not what we think or feel, but what we do. Jesus announced Zacchaeus’ salvation on the evidence of such fruit.

Unfortunately, the word repentance can carry with it a negative connotation as there is a tendency to focus on what we are turning from rather than the abundantly freer life we are called towards. Jesus implored the Ephesian church to repent from forsaking their first love and return to the high position they once occupied in His eyes. Paul explained to the Romans that it is God’s patience and loving kindness that leads us to make radical changes in our lives. Repentance is also released as a gift, thus, “Help me change, Lord!” is a legitimate prayer that God will honour. He does not leave us alone to try and overcome sin in our own strength, but offers His Spirit to help us. (Romans 8:13)

One of the many strengths of the Roman Catholic tradition is its emphasis on confession, essentially an admission of responsibility for sin and a declaration of intent to change whilst accessing the forgiveness made available through the cross. In a sense, confession and repentance are inseparably linked. James recognized that secret sins can even foment sickness of the body and soul and encouraged believers to confess their sins to one another and to pray for each other as one of the keys to release healing.

Some years ago, a pastor from the south of England recounted the story of how an imposing member of the notorious Hell’s Angels biker gang, complete with heavily tattooed skin and studded leather uniform presented himself at the front of the meeting after a message on forgiveness and the father heart of God. The biker announced that, quite frankly, he could not conceive how the God the pastor was talking about could ever forgive him for his sins and went on to explain how he had broken every one of the Ten Commandments, some more than once, and had served time in prison for both manslaughter and rape.

At this point, the pastor wisely chose not to reason with the man; rather, he proceeded to invite him to quietly begin to start confessing his sins before the Lord right there and then, and, “We’ll see what the Lord will do.” He described how the ensuing scene was as dramatic as it was sudden. The biker began to mutter softly into thin air then literally shake, sob uncontrollably and descend to the floor as he made the surprise discovery that the offer of redemption was available even for him. The powerful presence he encountered was nothing less than the irresistible and overwhelming adoptive love of God.