DAY 18 - VOCAB CHANGE
MILANNA MARTILLARO, CREATIVE & PRODUCTION RESIDENT
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” - Matthew 3:8
Repentance. Growing up in the Catholic church this word had some serious negative connotation for me. It was usually tied to the word “confession” which usually involved a booth with a priest, it was a whole thing. I think in our modern world, the idea of repenting has gathered a very gloomy, sort of heavy reputation when really repentance is a very beautiful, life-giving thing.
Let me geek out with you for a second…
In the bible, there are two main words used for the word we know as “REPENTANCE”. The first being the Hebrew word “SHUV”, which when translated means to return home. In Greek, the word is “METANOIA”, which comes from the root word “METANOEO”. Here the root word “META” means to renew or to restore. And the other root word “NOIO” means “you think”. So in Greek, this word means to change the way you think. I don’t know about you, but this is not how I historically viewed the act of repenting.
For the longest time, I looked at repentance as this shameful act, where I had to muster up the courage to present my regret and remorse to God. When really, the act of repentance was meant to be this beautiful act of returning home to God, of changing your thinking and your mind to be more like that of the Father. To repent is to view the world the way God views the world. True genuine repentance, is not in the slightest bit shameful. Genuine repentance produces fruit within your life. It blesses you and refreshes you. It is not something that divides us from God and shows us how horrible and sinful we are compared to Him. Instead, it’s something that brings us in and helps us return home again.
“‘Return to me’,” declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” - Zechariah 1:3
I think our modern, western idea of thinking has gotten the idea of repentance all wrong. Repentance is not simply just an act, it’s a way of life we were designed to keep. Repentance is something that was designed to keep us close to the heart of the Father, which is the home where we were always meant to dwell. True, authentic, Biblical repentance is life-giving. Repentance done right produces freedom, not shame. And I can’t think of a more ordained and perfect time to begin this practice than right now in our current world. We need closeness with Jesus right now, and repentance breeds that.
It’s not scary, it’s not shameful. It’s not just about what you’ve done or how much you’ve messed up. In fact, it’s not at all about the past. The true definition of repentance within the Bible shows us that repentance is not about the past, but the future. Repentance is about hope. And when we repent, we can see glimpses of the glorious hope that awaits.