“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — Matthew 4:17 

TL;DR: 

Jesus’ message is not passive belief; it’s active participation. He asks many things of those who follow, but His first, last, and most important message is repentance. Repentance is not one command among many; it is the framework within which all of Jesus’ teaching is meant to be lived. Why, then, do we know so little about this word?

In modern usage, repentance has been reduced to regret or apology. Biblically, it means something far more radical: a deep change in orientation, a turning (or returning) towards God (your highest self, for those flinching at the word ‘God’), towards life as it is meant to be lived. 

This leaves an important question: why should we repent? 

Becoming an apprentice

We have established that Jesus’ message is not passive. He is asking to act. 

In the book Practising the Way, John Mark Comer explores  what it really meant in first-century Judea to follow a Rabbi like Jesus: 

“You would leave your family, your village, your trade, and follow your Rabbi twenty-four seven”. 

The goal of a disciple was simple yet demanding: to be with their teacher, to become like them, and eventually to do what they did.

Jesus Himself confirms this when He says:

“…whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…” – John 14:12

When we hear that Peter dropped his nets to follow Jesus, this is not a minor detail; it is the point. Following Jesus was not something to be sampled; it required total commitment, a decisive step onto a new path, wherever the teacher might lead.

Repentance 

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls His followers into many practices, including forgiveness, mercy, reading scripture, prayer, fasting, silence and solitude, Sabbath rest, simplicity, gratitude, generosity, and hospitality. Each of these is individually important, but when they come together, they point to a higher purpose. 

The golden thread that brings all of Jesus’ teachings together is repentance. The detailed instructions Jesus gives through His ministry and life are all about how and why to repent. 

It is telling that when Jesus first begins teaching in Matthew’s Gospel, ‘repent’ is the opening word: 

From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17

This verse suggests not only that it was the first thing Jesus said, but also that it was a primary theme of His message. He did not say it once; He went around saying it. 

Appearing around 75 times in the New Testament, repentance is clearly central to the biblical narrative.

Before we explore why, let’s unpack what it actually means. 

What is repentance? 

As with many words in modern times, the true meaning of repentance has been somewhat lost. These days, it is usually equated to ‘being sorry’. 

Repentance comes from the Greek word metanoia. In the original Biblical sense, it has a much deeper meaning than ‘sorry’; it represents a transformative shift, a ‘turning around’ in your thinking, purpose, and life. 

So the true meaning of repentance is linked to our orientation: are we turning towards God or away from God? 

At this point, I do not want to lose any atheist readers by talking about God. The teachings of Jesus are fully applicable whether you believe in God or not, and it is my view that if you discover how much your life can change by trusting this wandering first-century Rabbi, you will realise that there is something supernatural going on. 

This is how Jesus preached, through practical, life-changing lessons. 

Is Jesus really asking us to turn?

If repentance truly stands at the centre of Jesus’ message, we should expect to see it echoed throughout Scripture. Let’s dive in. 

• More repentance:  

In the book of Luke, we encounter a very rare and interesting occurrence in the Bible where Jesus says the same sentence twice, just two verses apart. We hear of two tragedies reported to Jesus: Galileans slaughtered by Pilate and others killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed. The unspoken assumption of the crowd is that those who died must have been deserving of death. 

“I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” – Luke 13:3

“I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” – Luke 13:5

By repeating the same warning twice, Jesus makes the point unmistakable: the appropriate response is not judgment of others, but repentance.

Later in the book of Luke, after the resurrection, we hear Jesus talking: 

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” – Luke 24:46–47

We know that forgiveness of sin is a fundamental part of the Christian faith. Here in the book of Luke, Jesus is unambiguous. For the forgiveness of sin, repentance is the price. 

There are some interesting parallels between the previous verse and one of the most well-known verses in the whole bible, known as ‘the great commission’. 

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  – Matthew 28:16-20

Both verses tell us what will be preached to all nations once Jesus is gone. The verse from Luke tells us that repentance for the forgiveness of sin will be preached to all nations in Jesus’ name. The great commission tells us that all nations are to be taught to obey everything Jesus commanded. 

By comparing these two verses, we can reasonably conclude that ‘teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’ is best understood as ‘repentance for the forgiveness of sin’.

In other words, Jesus Himself is telling us that all of His teaching can be summed up as ‘repentance for the forgiveness of sin’. It is worth pausing to reflect on this for a moment. Jesus is presenting His entire body of teaching to us in one sentence. 

Following Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, we continue to hear of the importance of repentance. During Pentecost, Peter tells us: 

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38

Once again in Acts, Peter confirms that in the absence of repentance, our sins are not forgiven. He tells us during a temple sermon: 

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” – Acts 3:19

Again in Acts, we hear that repentance is connected to the forgiveness of sin, this time from the Apostles before the Sanhedrin:

“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead, whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.” – Acts 5:30–31

Another interesting verse from the book of Acts draws a connection between repentance and ‘life’. 

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” – Acts 11:18

This is an important connection to be made, because life in this context means eternal life. The pattern is consistent: repentance leads to forgiveness of sin, which in turn leads to life.

At the end of the New Testament, in Revelation, we read the following: 

“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” – Revelation 2:5

Back to the Old Testament, the message is once again repeated by the prophet Ezekiel: 

“Repent and turn from all your sins, so that sin will not be your downfall.” – Ezekiel 18:30

• Turn

As we already learned, the Greek word for repentance is ‘metanoia’, which means to ‘turn’. Jesus calls directly for turning in several places, including this famous verse in the book of Matthew:

“Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the parable of the Prodigal Son. After the son has squandered his wealth and becomes a worker on a pig farm, he decides to return to his father. 

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father…’” – Luke 15:17–18

Back to the Old Testament, we read a pivotal passage in which God tells the prophet Isaiah to deliver a message to Israel: 

“For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” – Isaiah 6:9-10

Interestingly, comparing different biblical versions of this verse reveals that the word ‘turn’ is equated with the Hebrew word ‘Teshuvah’, which means ‘returning’ and also means repentance. It feels significant to understand repentance not just as turning but as re-turning. Coming back to where we were before. 

Once again in Isaiah, we read: 

“Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” – Isaiah 55:7

In Acts, we find a beautiful verse where Paul recounts his legendary Damascus Road encounter with the risen Jesus. In this verse, there are many consecutive metaphors that all relate to repentance: closed to open eyes, turning, darkness to light, Satan to God, and faith in Jesus:

“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” – Acts 26:17–18

• Believe

‘Believe’ is one of the most important words in the Bible, appearing 241 times in the New Testament. Some of the most well-known verses contain the word: 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” – John 11:25

The Greek word used for ‘believe’ in the New Testament is pisteuō. It comes from the root pistis, which means faith, trust, or faithfulness. 

“Pisteuō” doesn’t just mean intellectual agreement (like believing a fact is true). It implies trust, faithfulness, and living in alignment with that trust. 

Belief, in the biblical sense, cannot be separated from the way that we live our lives.

So in the context of John 3:16 and 11:25, ‘believe’ means to entrust yourself to Jesus, to walk with Him, not just to agree that he exists.

• Taking a new path: 

Another way to think about ‘repentance’ or ‘turning’ is as a change of direction or path. This idea fits well with what Jesus famously says about the wide and narrow roads:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14

• Convert

A widely used word in the Christian faith, the word conversion (or convert) does not actually appear in the Greek Bible at all; the idea dates to a later time and is included in some English Bible versions. 

The word originates from Middle English, where it meant to turn around.

John’s Gospel and the real meaning of repentance. 

When I first realised the potential importance of repentance, I was still reading the New Testament for the first time. Arriving at John’s Gospel, I could not believe my eyes… repentance is not mentioned once! Because of this, it turns out, many think that repentance cannot be the centrepiece of Jesus’ message. 

What John does say is ‘believe’ or ‘trust’, almost 100 times. 

Other key words and phrases used in John’s Gospel that are just another way of saying repentance: 

“Come to me”

“you refuse to come to me that you may have life” – John 5:40

“whoever comes to me shall not hunger” – John 6:35

“whoever comes to me I will never cast out” – John 6:35

“Follow”

“Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness” – John 8:12

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me” – John 12:26 

Although John does not use the word ‘repentance’, he endlessly describes its reality.

What am I trying to say?

Repentance and where it leads us should not be seen as just a part of the Gospel; it is the Gospel. Repentance is the narrow gate that leads to life, and Jesus was crucified to bring this message of Good News to the world. 

The bible is overflowing with language and stories that support this conclusion. Below, I have chosen what I believe to be the most important verses, showing that Jesus began and ended with the same message, repentance for the forgiveness of sin: 

1. The start of Jesus’ ministry: 

From that time, Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — Matthew 4:17

2. Jesus predicts His crucifixion and resurrection, as well as what will come after: 

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” – Luke 24:46–47

3. The Great Commission that follows Jesus’ resurrection calls the Apostles to ministry: 

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:16-20

4. Finally, Paul, recounting his Damascus Road encounter with the risen Jesus, confirms again what the ministry of Jesus was to be after His departure: 

“I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” – Acts 26:17–18

What am I not saying?

I am not saying that repentance replaces other teachings. It brings them into alignment and orients them toward Jesus.

Without repentance as the guiding principle, the individual teachings risk becoming the end in themselves, a source of pride and spiritual narcissism rather than the narrow road that leads to life.