In every church, in every religious community, you can hear the following calls: “We must repent!”, “We are required to change our way of thinking!..” “We need to make a turn in our lives!..”. And after such loud calls, some church members begin to “do” their repentance, others fall into complete prostration, absolutely not understanding what is required of them, and still others, without changing anything in their lives, repeat in unison with the pastor like parrots: “ we must repent..." It is quite natural that such calls never achieve their goal, but only increase fanatical sentiments in the church among some, and alienate those who have repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to “do” their repentance, but have been disappointed once again. Is it any wonder that many today have no desire to go to church, so as not to once again remind themselves of their sins? Can such a church be called a “trumpet” that produces the right sound? How relevant today are the words of the Apostle Paul: “And if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” (1 Cor. 14:8).
John the Baptist, sent by God, according to the prophecy of Isaiah (Is. 40: 3), was supposed to prepare “the way of the Lord.” Addressing the people of God, people who carefully observed all the requirements of the Mosaic Law, he calls: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). And to the religious leaders who come to him to be baptized, he says: “Produce fruit worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). What did the leaders and people of God need to repent of as they awaited the coming of the Messiah? What does repentance even mean? What should this fruit of repentance be expressed in?
Quite naturally, the Jews hoped for their physical relationship with Abraham, not realizing that they had no spiritual relationship at all. And the baptism performed by John was for them just a new ritual of washing, as an addition to the many they already had. John’s call to “do not think of saying to yourselves: Our father is Abraham” (v. 9), directed their gaze to the spiritual world, which meant a change in life position, a shift in emphasis from the physical to the spiritual. It is not the physical relationship that is important, but the spiritual one, which does not at all depend on the will of a person and his efforts. And careful observance of religious instructions does not at all bring a person closer to spiritual unity with Abraham.
Why did the people of God, on the eve of the coming of the Messiah, need to change their position in life, their direction of thought? What was wrong with their religion? The problem of Israel was not religion, but that the thoughts of the people and priests were displeasing to God, the people were burdened with form, traditions and traditions, and various matters of the “law,” but at the same time in their hearts they remained deaf to the spiritual world. That is why God sends the greatest of the prophets to His people, about whom Christ said that “a greater man than John stood not” (Matthew 11:11) to call them to repentance.
The angel who announced to the priest Zechariah about the birth of his son also revealed to him the grandiose mission that the born child had to accomplish. “The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.” And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before the Lord; He will not drink wine or strong drink, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and to the disobedient the minds of the righteous, to present to the Lord a prepared people” (Luke 1:13-17). John's message was to change the direction of the thoughts of God's people. This is what repentance is for.
What did God's people need to repent of, and what fruits did God expect from them? Unfortunately, the call to repentance among modern Christians, as well as among Jews, evokes different and sometimes opposing associations. If you turn to existing religious encyclopedias for an explanation of the word “repentance,” you can find many different contradictory articles on this topic, after reading which you will still not understand what repentance is. The Bible definitely says that repentance is a gift from God to man, which can only be accepted. The Apostle Paul, speaking about the work of a servant of God, gives advice to his co-worker and servant: “But the servant of the Lord should not quarrel, but be friendly to everyone, teachable, and gentle. Instruct your opponents with gentleness, lest God grant them repentance to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24,25). Why does God give people the gift of repentance? Only so that they can bear worthy fruits of repentance. So, true repentance coming from God bears fruit! What fruits please God? What does God accept and what does not God accept?
From the very beginning, biblical history tells us how the first people, Cain and Abel, came to God to worship. One of them brought the fruits of the land as a gift to the Lord (Gen. 4:3), and the Lord rejected his gift. Another brought a sheep from his flock (Gen. 4:4), and was accepted by the Lord. Reading this story with a carnal eye, one might get the impression that the gift you bring to the Lord is important, since God prefers one thing to another. The spiritual view reveals a different picture. This story reveals two images to us - heavenly and earthly. Cain sacrificed the fruits of the ground. By this he shows that his faith comes from carnal motives and earthly priorities. Cain was focused on earthly well-being, on the material world. His sacrifice was a symbol of earthly origin. “For the earth itself produces first a green plant, then an ear, then a full grain in the ear” (Matthew 4:28). Any fruit is produced by the earth. The one who brings them to God thereby testifies that he wants to bargain with God for the favor and mercy he needs. People like Cain offer sacrifices to God only to receive earthly blessings from God in return. God does not accept these sacrifices, no matter what they consist of.
The lamb sacrificed by Abel had a different meaning, and came from a faith striving for a higher, spiritual world, pointing to the Lamb of God coming from heaven, through whom salvation comes to all people from above. The lamb is an animated animal, it is not just a gift from the earth, it contains the gift of life from God, which “the earth itself” cannot produce. The gift of life is a gift from God, and he who offers “life” as a sacrifice to God testifies that his faith awaits God’s mercy and forgiveness. Faith in salvation given by God orients a person towards the spiritual world. Christ, in a conversation with Nicodemus, explained this truth, saying: “He who comes from above is above all; but he who is of the earth is and speaks as one who is of the earth; He who comes from heaven is above all” (John 3:31). Abel's faith came from above and testified to his repentance, and expressed worthy fruit accepted by God. Living in the material world, with his faith Abel sought a heavenly fatherland, and therefore he “strove for the best, that is, for the heavenly” (Heb. 11: 16).
Thus, in the symbol of the sacrifice of the first people, the Bible reveals to us that humanity was divided from the very beginning into two camps: those who worshiped God in order to “have” (the material world), and those who worshiped Him in order to “be” (spiritual world). So the Bible shows us two directions in the development of mankind from the very beginning - the desire for the material world with its interests, and the desire for the spiritual world with its values. This important truth cannot be understood by a person oriented towards the material world.
Repentance as a gift of God implies a transition from a material attitude of life to a spiritual one. Without repentance, a person will never discover the value of the spiritual world; he remains a slave, always striving only to have more. Such a person comes to God for purely selfish reasons, like Cain, in order to “have.” He realizes that he needs to have forgiveness, without which he cannot win God’s favor, justification and salvation. And for this he is ready to worship God, repent, confess, make a sacrifice, he is ready to do anything just to “have”! God's gift of repentance means a different direction of thought, a change in life attitude from “to have” to “to be.” A person himself can never achieve this, but faith leads him to Christ, who gives people repentance that changes a person’s life priorities. Then a worthy fruit of repentance will be a change in a person’s entire life, and not simply performing some good deeds of mercy, while remaining at the same “have” attitude. This is exactly what John meant when he called on the Pharisees to produce fruit worthy of repentance.
“To have” and “to be” are two fundamental attitudes towards the world. For physical existence one must “have” as much as possible, for spiritual existence one must “be.” “To have” is always analytical. You can divide the material world and increase it, you can count how much wealth you have, how many good deeds you have done, how many bits of information you have accumulated... “Being” is indivisible. You cannot be partly spiritual, you cannot be a little pregnant, you cannot be half enlightened, half saved and half left in hell. You have either crossed the “threshold” into the spiritual world or you have not.
As we read the Bible carefully, we notice that God's people in the Old Testament as a whole were always seeking to "have." Abraham wanted to have an heir, and for this he listened to what God told him. While in Egyptian slavery, the Jews wanted freedom and their own land. Although, starting from Abraham, God has always revealed himself to them as “to be.” When asked by Moses about the name of God, on whose behalf Moses had to address the children of Israel in Egypt, God says: “I am who I am. And he said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: Jehovah has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). God not only wanted to free them from physical bondage, but also to lead them out of spiritual bondage to sin. However, this was beyond their understanding. And therefore the Jews, remaining slaves by nature, having freed themselves from one slavery, immediately fell into another. They did not want to accept the GIFT OF REPENTANCE.
Christ, who wanted to reveal to the Jews the purpose of His coming, pointed to His Father, who sent Him to free them from spiritual slavery. He tells them: “And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified of Me. But you have never heard His voice, nor seen His face, and you do not have His word abiding in you, because you do not believe Him whom He sent. Search the Scriptures, for through them you think you HAVE eternal life; and they testify of Me” (John 5: 37-39). Christ specifically points out the problem to them. The important thing is not to HAVE eternal life, but to BE fit for eternal life. This is exactly why He came, to give every person this opportunity to BE!
The Jews thought about HAVING eternal life, and for this they were ready to do a lot. However, BEing involves a completely different approach. God is also interested in us having eternal life, for this He created man. “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but HAVE eternal life” (John 3:16). For this to happen for us sinners, “He had to BE.” Christ tells His disciples many times: “But first He must suffer many things and BE rejected by this generation” (Luke 17:25). “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and BE crucified, and on the third day rise again” (Luke 24:7). It was difficult for the disciples to understand their Lord, since the priority of their life position was always “to have.”
After Pentecost, the preaching of the apostles already had a different direction. The Apostle Paul boldly testified that the gospel is available to everyone. “Revealing and proving to them that Christ must suffer and rise from the dead, and that this Christ IS Jesus, whom I preach to you” (Acts 17:3). The Gospel is the good news that gives every person the opportunity to BE adopted as sons of God through Jesus Christ. If a person thinks to HAVE this sonship without repentance, he is trying to enter the Kingdom of God in another impossible way.
There is only one way: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me,” says Christ (John 14:6). All human efforts and methods to follow Christ are in vain. Diverse religious denominations with their charters and doctrines cannot help a person in this either. Christ is the only one every person needs. Christ is the door. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs inside, is a thief and a robber. And he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep” (John 10: 1,2). God made Christ the Door for everyone. Having become a man, He Himself passed through this door, and now He invites us to enter through it. “So again Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” All, no matter how many of them came before Me, are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door; Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10: 7-9).
Prompted by Satan, the thief and the robber, man does not want to change his life attitude of “having”, introducing materialistic interests into his religion. Such a religion becomes cruel and authoritarian towards others, using them for its own purposes. In our time, we are seeing how religion is once again becoming in demand in a society that has lost its moral guidelines. Just recently, the country in which I was born did not need God at all! “We are ours, we will build a new world!” – sat in everyone’s heads. And suddenly there is such a metamorphosis, people are almost driven into religion, the state finances various religious projects. Why this change? Humanity has realized its collapse, and therefore is strenuously striving to avoid future dangers, doing everything possible to preserve what it has.
How relevant today is the message of John the Baptist for secular-religious humanity, calling: “Create fruit worthy of repentance”! How important it is today to change the thoughts of a person rushing to the temple to worship the Lord. How important it is that the temple of a person’s soul be cleansed of the “merchants” who have filled his soul! For this to happen, it is necessary to be imbued with John’s message: “Produce fruit worthy of repentance.”
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What is good?
We live, at best, half-heartedly. Remember how happy we were in childhood, how in our youth we were able to have a heart-to-heart talk! And now the joy is often artificial, and friendship is only in words, and instead of love there are “relationships”, and instead of heartfelt participation there is simple politeness...
Often a person lives without thinking about it. Leave him his little “half” joys, and perhaps he will say that he is happy. But if you think about it for a minute, it becomes clear that in reality his happiness is very illusory. It always slips away, always already happened, always somewhere in the past. A person does not feel the fullness of life and can only be consoled by memories of something long gone. Or dream about something that doesn’t exist at all.
And the Kingdom of Heaven, as Christians understand it, is the fullness of life, overflowing. This is the absolute absence of anxiety and fear. This is integrity, when everything is in its place and there is nothing superfluous or random. This is such sincere and genuine happiness that nothing can overshadow it. This is authenticity in everything and the ability to be completely who you want to be. And in fact, every person yearns for such a life.
And how will this bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven?
If we try and take at least half a step towards the real person we would like to become, then God will continue to help us. We will take a step, and He will take three for us. We are still one step, but He is five. And then we will slowly regain the ability to love God and want to be with Him in eternity. It's all about wanting it. It is not without reason that the liturgical preparation for Lent begins with the reading of the Gospel story about Zacchaeus, the chief of publicans. The publican was a tax collector for the benefit of the Roman state, during the earthly life of Jesus Christ - one of the most despised occupations among the Jews, a sinful and offended man who so wanted to look at passing by Jesus Christ, that he even climbed a tree for this. Christ answered his desire, entered his house - and after that Zacchaeus became a completely different person (Lk 19:1–10).
The reason for the Pharisees' unbelief was their unwillingness to repent
John 12:37–43
He performed so many miracles before them, and they did not believe in Him, so that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Lord! who believed what they heard from us? and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? Therefore, they could not believe, because, as Isaiah also said, this people have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they will not see with their eyes, and will not understand with their hearts, and will not be converted, so that I will heal them. This is what Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke about Him. However, many of the rulers believed in Him; but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess, lest they be excommunicated from the synagogue, for they loved human glory more than the glory of God.
What to pay attention to here
“An evil and crafty person, as long as he remains like this... cannot believe <...> When a person plunges into the depths of evil, then God leaves him because of his evil will” ( Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, 1050-1107).
Parable of the Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11–32
He also said: a certain man had two sons; and the youngest of them said to his father: Father! give me the next part of the estate. And the father divided the estate for them. After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a far side and there squandered his property, living dissolutely. When he had lived through everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need; and he went and accosted one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him to his fields to graze pigs; and he was glad to fill his belly with the horns that the pigs ate, but no one gave it to him.
When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, but I am dying of hunger; I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants. He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him. The son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father said to his servants: Bring the best robe and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it; Let's eat and have fun! For this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they started having fun.
His eldest son was in the field; and, returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing; and calling one of the servants, he asked: what is this? He said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he received him healthy.” He became angry and did not want to enter. His father came out and called him. But he answered his father: Behold, I have served you for so many years and have never violated your orders, but you never gave me even a kid so that I could have fun with my friends; and when this son of yours, who had wasted his wealth with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him. He said to him: My son! You are always with me, and all that is mine is yours, and it was necessary to rejoice and be glad that this brother of yours was dead and came to life, was lost and was found.
What to pay attention to here
“We would really like our life to be only ours, so that we can squander it in our own way and for ourselves. But when we live like this, we end up looking inside ourselves, and there are disgusting pigs that have accumulated inside us, and we serve them, we look after them, and we ourselves are hungry, cold, lonely and unhappy, having completely wasted ourselves, among we find herds of pigs <...> Because you can’t do this with God... But you can only say: “Father.” And as soon as we say from our hearts: “Father, Your unworthy son has sinned against You,” these words evoke the deepest love and mercy on the part of the Father, because He sees in us not mercenaries, not even very good slaves, but only His children " (Archpriest Alexy Uminsky) ( read the entire sermon ).
Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee
Luke 18:9–14
He also spoke to some who were confident about themselves that they were righteous, and humiliated others, the following parable: two men entered the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this publican: I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire. The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven; but, striking himself on the chest, he said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
What to pay attention to here
“God does not need external human righteousness at all; God needs only the internal qualities of the soul. And the motivation of the Pharisee is pride, and the tax collector, who cannot raise his eyes to heaven, has set out on the path of humility. And if God can give grace to a humble person, which will purify and save him, then to a Pharisee he cannot... This is impossible, because pride is contrary to the very nature of the Divine” ( Archpriest Dimitri Smirnov, 1951–2020).
The Publican and the Pharisee, James Tissot
So, then, the purpose of fasting is not repentance? Then what?
The purpose of fasting is to learn to love God at least a little more, to regain the ability to enjoy life according to the commandments, so that the desire for the Kingdom of Heaven arises in us. And repentance is a very important, but a means. This is an effort of our will. Our sincere attempt to fulfill the commandment in the hope of God, who will definitely help.
It is not for nothing that the last time the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian with the words “Grant me to see my sins” is heard in Orthodox churches is the morning of Great Wednesday of Holy Week. It is not without reason that on Holy Saturday and Easter itself, priests often allow parishioners to receive communion without prior confession. The last few days before Easter are no longer a time of repentance, but of following Christ. These days, it is worth turning all attention from yourself to Christ and joining the most faithful of His disciples, who relentlessly followed Him and shared His sorrows and sufferings, stood on Calvary near the Cross, and then hurried to the tomb. And finally, we witnessed His Resurrection! There is no joy higher than Easter, the joy of participation in the One who rose from the dead and saved all creation from sin and eternal death. To feel this joy, become close to it and make it a permanent part of your life - this is the goal that Christians strive for. Although repentance will also remain with us as the best way to kindle within ourselves the love for God and the desire to be with Him, as a reliable antidote to complacency.
Repentance of Simon Peter under the influence of a miraculous catch of fish
Luke 5:3–10
Entering one boat, which was Simon's, He asked him to sail a little from the shore and, sitting down, taught the people from the boat. When he had stopped teaching, he said to Simon, “Sail out into the deep and let down your nets to catch.” Simon answered Him: Master! We toiled all night and caught nothing, but at Your word I will let down the net. Having done this, they caught a great many fish, and even their net was broken. And they gave a sign to the comrades who were on the other boat to come help them; and they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. Seeing this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said: Depart from me, Lord! because I am a sinful person. For horror seized him and all those who were with him from this fishing of fish they caught; also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's companions. And Jesus said to Simon: Do not be afraid; From now on you will catch people.
What to pay attention to here
“This sense of one’s own sinfulness in the presence of God is the jewel of the soul. The Lord values it more than all the formal hymns of admiration and gratitude” (St. Nicholas of Serbia, 1881-1956).
“Hearing the gospel story of the fish catch and the horror of the Apostle Peter... we should feel fear for the ease with which we approach God, expecting a face-to-face meeting from Him. We must... go to God with a contrite spirit, a humble heart, go, realizing that we have no right to this meeting and that if it happens, it will be only by the boundless, incomprehensible mercy of God" ( Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, 1914–2003) .
A reproach to the cities that did not repent, even after witnessing the manifestation of the power of God
Matthew 11:20–24
...He began to reproach the cities in which His powers were most manifested, because they did not repent: woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powers that were demonstrated in you had been demonstrated in Tire and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes, but I say to you, it will be more bearable for Tire and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who have ascended to heaven, will be cast down to hell, for if the powers that were manifested in you had been manifested in Sodom, it would have remained to this day; But I tell you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
What to pay attention to here
“Willful refusal to repent is the most terrible sin for all who are privileged to hear the Gospel. It is aggravated by the fact that these people and these cities were shown special mercies of God. Seeing the miracles performed by Christ, they had to not only accept the truth of Christ’s teaching, but begin to live in perfect obedience to it” ( Archpriest Alexander Shargunov).
Sermon by John the Baptist on works of repentance
Luke 3:10–14
I asked him [John the Baptist. — Approx. ed.] people: what should we do? He answered and said to them, “Whoever has two coats, give to the poor, and whoever has food, do the same.” The publicans also came to be baptized, and said to him: Master! what should we do? He answered them: do not demand anything more specific to you. The soldiers also asked him: what should we do? And he said to them: do not offend anyone, do not slander, and be content with your salary.
What to pay attention to here
“The real fruits of repentance are not anything special or overwhelming, but simply the honest fulfillment of one’s assumed responsibilities” (Professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy Alexander Lopukhin, 1852–1904).
Rembrandt. Sermon of John the Baptist. 1635
