DUDLEY HALL — “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Growing up I was a member of a Baptist church that scheduled a “revival” each summer when the farmers had their crops laid by. (That means they were cultivated and waiting for the fall harvest.) A visiting preacher would hold services each night for a week with emphasis on repentance and re-dedication. I remember well the scenes of people going forward at the altar call with weeping and sorrow over their particular sins. It was not uncommon to see someone lay his or her cigarettes on the altar, promising to quit smoking. I don’t know what all the others were giving up. To a small boy, repentance did not look like fun.

The Gospel of Mark records the beginning of Jesus ministry thus: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15) This was not about placing cigarettes on the altar. This was a call to embrace a new reality. The Jews had looked forward to a time when God would break into history and set things right. The enemies of God’s people would be judged as wicked and destroyed. The righteous would be vindicated and exalted. In their reality, Gentiles were enemies and Israelites were God’s people, so they expected the cruel Romans and their empire to be destroyed and Jerusalem to be restored to pristine glory. Jesus was announcing a new reality!

Actually Jerusalem would be destroyed and the Roman Empire would continue for a few centuries. But that was not his emphasis. He had brought a new kingdom to earth. He demonstrated it by his life incarnate as he ruled over nature, sin, death, demons, and hate. He introduced a kind of love the world had not seen. He fulfilled the role of Israel as the light of the world. He became the Lamb that took away the sins of people. He lived as the temple of God with men. He established his eternal kingdom on earth as he ascended to the throne of God, and sent the Holy Spirit to live in his new creation believers.

It was difficult for Jewish leaders to repent (change their mind about reality). They had their paradigms set. Most never did repent. They rejected their Messiah though they wanted one desperately. Previous paradigms are still hard to change. We tend to continue to believe what we have always believed, and in doing so we miss much of the good news of the gospel. I will mention just one of several.

Those who view the Bible as important to their understanding of reality often see it as primarily an instruction book. They believe that it contains stories and characters from which we can learn moral lessons. There are principles to be discovered that can make various aspects of life work better. I heard one preacher compare it to an owner’s manual similar to what we get with a refrigerator.  Some believe it is about nations and their conflicts ending with a giant military encounter at Armageddon. Actually it is about a loving God who created people to enjoy him. The Father so delights in the Son that he desires a people who can join him. The Bible is about the Son who is the living word of God. Scripture’s purpose is to present him. The goal is that people know him personally and access his life as partners with God on earth. We could get all the moral lessons, the principles, and the laws, but still miss the Son. That would be a tragedy.

The Bible is more than “the good book” that tells us what we have done wrong and what we should do to get better. It is the introduction to the living Word who has already done all that is necessary to give us eternal life now. It is time to repent. We can start by reading the Bible as God’s narrative of history as he reveals his Son. We continue as we trust him as our God and honor him by appropriating his gracious gift. We shall spend an eternity discovering the depth of treasure found in him. We shall rejoice in repentance.