Repent
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February 12, 2025
Lamentation calls for repentance (2:18-22). At first glance, lamentation does not seem to be about repentance. But a further look reveals that it is, precisely because the realism of lamentation is a way of saying, “This is not how things are supposed to be.” And in the statement comes the question, “Are you willing to repent—to look at life in a new way?”
harper ident 2024
The call to “cry out”‘ means that we acknowledge our sinfulness in the context of now seeing differently. Repentance is the word for this. The word in Greek is metanoia, and it means having a larger (meta) mind (noia) about life. It means looking at life in a new way. By telling the people to cry out, the writers of the Book of Lamentation were exhorting them to repent.
Repentance was the call of John the Baptist when the new prophetic era arose in Israel (Matthew 3:2). Jesus used the same word to recruit followers (Matthew 4:17 ). Repentance cleans the lens, enabling us to see life as God intends for it to be. Israel had been doing the opposite, and it led to the nation’s collapse and exile. Repentance is the first step we take in moving into the way of God.
What way is that? In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the new way is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, the reign of God. [1] The new way is shalom, comprehensive wellbeing. [2] Goodness restored.
[1] Amy-Jill Levine, ‘The Sermon on the Mount: Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven (Abingdon Press, 2020).
[2] Randy Woodley, ‘Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision’ (Eerdmans, 2012).