Matthew 4:12-23 | Liz Lemon Swindle | Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near

Matthew 4:12-23   Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near

The Prodigal Son,  Painted by Liz Lemon Swindle, Painted  in 2005, Oil on canvas © Liz Lemon Swindle Art Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 'Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.' From that time Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.' As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting From that time Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’, it reads in today’s Gospel. So what does it exactly mean ‘to repent’? The dictionary describes it as: to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin. This only goes part of the way to describe what repentance is. As a Christian, there are two requisites of repentance. One is to turn away from evil and the other is to turn to the good. Both should go hand in hand, but they are different. When one turns away from evil, it doesn’t necessarily make one good. The call of goodness is much more than just turning away from evil. To do good, is an active commitment to seek goodness, to spread goodness, to be good to your neighbour, etc. It is an active, positive commitment… more than just saying ‘no’ to sin. Repentance implies a change of direction; a 180 degree correction in regards to our relationship with God. We turn completely towards Him when we repent. The New Testament word for repentance (metanoia) — literally means ‘to change one’s mind’. So it all starts with a mindset… and the heart will follow. Repentance is a change of mind and heart that results in a clearer view of God, of others and of ourselves. So repentance is, again, much more than just saying ‘I’m very sorry’… Our painting by Liz Lemon Swindle depicts the story of the prodigal son, a story of repentance. The son’s true issue had always been the broken relationship with his father, which has now been restored due to the father’s loving display of acceptance and forgiveness… The son falling into His Father’s loving arms… by Patrick van der Vorst