7 January 2019
Monday after Epiphany
Jesus initiates His ministry with a call to repentance. Jesus wishes to fulfill the words of Isaiah and His mission from the Father, and thus the first thing He says is “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17). While Jesus has spoken by now in Matthew’s Gospel, these are nonetheless the first words of His public ministry: a call to repentance and conversion. Only once He calls people to repentance does He begin to teach, heal, and console.
As we consider the blessings we would like (and need) to receive from Jesus, we would do well to remember that we must first repent of our sins. If our hearts are full of sin, how can there be any room to let in blessing? The fact is that we often crowd God out of our hearts with our own interests and desires, even when Heaven itself is approaching us. If we want to receive Jesus’ teaching, His healing, and even Heaven itself, we must first repent, and prepare ourselves for His presence.