We Don't Care Where You've Been, We Care Where You're GoingSample

Sometime during the height of the pandemic, I walked into our office and found our musicians deep into a theological discussion. I don’t know how it is in your church, but most church musicians I’ve played with rarely find themselves within a city block from a theological debate. So I had to see what this was all about.

These guys were arguing about Judas. Did Judas repent in the end? Because Matthew wrote that Judas regretted his actions that led to his master’s death on a Roman cross. So does that mean that he repented at the end of his life?

Not necessarily. Because repentance is so much more than just a feeling. Most people feel some kind of remorse after they sin. We call those who don’t feel any regret or sympathy for their victims psychopaths.

But just because people feel remorseful does not mean that they have repented. True repentance requires actions, just like Zacchaeus did after he met Jesus.

Like Judas, Zaccheus must have also felt remorse for his actions in the past. As a Roman tax collector, he betrayed his people by taking their money and giving it to Caesar after keeping a healthy sum for himself.

But unlike Judas, Zaccheus did not stop at remorse. He followed up his feelings with his actions. In front of Jesus and his neighbors, the tax collector pledged to give up half his wealth and repay his victims four times the amount he stole from them.

Zaccheus encountered Jesus, he felt remorse for his mistakes, and then he did what he had to do to make things right. Now that’s true repentance.

Repentance is more than a feeling. It requires seeking forgiveness. It involves allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us into becoming more like Jesus in our hearts and in how we live our lives.

Repentance is never easy. But like everything else in God’s Kingdom, it all starts with Jesus. And with Jesus, anything is possible. The Holy Spirit can change anyone in Jesus' name.

So the next time the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your sins, seek Jesus immediately. Do not run away from his presence. Do not let your sin drive you away from him. Instead, ask for his forgiveness and do what he wants you to do to make things right.