(Re)alignment: Matthew 4:17 and the Mission of God
(Re)alignment
A missional approach to the Scriptures is rooted in a conviction that the purpose of all biblical interpretation is conversion. Period.
I base this conviction on Jesus’ programmatic proclamation about the Kingdom of God/Heaven witnessed to in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matt 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, and Luke 4:15-21). Matt 4:17 reads:
Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!
I have written about this verse extensively elsewhere on this site. In Matthew, this verse serves as a programmatic summary of Jesus’ life and ministry. Here is my own dynamic translation based on the original Greek text:
Continually (re)align yourselves [with the ethos and will of God] for the long awaited age of God’s saving reign has arrived in the person and ministry of Jesus the Messiah.
Much could be said here, but I want to focus on the translation of “repent.” In the current 21st century Western world, I believe that “repent” is an unhelpful relic of the past. It conjures up (rightly or wrongly?) images of angry preachers ranting about hell from the pulpit or street preachers accosting passersby with threats of divine wrath. The objects of most of these sermons are on those “outside” the Church. Yet to whom was Jesus speaking in the Gospels? To Christians or non-Christians? Trick question right?
Jesus was preaching in the context of the nation of Israel, but his message was not limited. He was calling both persons who believed themselves to be insiders to repent and those on the margins equally heard Jesus’ call to transformation. In other words, the call to repent was Jesus’ message to all hearers.
What does it mean to repent? We have all heard that “repent” really means “change one’s mind.” But this does not go far enough. “Repent” assumes a change in behavior as well as thinking. Most importantly, it involves shifting or reshifting to align oneself with God. In other words, “repent” may be better translated as “(re)align.”
The core of Jesus’ message was and is about (re)alignment. It is a word both for insiders and outsiders. Followers of Jesus respond to the words of Jesus by realigning their lives to match up with the movement and teaching of Jesus; non-Christ followers join the movement by aligning their lives with the movement and teaching of Jesus. Thus, the goal of biblical interpretation, i.e., encountering the word of God, is conversion or (re)alignment.
(Re)alignment is not a one time event. It is not a one size fits all proposition. It is continuous and ongoing. A (re)alignment occurs at a crisis moment, but it assumes process and will recur throughout the life of a Christ follower. Note that I included the word “continually” in my translation above. Ongoing, continuous action is implicit in the Greek verb behind “repent” or realign.”
What does all of this amount to? It’s simple. As we seek to become the people and communities that God desires for us to be to fulfill His mission, we will need to (re)align ourselves continually with God’s character and mission. Change is the modus operandi of the Christ following movement. But most importantly it must begin inside the community of faith.
Here are some sample reflection questions based on this essay:
How does my community of faith need to change in order to fully embody the character of God?
How does my community of faith need to realign in order to serve in God’s mission?
What kind of a person do I need to become to live out Jesus’ call?
How can I help “outsiders” to hear Jesus’ call to realignment as an invitation to becoming the persons that God created them to be?
What else would you add?
© 2008 Brian D. Russell