Repent or Reject (Friday Devotional)

“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him.”

- Matthew 21:45-46a

Growing up, I was never one of those kids who dreaded my annual dentist appointment. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t love it—who does—but I wouldn’t throw a fit or melt into a puddle when the time came for my checkup. The dentist and I had a pretty set routine: I’d watch a movie in the waiting room until it was my turn, he’d make one-sided small talk with me while he cleaned my teeth (why dentists try to converse with you when their hand is in your mouth, I’ll never understand), I’d take my cup of fluoride, he’d give me my sticker, and then I’d wait for his report.

And the report was always the same, with the same three pieces of advice. First, he’d tell me I had no cavities, so I should continue staying away from too many sweets. Well, my mom was pretty much controlled my diet in those days, so no problem there. Second, he’d say my teeth were looking ok, so I should keep brushing twice a day. Sure. It was the third part of his evaluation where we hit an annual bump in the road: “Daniel, your gums are looking pretty sore. Are you flossing?” At that point I’d mumble something about how I didn’t every night, but tried to most of the time. It was a lie, and he wasn’t buying it for a second. I flossed maaaybe twice a year (usually the day before and after my dentist appointment) and we both knew it. So he’d give me a stern look, remind me how important it was to floss regularly, and then I’d be on my way, red-faced from shame but done with the dentist for another year.

That night, and maybe the next, I would follow his instructions about flossing, still cowed by the guilt of that last moment in his office. But before long, the evening would come when I’d look down at the dental floss in my drawer, furrow my brow, and toss it in the trash can. I didn’t have any cavities. My teeth were clean. My gums felt fine. What did I need to floss for?

Every year, I had two choices when I left my dentist’s office: I could accept the dentist’s message and change for the better, or ignore him and accept the negative consequences. I could repent or I could reject. We face the same choice when confronted by the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are plenty of things God calls us to that we find palatable, things that we’re either already doing or can adopt with ease. We can pray every now and then, do the occasional good deed for a friend, love our families well—if these are what it takes to keep us right with God, then sign us up!

But eventually there comes a moment when you learn that following Jesus isn’t as easy as you thought—he says to love not only your friends, but your enemies; he calls you to give freely, not just to give your leftovers; his way is the cross, not the sword. In those moments, when the Spirit convicts your heart, you can respond one of two ways: you can repent or you can reject.

As the Pharisees learned during Jesus’s ministry, it’s not particularly fun to realize that when Jesus calls people to repentance, he’s talking about you. But while you may share the discomfort of those biblical teachers of the law, you need not copy their reaction. The redemptive response to spiritual conviction is not anger, but humility, a willingness to examine yourself and see how you can become more like Christ. God does not want to shame you, He wants to transform you, to heal what is broken and bind up what is wounded. But He gives you the choice—you can let Him do his redemptive work, or you can ignore His will and accept the consequences. You can repent or you can reject.

Take a moment to think about the ways the God has called you to change recently. How have you responded, with humility or with arrogance? When you realize, like the Pharisees, that certain gospel challenges are directed at you, do you run from those challenges or rise with Christ to meet them? May you have open ears and an open heart for God’s will—just like with my dentist’s advice, you can repent or you can reject, but only one will make you clean.