‘You must repent.’ Jesus’ ministry had begun with a call to ‘Repent, and believe the Good News.’ This was the substance of his proclamation of ‘the Good News from God.’
[Mark 1.14-15] To repent is to turn, to change direction, to stop running away from God and attempting to hide from him [Genesis 3.8] and instead to run into his waiting arms
[Luke 15.20-21], to hear his voice as he calls us to himself.
The Gospel is bad news before it can become good news. It is the truth about us, the truth about our failure, our sins, negligences and ignorances. But none of these things is the last, the ultimate truth.
That truth is that God made us for fellowship with him, willed our life with him. That will is inexorable. On mourning hearts dawns the truth that cannot be destroyed: God’s everlasting intention to bring us home.