The sounding of the trumpet at Rosh-Ha-Shana (the Jewish New Year) ushers in a ten day period known among the Jewish people as the Days of Awe. This period is also called the Ten Days of Repentance (aseret yemei teshuvah). This time of intense reflection and repentance is completed on the great Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.
Jews of Poland perform the tashlik ceremony
On the afternoon of the first day it is customary for the Jewish people to perform a rite known as Tashlik. To do this, they usually walk to a river, spring or body of water. There they recite special penitential prayers and Psalms, while at the same time emptying their pockets and the hems of their garments, or casting bread crumbs onto the water. All this is symbolic of casting away their sins into the deep (Mic.7:18-20).
Also as a part of this intense time, the Jewish people seek to be reconciled with their brethren whom they have offended during the year. As this period moves on to its final day, the great Day of Atonement, the mood shifts from reconciliation with men, toward a final reconciliation with God. The greeting often heard in Israel during this time is “Gemar Hatima Tovah” (May you be finally sealed for good in the Book of Life).
Since the emphasis of this special time is repentance (teshuvah), and since repentance is a cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith, we would also like to share in this season with the Jewish people, and delve deeper into the important subject of repentance.
TURNING FROM EVIL
Repentance simply means turning in one’s direction or changing one’s mind. The words are shub or nacham in Hebrew and metanoia in the Greek. As the idea of repentance is developed in the New Testament, it is made clear that repentance involves a profound change in direction and in life, from sin and self-centeredness to holiness and God-centeredness.
Although the Bible speaks often of God repenting, this is but a figure of speech, since the Bible assures us that “God is not a man…that he should repent…” (Num. 23:19 KJV). Repentance is therefore the task of sinful man. Throughout the Tanakh (Old Testament) we see examples of repentance. The men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, and God spared their city (Jon. 3:10). David, in the heart-rending cries of Psalm 51, repented before God and cried out for God to give him a clean heart.
The New Testament virtually begins with John the Baptist crying in the wilderness for men to repent of their evil ways (Matt. 3:2). Jesus began his public ministry by also preaching that men should repent (Matt.4:17). In the New Testament, repentance is required before one can be baptized (Acts 2:38). It is the first step toward God, and certainly involves a permanent change of mind and direction.
Years ago I remember hearing a famous athlete say that when he became a Christian he didn’t just repent, but he became a repenting-type person. This is a good description of biblical repentance. There is a sense in which true repentance continues on in our every-day decisions. It is not just a one-time thing that we do and then forget about for the rest of our lives. When we really repent, we turn from our sins, and we continue turning from them. There are many places in scripture where even believers in God are called upon
to repent.
Repentance involves sorrow for our sins and for our sinful ways; however, it also involves a sorrow that will cause us to change these ways. Esau was sorrowful and he wept bitterly but his ways were not changed and he did not receive the promise (Heb. 12:16-17). The Bible tells us that there is a sorrow of this world that leads only to death, and a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation (2 Cor. 7:10). It seems that much modern repentance is not of the godly sort. People today often repent only because they get caught in their sin, or they repent for other selfish reasons. As one old preacher said, “A lot of our repentance needs to be repented of.”
Of course, it is of utmost importance that we repent of those sins of which the Holy Spirit is convicting us. These may be recent and grievous sins. If we cover our sins the Bible assures us that we will not prosper (Prov. 28:14). There are other sins that are hidden deep in our subconscious. We also need to repent of these. God desires that our hearts become broken over our sin. As the Jewish sage R. Nachman of Bratzlav said it, “There is none more whole than one with a broken heart.”
One grievous and hidden sin of which many Christians need to repent is the hard feeling they bear toward the Jewish people. This sin can reveal itself as outright anti-Semitism, or suspicion, haughtiness, arrogance, and ugly religious pride toward the Jews and toward Israel.
Along this same line, we need to repent of a good deal of modern theology. Many of the “new” theologies sweeping Christian ranks today, like Dominion Theology, Restoration Theology, Replacement Theology, etc., are only revisions of the ancient triumphalistic and anti-Semitic teaching of the early church fathers. There are many other things from which we need to repent. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is sent into the world to convict of sin (Jn. 16:8). He will bring to light all these hidden things, and it is then our responsibility to turn from them.
TURNING TOWARD GOD
Repentance is more than turning away from sin. It is a positive and complete turning toward God and his kingdom. One of the most touching stories of repentance in the New Testament is the story of the Prodigal Son. In his selfishness and rebellion he squandered his inheritance by living carelessly in a far country. He finally came to the end of himself and of his resources, and found himself as a lowly servant feeding pigs. In that pigpen he had a change of heart. He turned from his rebellion and selfishness, and he turned toward his father’s house. He began walking away from the sinful life toward his father and home (Lk. 15:20).
Of course the father was waiting and looking down the road. This story is a beautiful picture of complete and godly repentance that ends in salvation. God is longing for all of us to repent in this fashion. In fact, the Bible says that “now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
True repentance often involves restitution. That’s something we can learn from Israel. The broken relationships with other people must be mended if repentance is sincere. Often we can’t just say that we are sorry or just privately confess it to God and expect restoration. We need to show by our actions that there is a real and permanent change in our attitudes.
As Jesus passed through Jericho on his final journey to Jerusalem, he encountered a rich tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus. We can gather from the account that this rich man had a great desire to learn about Jesus and to follow him. When Jesus gave him the opportunity, he responded in this way, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luk. 19:8). It is interesting that at this very point Jesus responded to him, “Today salvation has come to this house…” (v. 9). What Zacchaeus demonstrated was true biblical repentance, which often involves restitution for wrongs we have committed against others.
So in the Old Testament, a person who sinned against another couldn’t just go to God and get forgiveness. He had to make up the loss that he had caused, and in addition he was required to add a fifth part to his restitution (Lev. 6:5; Num. 5:7). It would certainly change much of our repentance today if we had to make restitution plus 20% for all wrongs against others. Today in our un-biblical system of repentance and justice, it is often the victim who suffers all the loss while the perpetrator goes totally free. The words, “I’m sorry,” sound rather empty when there are grievous wrongs in relationships that need to be corrected.
REALLY SAYING “I’M SORRY”
Now, back to the question of our relations with the Jewish people and with Israel. Can we just say with a wave of a hand that we are sorry for almost 2000 years of Christian abuse and hatred? Can we just say that we are sorry for the Holocaust, where six million Jewish people, or almost a third of the Jews, died at the hands of a so-called Christian nation? Hardly so! If we really intend to change our attitude and if we really intend to repent of these past sins, we must do more.
How can we go about correcting centuries of wrongs? Today many Christians are giving their lives to help Israel. Several thousand actually live in Israel as they serve this nation. Others offer up countless hours of their lives as they serve Israel’s interests abroad. Why pour out hundreds of hours of one’s life? Why give one’s time and money to support Israel and to help others to understand and support her? The answer is that many of these Christians are helping to pay a debt. With their lives they are helping to make restitution to a people who have been severely damaged by Christians in the past.
The founder of Bridges For Peace, an ongoing evangelical Christian work in Israel, was one of these. Dr. G. Douglas Young poured out his life for Israel. He was loved by the people and was finally given the coveted “Worthy of Jerusalem” award. He was one of the very few Gentiles ever to receive this award. Dr. Young was once heard to say: “Christianity owes a tremendous debt to Judaism and Israel, and I have decided that as long as I live I shall endeavor to regard this debt as my profound obligation.”
We have a debt to pay and a restitution to make. Whether we live in Israel or abroad, we can do much to ease the hurts of the past. We can stand up for Israel and for the Jewish people. Hopefully, we can learn to be sensitive to the deep hurts of the Jews. We can give of our resources to help build Israel. These will help settle the hundreds of thousands of new immigrants who are still streaming into the land.
Then, when we have opportunity, we can visit Israel. But we must not come like most Christians come to Israel. Too many come with proud, arrogant and even hateful attitudes. They come to see only “where Jesus walked,” and they insult the Israelis by showing absolutely no interest in the miracle of modern Israel. What a far cry from the sweet, humble and blessed attitude of Ruth the Gentile who came in times of old.
During the coming Days of Awe let us learn what we can from the Jewish people, and let us experience true repentance during these days. Let us find a deep sorrow for the past sins our church has committed against the Jewish people and Israel. And may it be a sorrow that is not in words only, but in deeds.
-Jim Gerrish
This updated article is presented courtesy of Bridges For Peace, Jerusalem. First published, 1993.
Picture credit Wikimedia Commons. Painting by Alexander Gierymski in 1884, at the Warsaw National Museum.