To repent means to change. Or, quite literally, to turn. Turn away and turn toward.

In Jesus’s use, he is speaking to turning away from sin and toward grace. Which we all get, I think, about 66%. We’ve got the idea down. It’s just confused by the specific ways people use it.

The word repent is often used as a cudgel to make people change in ways that align with denominational doctrine. It becomes a way of policing sexual activity, gender identity, and political proclivities, rather than a way of encouraging healthy, faith-filled relationships with ourselves and with other people.

In other words, this simple, physical word about turning around and facing God is saddled with the baggage of shame. And most of us really ought to turn away from that and toward a greater vision of grace.