The life and teachings of Jesus are the basis of Christian faith. But how have we understood them? What about his exhortation to repent as in Mark 1.15 ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news’. The common understanding of this, as in the Chambers dictionary, is ‘‘to regret, be sorry for, what one has done or left undone and to change from past evil or misconduct.’ However the Greek word is metanoia which means to change or enlarge your mind. This is about seeing something differently, and changing our beliefs. See also Rom 12.2 ‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Of course this can lead to sorrow for past actions and to a change in behaviour but it is not the primary meaning.