The author of Matthew was a Jewish Christian whose first language was Greek, and may have known Aramaic, Jesus’ native tongue. He would not only have been steeped in Hebrew Scriptures and stories, but acutely aware that there had been no widespread conversion to belief in Jesus among the now-scattered and defeated Jewish population. He must have counted his mission as a failure.

In Matthew, John’s appearance, message and actions marked him as the most recent prophet in the long line of revered prophets in Jewish sacred history. The prophet Elijah was believed to have ascended to heaven toward the East, on a chariot (meaning that he never died.) And as the story goes, Elijah would come again. This is why today, during the Passover Seder, little kids might be told “Listen! Did you hear knocking at the door? Maybe it’s Elijah! Run out and see if Elijah is here!” And a place at the table is set for Elijah, just in case.

There are two other aspects of this story that give it a rather different colouration than you may have heard. One has to do with what this latter-day Elijah came preaching: repentance. Up until the 16th century this word was translated as “penance,” as in, “do penance for your sins.” Well, it seemed to fit well enough. But when the great humanist scholar Erasmus translated the New Testament he used, for the Hebrew word shubh, (“metanoia” in Greek), conversion, a change of mind and heart, literally a turnabout.

This shift in meaning would influence Martin Luther’s thinking. When you think about it, the dignity of the individual who responds to the call is much better affirmed by this invitation. The point is not to punish oneself severely enough to get ahead of God’s punishment for one’s sins, but rather to change one’s mind. Turn one’s life around. (Not that it’s so simple.)