t whatever cost it may be. Nothing physical or social must be
allowed to stand in the way; relations, property, eyesight, hands or
feet must all be sacrificed if they stand between man and his perfect
acceptance of God's sovereignty[16]; few men have lived up to this
standard, and to reach it they must repent.

Repentance to a Jew in the first century meant primarily change of
conduct, but it is a {28} misunderstanding of the Jewish position to
suppose that by this they excluded or indeed did not definitely intend
a change of heart. A typical example of the meaning of repentance in
Jewish literature is the story of Rabbi Eliezer ben Durdaiya,[17] who
was famous for his consistently immoral life, but was stung to the
heart one day when one of his companions casually remarked that for him
at least no repentance could avail. Then, continues the story, he went
forth, and sat between the hills, and said, "Ye mountains and hills,
seek mercy for me." But they said, "Before we seek mercy for you, we
must seek it for ourselves, for it is said, The mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed." Then he said, "Heaven and earth, ask mercy
for me." But they said, "Before we ask mercy for you, we must ask it
for ourselves, as it is said, The heavens shall vanish like smoke, and
the earth shall wax old as a garment." Then he said, "Sun and moon,
ask mercy for me." But they said, "Before we ask for you, we must ask
for ourselves, as it is said, The moon shall be confounded, and the sun
ashamed." Then he said, "Planets and stars, ask mercy for me." But
they said, "Before we ask for you, we must ask for ourselves, as it is
said, All the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heaven shall
be rolled up as a scroll." Then he said, "The matter depends wholly
upon me." He sank his head between his knees, and cried and wept so
long that his soul went {29} forth from him. Then a heavenly voice was
heard to say, "Rabbi Eliezer ben Durdaiya has been appointed to the
life of the world to come." But Rabbi Jehudah I., the Patriarch, wept
and said, "There are those who acquire the world to come in years upon
years; there are those who acquire it in an hour." The story is an
admirable parallel to that of the Prodigal Son and shows that the best
rabbinical and the best Christian teaching on repentance were identical
as to its nature and efficacy.

It is thus clear that there was not any essential difference between
Jesus and his