Author Frederica Mathewes-Green says this about repentance:

The first time Jesus appears, in the first Gospel, the first instruction he gives is "Repent."

From then on, it's his most consistent message. In all times and every situation, his advice is to repent. Not just the scribes and Pharisees, not just the powerful—he tells even the poor and oppressed that repentance is the key to eternal life.