Embracing the past

In that day you will say: "I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you" (Isaiah 12:1-6).

People have short memories.

Think back to this past Christmas. The kids were so excited to open their presents! "That’s just what I’ve always wanted!" Hugs and smiles abound. But let’s move to today. Of those wonderful Christmas presents, how many are still in use? How many children have already started making wish lists for their upcoming birthday?

Or consider your job. Think back to the last time that you accomplished something impressive—put together a major deal or brought in a very successful harvest. At the time you felt good, and other people congratulated you on your success. But what about today? Does your boss treat you differently because of that deal you put together? Will that successful harvest change what you do in the field this year?

Or consider your spouse. Think back to what it was like when you were first dating. Think back to your wedding day. You were filled with excitement, getting to know this very special person. Every moment together was precious and treasured. The bloom of love colored everything going on in your life. But what about today? Is every moment with your spouse still special? Do you work hard to set aside time for each other like you did when you were dating?

There is a saying in Hollywood that "fame is fleeting." An actor can win all sorts of awards, but a few years later be all but forgotten. People are soon asking the question, "what have you done lately?" In our culture, we quickly get bored with the past; we are constantly on the lookout for new things to excite us. People get bored with their jobs, bored with their relationships, bored with their lives—and so they seek new careers, divorce and remarry, sell their house and move to a new one, all for the sake of bringing excitement back into their lives by introducing something new.

This happens in their faith life, too. People get bored with the same old hymns, the same old liturgy, the same old pastor. They often start shopping around for different church music, a different preacher, or a different church body to belong to, all for the sake of infusing worship with excitement. But let’s shuck right down to the cob—do people get bored of Jesus?

Because of sin, we have poor long-term memory. We get wrapped up in today and tomorrow, and forget about the past. But by living this way, we set ourselves up for continual frustration and disappointment as we repeat the same mistakes that so many others have. George Santayana said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." People don’t devote much time or attention to the past, because it doesn’t seem as exciting as the new things of today or the promises of tomorrow. But is it really true that the things of the past are boring and irrelevant?

Imagine a country where there are people who are very rich, living alongside people who are very poor. In this country, the government is run by people who are more interested in political power, lavish parties and popularity than they are with justice. The leaders of the church are arrogant men, who decide for themselves what is right and wrong, often living lives that are shameful by God’s standards. International trade is an important part of the economy; because there is so much contact with foreigners, a businessman must be fluent in at least two languages. The country suffers periodic bouts of political unrest, which sometimes even results in acts of terrorism. Many people have little or no access to quality medical care. The average person is stressed about making a living, stressed about the future of the country for hid or her children, and does not have a good understanding of who God is, what He expects from them, or what He offers to them.

Does life in this country sound hopelessly out of touch with the life that you live? I doubt it. And yet, what I’ve just described is life in the nation of Judah at the time of Jesus.

What did Jesus bring to this country that got people so excited that they welcomed Him into Jerusalem like a king on Palm Sunday? He brought God to the people. Jesus was a man who was more than just God’s representative; in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). That Jesus was more than just a man was evident through His teaching. The crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:28-29). Jesus’ teaching was superior to all other men, because unlike all other men, Jesus was without sin. Jesus understood the Bible perfectly, because He Himself was the Word of God, cast in human form. When Jesus spoke, He spoke the pure words of God with no confusion or hesitancy, no fear of misrepresenting what God wanted to be spoken. And when the people were exposed to this pure Word of God, they got excited—excited like the person who finally has continuous access to pure drinking water after years of fouled well water or chemical-laced city water.

What else did Jesus bring to this country that got people excited about His presence? He brought compassion to the people. Jesus made Himself accessible to rich and poor alike. He was born in a stable so that poor shepherds could come and worship Him. He dined with prominent men and social outcasts alike, to show that He welcomed everyone to be with Him. He gave hope and healing to the sick and injured. He fed the hungry with both bodily nourishment and spiritual nourishment. Because Jesus offered hope in the midst of despair, people…came to him from everywhere (Mark 1:45).

But the most important thing that Jesus brought to this country that got people excited was mercy. Jesus brought forgiveness for sins to the people. Then, like now, people were burdened by the mistakes of their lives. People were worn down by holding old grudges. People were suffering in marriages where hurt could not be let go over a past indiscretion. People were struggling through years of being alienated from a brother or sister. People felt guilt at allowing a loved one to go to the grave without first mending a damaged relationship. People worried that they were too evil for God to ever consider letting them into heaven when they died.

We don’t like to think about the past, mainly, because it is filled with hurts that we can do nothing to erase. We can’t take back those words that we never should have spoken. We can’t erase the pain of being hurt by another person. We can’t change the fact that a loved one has died. So we try to forget about the past and focus instead on today and tomorrow. But in ignoring the past, we not only forget the bad, we also lose touch with that which was good.

Jesus changes all that. Jesus makes it unnecessary for us to turn our backs on the past. He did this through the cross. Jesus suffered and died on that cross as our substitute; all the anger and punishment that we were due for our mistakes was accepted and experienced by Jesus in our place. Jesus suffered hell for us on the cross. And He did all this out of love for us. Because the mistakes of our sins have been punished completely in Jesus, and because He has risen to renewed life from the grave, He is in the position to offer us forgiveness, full and free. When we come to Jesus and ask to be free of our guilt for what we have done, He gives us a wonderful gift—freedom from the hurts of the past.

It is true that we can’t take back words that should never have been spoken; but by Jesus’ mercy, we have the relief of knowing that God forgives us for them, and we are given the courage to apologize sincerely for bringing hurt into another person’s life. It is true that we can’t erase the pain of being hurt by others; but by Jesus’ mercy, we have the desire to let go of old grudges and echo the words of the martyr Stephen, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:60). It is true that we cannot end the sense of loss brought into our lives by the death of a loved one; but by Jesus’ mercy, we have the assurance that death is only a temporary separation for believers in Christ, because Jesus promised: whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be (John 12:26).

Because of Jesus’ mercy, we need not turn our backs on the past. Instead, we can reflect on our lives, rejoicing in all the times and places where Jesus has brought us release from old pains and guilt. Isaiah says, Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you. We will not feel joy like this if we try to forget the past by replacing it with the temporary thrill of the new. Instead, as we grow older, we should remember all the good things that God has done for us, in making our lives so much better than they would otherwise have been. Each year adds new reasons to be grateful to Jesus for all the goodness that He has brought into our lives. It is only by facing up to the mistakes of the past, and trusting in Jesus’ mercy, that we can continually express the kind of joy in our lives that Isaiah holds before us.

Words from God’s own mouth. The compassion that comes from being loved by the Lord. Release from old hurts by the mercy of Christ. Are these old and boring, or new and exciting? Some 2,600 years ago Jeremiah wrote, Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). God’s care and mercy is very old, and yet it comes anew to us every day. And as to the message of grace being boring? Jesus said, I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep…whoever enters through me will be saved…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:7-10). I can’t think of anything more exciting than that! So give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.