Resurrection of Memories

Scripture Text: Mark 6:14-29

There was once an elderly gentleman who loved playing golf. But he was getting on in years, and his vision was not very good anymore. He always had partners with him when he went out to play so they could watch his ball and tell him where it went.
One day his buddies did not show up. It was a beautiful day for golf, and as he waited at the clubhouse he got more and more upset that he wasn’t going to get to play his round. Another elderly man in the clubhouse saw him and asked, “What’s wrong?” The man explained his predicament: “I was really looking forward to playing golf today. But I don’t see very well anymore, so I need someone to watch the ball after I hit.” The second man was even older than he was, but he said, “That’s no problem. I’ll be glad to ride around with you. My legs aren’t too good and I can’t stand, but I’ve got 20/20 vision. I can see like a hawk. You just hit the ball, and I’ll watch it fly right down the fairway.”
So they went out on the first tee, and the old man hit the ball right down the center. He turned to his spotter. “Did you see it?” The man replied, “I saw it all the way until it stopped rolling.”
“Well, where did it go?”
The older man paused for a moment and then said, “I forget.”

Having a vision is wonderful. It can give us hope and purpose and direction, but if our vision isn’t based in truth, and if it isn’t followed, and if it isn’t foremost in our minds, any vision, no matter how marvelous, becomes meaningless.
Herod lived in a predicament of visions. His eyes had settled on his brother’s wife some time before, and his vision, clouded with lustful desires, took him to a worldly place that could not accommodate his faith.
But then, the Baptist comes on the scene, and begins to spoil Herod and Herodias’ fun! John reminds, not only the king and his wife but anyone who happens to be within earshot, that they have broken the law of God (Leviticus 18:16),! It’s bad enough that John is accusing the king and queen of a sin, but he has made it a matter of public record. And we all know that it is never a wise move to make your opposition of leadership a public issue! And both Herod and Herodias hate John for what he has said.
But Herod has another dilemma before him – he knows down deep in his heart that John is a Godly man and that the charges that he brings are, indeed, true. And even though he orders John’s arrest and imprisonment, he is unsure of what his next move must be. Herodias, on the other hand, has no such hesitation and has a clear vision of how she will deal with the situation. And by her deception, John’s life is taken from him.

The memories of that day must have been working overtime in Herod’s heart and mind. He knew that he had ordered the death of one of God’s prophets, and it haunted him. Our failures have a way of doing just that, too, don’t they! We may agonize over the pain that we have inflicted on others, no matter how long ago it happened, or it may be over those wonderful opportunities that we, knowingly or unknowingly, have chased away. We struggle with those relationships that we have foolishly destroyed, including the times when we have turned our back on God’s ways.
And these memories are resurrected in the strangest times – some times at the mention of a similar issue, and sometimes at the mention of the other person’s name. For Herod, it was when others were speculating on who this Jesus was – that he just might be the risen Baptist! Without knowing it, Herod may be confirming the prophecies of old, that the coming of Messiah will be heralded by a great and Godly messenger, that by proclaiming that Jesus is the risen Baptist, he also implies that Jesus is the culmination of John’s message - that the message of salvation has been fulfilled.

Sometimes the dredging up of old hurts is good, and sometimes they only serve to bring more misery. We have fond memories of vacations and parties and honors that we have received. But consider some of the memories that people in scripture have had to live with:
- When Nathan told David the story of the poor man’s lamb being taken away by a rich man, David soon knows that he is that man, and repents of his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:7-13).
- When the prophets of Baal came up against the power of God through Elijah, their memories of the true God soon filled them, and they went to their deaths in fear (1 Kings 18).
- When Peter ate that breakfast with the risen Christ on the beach by the lake, his anxious memories of his failure to stand for Christ in the temple courtyard were revealed to have a new significance – he had been forgiven (John 21)!

The resurrection of our memories can bring the same kinds of revelation to our lives – maybe fear, perhaps repentance, and sometimes the understanding of forgiveness.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of those memories that we desperately need in our lives, and it may very well bring different thoughts to each of us.

- It could remind us of those terrifying events that lead up to His being placed in that cold dark tomb, and the fact that it was our sin that required that sacrifice from God in the first place.
- It could remind us of the day when Jesus brought His friend Lazarus out of the darkness of death and into the light of a new day, and that now He has done the same for himself.
- It could remind us that Jesus promised that those who follow Him would be with Him in eternity, and that even the thief on the cross received that absolute assurance!
And this memory could also serve to remind us that the message of salvation is not only a reason for us to celebrate, but that it’s an opportunity to carry that resurrection promise out into the world!

Resurrection, whether of memories in life or in Christ, can never be an end in itself – it is given to infuse a new vision into our lives. When we remember a failure of the past, we should claim it as a means to avoid failing again in the future. When we remember the pain that we brought into the life of a loved one, we use that memory to be sure that we never cause those closest to us pain again. Our resurrected memories can take us back to the day of these events, but we can never go back to get a "do over". Resurrection is, certainly, about our memories of past decisions, but more importantly, they are about the opportunity for a new way in the future. We can’t change what is, but we can most assuredly make better use of what is to be.

Herod didn’t use his memories of John the Baptist very well. Instead of letting his memories of life and prophecies lead him to acknowledging the fulfillment of God’s truth, he let his fear and arrogance guide him in bringing about the death of the ultimate Messenger of Hope. Resurrection, for Herod, ended with memory.
Peter’s memories of his 3 denials, I’m sure, tormented him throughout his life, but I’m equally sure that they spurred him on in ministry. He refused to return to those old days, and continued to look forward to the next place that his Risen Christ would lead him. For Peter, resurrection began with memory, and has never ended!

How about each of us?
Will our “resurrections” be limited to memories of the things of this world – our failures, our victories, and our earthly responses to those life events - in fear or pride or self-centeredness or ambition?
Or will those memories be blended with our love of God and His Word for our lives? Will our resurrection be more than the things of “then and now” – will we dare to venture beyond this life and into the call of Christ?
Will we allow the resurrection of sinful days defeat us, or will we look to God in Christ as the one who will lead us to heights and glories that we can’t even imagine?
Will we allow His Resurrection to become our resurrection throughout eternity?

It’s our choice – it’s our decision. Make a decision today for the resurrection that can only come from faith in Jesus Christ.