Human beings live on memories and, unfortunately, we will always be remembered for our mistakes and defects. Human beings are subject to failure and error, and God is willing to forgive all who repent with all their heart.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)
When we recognize our mistakes and defects, ask God for forgiveness, and abandon old practices, God guarantees us that we will obtain mercy. Many people live in depression or ashamed of their past, because often those around us do not recognize us for what we have done or do that is good, but rather for our defects, mistakes, or sins. The Bible shows us that, regardless of our mistakes and defects, Jesus has open arms to receive us when we are willing to abandon the practice of sin.
The Story of Rahab: From Prostitute to Heroine of Faith
Before speaking of illustrious figures recognized for their mistakes and failures, I would like to start by asking a question for you to reflect on. When we talk about Rahab, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Possibly, many answered: Rahab, the prostitute.
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. (Joshua 2:1-5)
Understand that, at this moment, Rahab enters history, because she was giving deliverance to those men and, in the end, giving deliverance to her family.
And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. (Joshua 2:9-18)
Rahab asks for deliverance for herself and her family, but remember this question and the answer above. When we talk about Rahab, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Possibly, many answered: Rahab, the prostitute. Rahab leaves the book of Joshua and goes directly to have her name honored and written in the gallery of the Heroes of Faith.
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31)
Rahab was now in the gallery of the Heroes of Faith, which is infinitely more honorable than the life she led. Rahab was a sinful woman, living in a pagan environment, but she believed in the God of Israel as the true and only God of heaven and earth. She abandoned the idolatry that Canaan experienced and now united by faith to Israel and to God, becoming also an ancestor of the Messiah.
And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias. (Matthew 1:5-6)
Rahab’s salvation illustrates the fact that, even in the face of judgment as was the case at that moment, God accepts any person from any nation who fears Him and does what is right.
Zacchaeus: From Sinner to Son of Abraham
Now we observe that, when Jesus enters Jericho, there was a man who was the chief of the publicans, a very rich man who was a tax collector; his name was Zacchaeus. The Bible says that Zacchaeus was a man of short stature, who, upon learning that Jesus had passed through that region, climbed a sycamore tree just to see who Jesus was. Zacchaeus just wanted to see who Jesus was, but Jesus wanted to make His dwelling in Zacchaeus’s life.
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (Luke 19:2-5)
Here we see the central basis of our study, which is to understand that often we will always be remembered for our failures, but never for our capabilities. Those who were with Jesus and heard the master say that He would be a guest of Zacchaeus simply pointed out Zacchaeus as a sinner.
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. (Luke 19:7)
But the encounter generated between Jesus and Zacchaeus makes it so that, from that moment on, Zacchaeus was no longer the same, beginning to speak and act differently.
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. (Luke 19:8-9)
Note that, for the crowd, Zacchaeus would always be the tax collector and sinner, but for Jesus, that tax collector was called by name, because he was most precious to the Lord Jesus. That tax collector just wanted to see Jesus pass by, but Jesus always has something more for those who desire to know Him; Jesus wanted to make His dwelling in Zacchaeus’s life.
Bartimaeus: From Marginalization to the Vision of Faith
The Bible also tells us that there was a man who was blind and begged by the wayside. In the eyes of society, he was just another anonymous person, because he lived begging and, in the eyes of society, could contribute nothing. The Bible relates that, one certain day, this man heard something different and sought to know what was happening. We understand that what he heard that day, at that moment, was not common, because where Jesus passes, nothing remains the same. We can conjecture that someone stopped and told that man that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by and, wherever He passed, the sick were healed, the paralytics walked, the blind saw, and the mute spoke.
The Bible relates that this man begins to cry out loud: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” The crowd told him to be quiet, not to bother the master, because the crowd thought that man had no value to the master. That one called Bartimaeus was able to understand that, at that moment, the one who needed the miracle was him, and that opportunity might not repeat itself. Bartimaeus cried out insistently and the Lord Jesus turned to him, and Jesus asked: what do you want me to do for you? Jesus knew what Bartimaeus needed, but Jesus wanted to hear from Bartimaeus his needs. See the great teaching, because those who need the miracle are us, and in no way does it matter to us what the crowd says; what matters to us is to take advantage of the opportunity to be with the owner of the miracle. For this reason, even if man remembers you for your failures, know that God remembers you for your capabilities and qualities.
Rahab the prostitute was remembered in the gallery of the Heroes of Faith; Zacchaeus the tax collector received Jesus in his house as his guest; the blind man of Jericho saw much more than the crowd saw with physical eyes, because that man, even without vision, Bartimaeus had faith and believed that Jesus Christ could change his story.
We conclude that it does not matter how you are remembered by men up to here, but what matters is how you will be remembered from here on; therefore, lift up your head, raise your hands to the heavens and let God write a new story for you, because you are extremely important to God. Man may remember you for your failures, for your mistakes, but God looks at you for who you are in His presence, that is, a precious vessel. May we be like the blind man of Jericho, who did not listen to what the crowd said, but gave place to his faith, which was infinitely greater than the voices echoing from the crowd.
