Monday, April 28, 2008
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
ASCENSION ADVANTAGE: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH?
In the 1994 film "Shawshank Redemption," Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne appears in court for the alleged murder of his wife. He admits to being at the scene of the crime. He admits to thinking about killing his wife. He admits to owning a gun just like the one that was used to kill her. He admits being drunk, but he claims he drove away without firing a shot and threw the gun in a river. The prosecutor points out that the authorities spent a long time dragging the bottom of that river in an attempt to find the murder weapon -- all to no avail. He then turns to Andy and asks if that isn't rather convenient for him. Andy responds, "Since I am innocent of this crime, sir, I find it decidedly inconvenient that the gun was never found." Although Andy's character is such that you almost instantly believe him, despite the heavy weight of evidence against him, it is a while before the movie makes it clear that Andy is indeed innocent, and the missing gun was very inconvenient for him.
The ascension of our Lord leaves us with the same debate. After all, many atheists might very well say the same thing that Andy's prosecutor says to him.
Atheist: "How do you know Jesus is God?"
Believer: "He rose from the dead. Who besides God could do that?"
Atheist: "If he rose from the dead, where is He now?"
Believer: "In heaven."
Atheist: "That's rather convenient for you, isn't it? The proof that Jesus is God is a risen body I cannot see."
However, before we jump in too quickly and say: "Since we know it is true, it is decidedly inconvenient," we have to ask whether perhaps the atheist is right and Jesus' ascension is a rather convenient truth. Jesus himself says, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away" (John 16:7).
So even though we may think it would be convenient in an argument with an atheist to have Jesus standing visibly right there -- "see He is risen" -- nevertheless Jesus assures us that His ascension is very much to our advantage.
