|
“Beam me up Scotty!” Most of us here today are familiar with these words from the popular TV series and movies Star Trek. Even years after these TV shows and movies were first shown there continues to be Star Trek fans that identify themselves as Trekkies. Yet, as popular as Star Trek continues to be, it is recognized as science fiction. Today, when Christians talk about Jesus physically ascending into heaven it often receives the same response. We are given all the reasons why Jesus’ Ascension is a fabrication beginning with Newton’s Law of Gravity. Yet, if Jesus did not physically ascend into heaven we are as St. Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, if this be true then we the Church need to cancel all future church services and broadcast a worldwide apology for the hoax we ourselves have helped to perpetuate on humanity. Lee Strobel, an avowed atheist, used his journalistic skills to investigate the Church’s claims concerning Jesus of Nazareth. He began his investigation believing that he would finally put to rest what he believed to be the hoax of Christianity. At the end of his investigation he came to this conclusion, “In light of the convincing facts I had learned during my investigation, in the face of this overwhelming avalanche of evidence in the case for Christ, the great irony was this: it would require much more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to trust in Jesus of Nazareth.” Strobel’s investigative evidence is found in his book entitled The Case for Christ.
Today we are going to look at some of the scriptural evidence used in Strobel’s book. There are actually many references to post-resurrection appearances of Christ. The Book of Acts begins with the last post-resurrection appearance of Christ which has become known as the Ascension. As we heard read in our First Reading for today these words, “So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’”
In this scripture we are told that Jesus of Nazareth not only defied gravity by rising into the air before his disciples, but also two heavenly witnesses told them that Jesus would return to them in the same way. Please note, there is no “Beam me up Scottie” for Jesus’ ascension and there is no mention of a parachute for Jesus’ return to earth. Instead, Jesus defies the Laws of Nature in His leaving and will do so again when He returns!
The other account we have of the Ascension is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, beginning with verse 50: “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.” Granted, the same author who wrote Acts also wrote Luke. So let us go to back to St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 15 for references to Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters* at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.* 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
Did anyone catch that number five hundred? Now in our court of law, the numerous appearances even without five hundred witnesses at one time would be substantial evidence. Yet, St. Paul goes on to challenge his readers that most of the five hundred are still alive at the writing of his letter. This is because St. Paul’s letter was written only two years after Jesus’ Crucifixion! So St. Paul’s account of witnesses seeing Jesus post-resurrection can easily be disproved. This did not happen. As history has shown, the witnesses of Jesus’ resurrected body continued to spread the good news instead of debunking it.
Of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus of Nazareth, the British theologian Michael Green writes, “The appearances of Jesus are as well authenticated as anything in antiquity….There can be no rational doubt that they occurred.” Like the journalist Lee Strobel, we are left with the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, overcame death through the Resurrection and then defied the Laws of Nature by ascending into the Heavens. Of this, we like Strobel can only conclude that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah of whom the prophets of old foretold would come into the world to take away our sins. Jesus is the Christ.
We do not worship a dead man, but the living glorified Son of God who has promised us that He will return! Because we know that God is no liar, we can also believe the Word of Jesus the Christ. The promise of transformation and eternal life through Christ is a reality that will not go away. In closing, we who believe are comforted and challenged by the words of St. John, ‘Yet, to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” We too are His witnesses.
| 
