“Is that all you’ve got, Clark?” One would think the writers could come up with a better line than that old cliché for a big budget movie like 2013’s Man of Steel. Yet there it was in one of the flash back scenes as a bully picked on the mild mannered Clark Kent. Wanting to strike back, but knowing he couldn’t, made the humiliation hurt even worse. Of course it was a movie, and in the movie and TV world the violence is fake so it’s easy for actors to toss out that cocky line. Even when it’s by the guy getting beat up. The bloody lips and bruises are all fake and the only real pain is from seeing the bad acting.

Sometimes it becomes difficult for people to remember that actors are putting on a show. Years ago a reporter asked a young Harrison Ford if he ever wanted to “Go all Indiana Jones” when stuck in LA traffic. Ford’s response was to remind the questioner that it was a movie character, a make believe role; fiction not reality.

The difference between fiction and reality jumps out in the events involving Jeroboam and the prophet of God in 1 Kings 13:1-6. When the prophet came to condemn the idolatrous worship Jeroboam was furious and “stretched out his hand from the altar, saying “Seize him.” (1 Kings 13:4). But God changed Jeroboam’s tune when “his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.” (also v4). But God wasn’t done speaking to Jeroboam. As the creator of heaven and earth God’s power is not restricted by time. He revealed through the prophet that a King of Judah would desecrate the altar and named him – Josiah, who was 300 years in the future. To further prove He was with the prophet God tore the altar open as promised.

Suddenly Jeroboam remembered that he was not God, and neither was the golden calf. Jeroboam knew the golden calf was fiction so instead of turning to it for help or responding with the cocky cliché “Is that the best you’ve got?” he begged for God’s mercy, who graciously granted it by restoring his arm. “’Please entreat the Lord your God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.” (1 Kings 13:6).

But that wasn’t the best God could do. 2000 years ago, on a special Sunday God tore open a grave and raised Jesus from the dead. And the best is yet to come when God calls all His saints to Himself, when the grave and death give up all and all believers (living or dead) are reunited in heaven for eternity. When we look at our response to that miracle and the promise of an even grander one let’s be honest and ask ourselves: “Is this the best I can do?”