That might be my favorite line from one of my all-time favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption. It's been on TV quite a bit lately, and I rarely miss the chance to watch at least part of it.
I really love movies that have deep meaning. Shawshank definitely qualifies. The lead character, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), quite obviously comes across as a Christ-like figure. Consider this:
1. He is sent to Shawshank prison for a murder he didn't commit. So, in essence, he receives punishment without having sinned, much like Jesus.
2. Once at Shawshank, Andy immediately attracts friends (or, if you will, disciples), including the person who becomes his best friend, Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman). Andy is a ray of light amidst the darkness.
3. Just as Jesus is confronted (and tempted) by Satan, Andy is manipulated (or so we think) by the evil warden, Samuel Norton, who sees Andy as just another pawn toward ill-begotten riches. Andy isn't crucified, but he is locked away in solitary confinement at the point where he confronts the warden with the truth of his innocence. Of course, Jesus was punished Himself for putting forward the Truth.
4. And just when we think Andy has decided to end his life, we realize that he found his way of escaping the darkness of prison and coming back to the light of society - an obvious metaphor of Jesus' resurrection and ascension from our sinful world into the glorious Kingdom of Heaven.
And, so where does 'redemption' come into picture?
Many viewers think it is Andy who is redeemed. But I've always thought it was actually Red. It was Andy's powerful influence that allowed Red to finally come to terms with his crime and honestly present his case to the Parole Board:
I did a simple search and found 10 times that the word 'redemption' is mentioned in the Bible. This particular verse stood out to me:
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (KJV Romans 3:24)
Just another reminder that redemption, justice and freedom are always around the corner. We just have to ask.
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