Choosing Priorities

John 14:1-11

I will be the first to admit that I absolutely LOVED The Da Vinci Code! I read the book a couple of years ago shortly after it first came out and literally could not put it down until I was finished. I found the story to be put together very well and the plot line very exciting. I will also admit that some items in the book gave me more to think about than my comfort zone at the time would allow.

Now that the movie has been released, I am not yet sure if I will go see it because I am afraid that it will not be as good as the book was for me. Through it all, however, I have never doubted that the whole story is ***FICTION***. Oh, there were a few trouble spots in the story line that forced me to go back more than once in the book to try and find the place where I might have missed something. You see, the author does use some historic pieces here and there that are used as nothing more than reference points. And there are some acknowledgments of past conflicts between orthodox Christianity and Gnosticism that can get the reader bogged down. Other than that, however, the story is entirely made up.

Prior to the release of the movie, church folks from all over have gotten more and more excited about what “harm” the movie might do to the Church and Christianity in general. In this the so-called church “leaders” have virtually insulted the masses – sort of like politicians – by suggesting that we cannot think for ourselves and must be “protected”.

Now I will grant you that the Church as a whole has been far too silent for far too long about some moral and social issues, and I also believe that the Church as a whole has come dangerously close to surrendering to society and our secular culture in a misguided effort to appease some. So maybe it is that these church folks who are trying to “protect” us from The Da Vinci Code are just a little too late, having surrendered a measure of credibility long ago, to speak of what is “right” and what is “wrong” now.

“Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.”

For those who may have been left confused about the premise of the book, Jesus has a word of encouragement. “Do not be alarmed”, He is saying. There is a core truth. Even back then Jesus was comforting His disciples because He knew full well that there will be moments of doubt about His mission, His ministry, and even His divinity. And Gnosticism challenges the divinity of Jesus as the Christ. What we are facing today with all the confusion about this novel is nothing new. I don’t believe for one moment that this book or movie poses any significant threat to the Church or to orthodox Christianity in general.

If there is any threat to the teachings of the Church as a whole, I assure you that the threat comes from within. In John 14:15, Jesus calls on His followers to prove their love for Him by obeying His commandments. Now we can speculate about WHICH commandments Jesus may be referring to and we can also speculate about the true definition of “love”, but what we cannot do is challenge what He means by this unless we are willing to admit that we are more “Gnostic” than we are “orthodox” because to challenge such a statement as this is to challenge the divinity of the Christ Himself.

When questioned about the “greatest” commandment of them all, Jesus responds in Matthew 22:37: “You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the FIRST and great commandment and the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

So it would seem that before we worry too much about what Dan Brown says, we might want to pay a little more attention to what Jesus is saying. Some might suggest that Dan Brown’s novel threatens the credibility of the Gospels. I say to you AGAIN that the threat to the Gospel – the GOOD NEWS – of Christ comes from we who consistently fail to live up to the very high standards that Jesus established.

The Church in its rich and storied history has a lot to be pleased with – and much to be ashamed of. The Church’s past is filled with men of power who ordered others killed because they didn’t think “right” or worship “right” or believe “right”. Thankfully, this is all in the past.

Or is it?

Contrary to what others have said, Dan Brown makes no remarkable “claims” to truth. As a writer, he set out to write a book that would sell and make him a living; he’s done that and THEN some. As for historic “claims”, it is a matter of pure speculation. He makes it clear in the beginning that his is a book of PURE FICTION and nothing more.

Jesus, on the other hand, does make some rather remarkable claims and He refers to Himself as “THE TRUTH” as well as “the way” and “the life”. In 1 John 5:6 it is written: “This is He who came by water and blood – Jesus the Christ; not only by water but by water and blood. And it is the SPIRIT who bears witness because the SPIRIT is TRUTH.”

My dear friends, do not let church folks tell you what you should be afraid of or what you should be mindful of unless they are telling you to BELIEVE the SPIRIT. As it is written: “IF we receive the witness of MEN, the witness of God is GREATER; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.”

The PEACE, the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE of Christ Jesus be with you now and forever.

AMEN.