JESUS AND THE DAVINCI CODE

JESUS AND THE DAVINCI CODE Matthew 12:46-50 With grateful acknowledgement of these sources of direction and inspiration: the Holy Spirit; the Word of God; Richard Abanes, The Truth Behind the DaVinci Code; Darrell Bock, “The Good News of DaVinci”, Christianity Today, Jan., 2004; Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code; John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew 8-15; Jim Snapp, “The DaVinci Code – Seriously?”; Online at www.waynecoc.org; John Vaughn, “Relationship with Christ” July 31, 2005 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction On the best-seller lists for over two and a half years now, it has sold at last estimate over 20 million copies. Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code is a fictional thriller which supposes a marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene which produced a royal bloodline in France. There are plenty of other dubious suggestions about Christianity’s origins and historical development in the book. Here’s what the author, Dan Brown, claims about Christianity—a quote not in the book but taken directly from him in interviews: “…almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false.” A secret society among the initiates including the alleged descendants of Jesus in the flesh, called "The Priory of Sion," to which many famous Europeans, such as Leonardo da Vinci, belonged, was the keeper of the secret and the “holy grail” all along, claims Brown. Although his book is a work of fiction, he begins the introduction with the clear assertion that the backdrop of his story is based on fact. Besides the fact that the book is very poorly written—a gifted author Brown is not—there is also the mountain of erroneous research and massive gaps of credibility. Brown insinuates often that the book is based on factual material, but when challenged he retreats to saying “It’s just a story.” Whatever this flip-flopping means, people are foolishly reading it as real history and jumping to all kinds of reckless conclusions. And Brown and Doubleday Publishing are laughing all the way to the bank. Don’t bother buying or reading it We are resuming the sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew, after a lengthy hiatus, and our text is the five verses at the close of chapter 12. At first glance they seem, shall we say, unpreachable. But the more I considered these two brief paragraphs, the more I realized there’s gold in them thar hills! Honestly, when I began planning this message some time ago, I thought I would spend a good deal of my time disproving the theories of this book. And I studied in that direction. This week my plans changed as I felt the Holy Spirit saying within me that such things don’t deserve my attention So, I don’t want to spend any more time on it, just know that your pastor’s opinion of the book is that it is sheer fraud and a 4th grade level novel, mixed with adult themes and language, foisted off onto an illiterate public with more money than brains. If you want a thoroughly researched and well-written response to The DaVinci Code?, get a copy of The DaVinci Hoax, by Carl Olson and Sandra Meisel. Or, if you just want to ignore it, there is a great deal of wisdom there, too. Let’s read together beginning at Matthew 12:46. While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and by brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” A lot of question surface in us as we read this passage, but I suppose the one most pressing one is, How can Jesus treat His family like that? Consider this family’s recent experiences for a moment. Luke makes it clear in chapter 8 that this event occurred in Capernaum. How did they get there? Matthew 4:13 tells us that when John the Baptist had been imprisoned, Jesus had already turned up the heat between Himself and the Pharisees. So He left Judea and went back to Galilee, but He did not stay in Nazareth, His home town, because there was no faith in Him there—in fact they tried to stone Him. After this (the miracle at the wedding in Cana) he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. (John 2:12) The thing we often miss is, this isn’t just Jesus moving around, nor only Him and His disciples. Moving from place to place with Jesus is Mary, His mother, and His younger brothers, James and Joses, and perhaps others. Joseph had died, Jesus was the oldest son; what was Mary to do? She wasn’t welcome in Jerusalem or Nazareth either! Now what do you suppose is going on in Mary’s heart? What do you think His brothers, who by the way did not yet believe in Him, were thinking about Him? There’s a hint at Mark 3:20-21 – Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” I’ll tell you what they were thinking—they were worried about Jesus--ministering 20 hours a day, not eating, fighting the powers of darkness…So, here we have them coming to yet another house where He is ministering to another crowd; He’s probably not eaten all day. So they’ve come to take charge of Him again. He’s not taking care of Himself, so they need to have a word with Him and talk Him into coming home with them. They arrive at the house where He’s teaching and—it’s worse than they thought. Why, the throng around Him is so thick not even His family can get through! Hey, you, in the doorway! Yeah, you. Look, I’m James the brother of Jesus the teacher. Yeah, could you, could you get word to Him that His mother wants to talk with Him. Tell Him she and His brothers are out here and we need to see Him! The man in the doorway is reluctant—he’s come to hear the teacher, not to be an errand boy. But, he thinks, if he tells the others he has a message for Jesus from His family, he will at least get in closer to see and hear Him better! Think in terms of a Life Group meeting at our house. We have one of the world’s smallest kitchens, and the kitchen is the preferred room of visitation. Picture yourself answering the phone and needing to get a message to someone in the family room. Add into the mix the fact that everyone is straining to hear Jesus and they don’t want to be bothered, especially not to let someone get in closer than they are. But the doorway guy somehow parlays his way through the crowd, pushing and negotiating. He delivers the message that Jesus’ family is outside and wants to have a word with Him. And essentially Jesus snubs him and announces that He is already having words with His real family! Doorway Don thinks, Mama’s not going to like this answer! So he sends the answer out through the grapevine and keeps the front-row-orchestra seat he’s earned. What was Jesus saying? Was it really a snub? Was it a rude response? This was one of those times in Jesus’ life when He had to make it clear that He was called to a mission, and not even His family, whom He loved and served for 30 years, should try to get in the way. He was a little premature with it 18 years earlier when Mary and Joseph had lost Him in Jerusalem. Remember? He said, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) Luke adds his editorial comment: “But they did not understand what he was saying to them.” Mary still doesn’t understand; still less do his brothers have a clue. So Jesus makes it clear. The fact is, the family had confused concern FOR Jesus with concern WITH Jesus. Let me explain. Mary and company wanted to take care of Jesus, but Jesus would not let that happen because He was ministering to others. They thought they knew what was best for Jesus, but Jesus was walking in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, and He knew what was best for everyone. He was doing the will of the Father and was not to be disturbed. Hadn’t He already made it clear? I have not come to bring peace…but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:34-37) From now on there will be five in one family divided against each others, three against two and two against three. (Luke 12:52) The fact is, not everyone will walk in faith at the same time, including family & homeys. Joses and James will later believe in Jesus with discerning faith. In a year from now Mary will understand what she did not yet understand. And in the meantime, if anyone, even mother, stands in the way of obedience to God, it will mean conflict. One of the new “family” there in that room with Jesus was Peter, one of His dearest friends. Two years later when the Lord explains that He would soon suffer and die, Peter said, “No—that won’t happen!” He was in that moment at cross-purposes with Jesus because He was at cross-purposes with God. Jesus sternly rebuked His friend, calling him Satan and telling him to get out of His face. Knowing the will of God and walking in it WITH Jesus is a far better choice than simply being concerned FOR Jesus. Jesus doesn’t need our doting, our pastoral care or our worry for Him. What He does want is our devotion, our listening heart and our agreement with His will. Even our prayers can be less than honoring to Him if we are not. Hear me well—I don’t want to be misunderstood here. It is so much more important to LISTEN to Jesus than to SPEAK to Him. There is everything right with prayer, but we often rush into prayer as a duty or a religious regulation, and we don’t even know what to say or ask for. Why? We’ve neglected a RELATIONSHIP with Him and replaced it with religious behaviors. We’re often like the family, “standing outside wanting to speak to Him,” when He would rather we be “inside, listening to Him.” James 1:19 – Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak… Our concern for the Lord and getting His will accomplished must always be subordinated to our relationship with Him. How about it—when’s the last time you listened to Him, and genuinely got in touch with His Spirit’s voice and direction. Very often people who are quick to pray substitute prayer for their study of the Word (that’s the same as listening to His Spirit, folks—the Word is the sword of the Spirit). Then they find it hard to pray things that are in the will of God, precisely because they are out of touch with His will. Again, James teaches When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:3) Our prayer ministry is often sick because we are relationship-starved. I know you remember the occasion when Jesus was visiting in the house of Martha, one of the sisters of Lazarus. Martha’s sister Mary was there as well, and she sat in the family room with Jesus, listening to Him teach, interacting with Him. Martha, the Bible tells us at Luke 10:40, was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Hear the words of Jesus bringing a gentle rebuke to the busy sister: Martha, Martha! You are worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chose what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42) “Martha, Mary’s right, and I won’t tell her to help you!” Concluding Exhortations What’s the important thing learn here? That we should reprimand our friends and family? Of course not! We need to learn just what Martha learned, just what Mary and her younger sons learned, what Peter learned: It is far better to strengthen our relationship with the Lord by being with Him, listening to Him, getting to know Him and His will better, than it is to just DO for Him, acting on our own impulses. Our most prodigious Christian actions can actually be repugnant to the Lord instead of pleasing to Him. In any contest between duty and devotion, bet on devotion every time. What Jesus wants most earnestly from you is a deep and intimate relationship with you. More than your prayers, your giving, your service or your songs of worship. I’m sure you remember His words in John 15:15 – I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends... Let me close with a few questions worth asking: 1. Do I love my Christian service more than I love Christ? A question of my concerns versus His concerns ◦ My concerns: I want to earn His love I want His approval I want Him to be proud of me I want others to regard me as His faithful child ◦ His concerns: That I depend on Him, and not myself That I be about the Father’s business and not my own That I spend time listening to Him and cultivating relationship with Him 2. Is it more important for me to speak to Him or listen to Him? 3. Which is more important to me: my doing for Him or my being with Him? 4. Is my personal service for Christ duty or devotion? John 13:6-8 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” [Back to Top]