05-14-06 The DaVinci Deception-Part 4
This is the 4th message in the series on The DaVinci Deception. We have been looking at areas that Dan Brown has challenged in his book The DaVinci Code, which has sold over 40 million copies and is due to be released as a major motion picture this Friday. So far we have talked about the false ideas of The DaVinci Code, including those about Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, and the Gnostic bible. We have seen that these falsehoods challenge the very basic beliefs of Christianity by attacking who Jesus is and the Holy Bible itself. It is fitting that on Mother’s Day we talk about one woman who plays very prominently in this whole deception. This week we are going to examine the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and the search for the Holy Grail.
When was the last time you saw a picture of The Last Supper (show on PowerPoint)? It is a famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci that probably all of us have seen at some time in our life. Mr. Brown claims in The DaVinci Code that Leonardo DaVinci used this painting to hide secret details or codes because he was a member of a group called the Priory of Sion. This small band of conspirators supposedly knew the truth about the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, but because of opposition from the church, they hid the secrets in paintings like The Last Supper. In The DaVinci Code the powerful Catholic organization Opus Dei is in conflict with the Priory of Sion and intimidates them so that these supposed truths will not get out and destroy Christianity. While this is great intrigue and fiction for a novel, it has no historical truth to it.
If we take a moment and examine the painting we will discover that there is a theme to it—the shock of betrayal. This painting was an attempt at recounting when Jesus was with His disciples in the upper room and He had just revealed the news that one of them would betray Him. (Christ is shown at the center of the table. Judas, the second figure left of center, sits silently and clutches the disciples’ purse.) This event is recorded in Matthew 26: 20-25.
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, He said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” 22 They were very sad and began to say to Him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?” Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. . . . 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”
You can see the shock on their faces as they ask who it was that could do such a terrible thing to their Master. All except Judas, who simply sits there holding the money bag.
Now if we look again at the painting, you will see that there is a figure to the right of Jesus (just behind and to the right of Judas) drawing away from Him and being spoken to by one of the disciples who is pointing at Jesus. That figure is supposed to be John the beloved disciple. This event is also recorded in John 13:21-25 (NIV)
21 After He had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray Me.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them He meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved (John), was reclining next to Him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask Him which one He means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
By examining the scripture, we can see that the man talking with John is none other than Simon Peter. Thus, in the picture we can see that Leonardo DaVinci was true to the scriptures when he painted this picture.
In The DaVinci Code the person we have identified as John is said to be Mary Magdalene. Support for this is the effeminate look that John has which they say means it was not a man, but a woman. Yet, there is no historical basis for this assertion. Men were sometimes painted as effeminate and John was historically noted to be a young man in comparison to the other disciples so this would fit his description. Here’s a thought: in The DaVinci Code it is said that Jesus wanted Mary to be the head of the church and not Peter, so that is why she was made out to be a prostitute. If that statement is true (which it is not), then Peter would not have had anything to do with Mary and for DaVinci to have made it so plain in his painting that Peter was talking to Mary would be contradictory to what the Prior of Sion was saying. In fact, in the Gnostic Gospel of Mary, Peter and Mary are seen in great conflict because of a supposed revelation that Mary received from Jesus. If the gospel of The DaVinci Code is true, then why would DaVinci have placed Peter so close to Mary?
So who is Mary Magdalene and why is she such an important character? Luke tells us she was a one of a group of women who were following Jesus and His disciples and supporting them financially:
Luke 8:1-3 (NIV) 1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
Women were usually identified by their husbands, but Mary is called Magdalene that is she is identified by where she was from— Magdala—so she was not married. Mary was a common name (e.g. Jesus’ mother, Mary of Bethany), so to distinguish between which Mary, she is called Mary of Magdala. (We would have the same problem here in our church, we have 2 Tammy’s, 2 Dave’s, 2 Joe’s. To tell them apart we use their last name—Tammy S, Dave H, Joe T). We also know that she had 7 demons delivered from her. What we don’t know is whether she is the woman referred to in Luke 7 as the prostitute who wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears. That is a theory that Pope Gregory the Great stated in his Easter sermon in 591 AD. In 1969 the Vatican declared that this was not true.
Luke 7: 37-38 (NIV) When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Mary Magdalene is also one of the women who was at the cross when Jesus was crucified and she was one of the first ones to see the resurrected Christ (Luke 23:55-24:1-10; Matt 27: 61; 28:1; Mark 16:1-11; John 20:1-18). Here is an amazing truth of the harmony of the gospels—each one states that Mary Magdalene was at the tomb. There is no disagreement from any of the 4 gospels as to this being a true fact. Yet, in The DaVinci Code it is stated that the church did not like Mary and discredited her by calling her a prostitute. It seems to me that if the gospels that the church used did not like Mary, then they would not have mentioned her at all. Yet, each gospel clearly states by name that she was there.
So this brings us to the question of whether Mary was married to Jesus. This is a fabrication of the Gnostic bible and there is no historical or Biblical proof to support it. Here is where looking at outside sources can help us. If Jesus and Mary were married, then the great historian Josephus (remember he was a Jew who became a Roman historian and wrote about the history of Jews during the time of Caesar and when Jerusalem fell in 70 AD, so we would consider him a contemporary of the apostles) would have stated it in his writings. Yet, there is not one reference to such a great event in all of his history. Nor is there a mention in any other writings, other than the Gnostic writings—specifically The Gospel of Phillip. Dr Lutzer quoted this passage:
“The companion is Mary of Magdala. Jesus loved her more than his students. He kissed her often on her , more than all his student. . . .”
As was stated by Dr Lutzer, the parchment is of poor quality so that we do not what word belonged here. Was it her face, forehead, hand? We cannot assume it was her mouth as The DaVinci Code says. Traditionally, it would have been a kiss on the cheek (remember Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, which would have been on the cheek as is common in the Middle East). In another major blunder The DaVinci Code says “As any Aramaic scholar will tell you, the word companion, in those days, literally meant spouse.” However, let’s remember that this quote from the Gnostic gospel was written in Coptic, not Aramaic!
What reasons are there that Jesus could not have been married? First, He would have had to marry someone as sinless as Himself, and friends there just was no one to pick from! How could the sinless Son of God knowingly allow His divine nature to be joined in physical intimacy with a woman who was not sinless? This is the heresy that The DaVinci Code dares to say, that Jesus could impregnate a sinful woman with His divine seed and she bring into this world a child conceived by their union. This is called the Holy Grail by The DaVinci Code.
For many centuries, the Holy Grails was thought to be the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. The legend of the Holy Grail became associated with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur is believed to have had a vision of the grail and sent his knights to find it. But no one could find it because of the sin in their hearts. Do any of you remember Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? In one scene Indiana had to determine which was the correct cup that Jesus drank out of, so he could save his father from dying? These are great stories and legends, but there is no truth to them. As great as these stories were, The DaVinci Code goes one better in trying to say that the grail was not a cup, but the bloodline of Jesus that Mary carried in her body. Talk about a fabrication—here is heresy based on a legend that is not true in the first place!
Secondly, there is no mention of His marriage by any writers of the New Testament. Paul dealt specifically with marriage and singleness in 1 Cor 7, yet not once does He mention Jesus’ marriage. You would think that in such a discussion, the highest ideal would be the marriage of Jesus and Paul would have lifted it up very clearly for all to follow as an example. But Paul did not do that because Jesus was never married.
Finally, and probably to me, the most compelling proof that Jesus did not marry is that He is waiting on His bride, the church, which He will marry one day. If Jesus had already been married on earth, then He would not have to wait for a bride.
Ephesians 5: 25-27 (NIV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
In a context clearly talking about marriage, the church is declared to be the bride of Christ. Right now the Holy Spirit is working in us to remove the spots and wrinkles, so that we can be presented a pure and holy bride to Jesus.
Hear the Word of God:
Revelation 19:7-9 (NIV) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
My friends, this is one supper we do not want to miss! The invitation is open to all who would believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Our Lord is waiting for the day when the Father tells Him to go get His bride. Then He will come back and take us to be with Him and we will feast and celebrate like never before. Are you looking forward to that day? Are you ready to meet your groom—Jesus the Lord?