The Secret Code of the Bible
By: Erwin Raphael McManus
This may
be the most anticipated movie of the last 20 years. It’s
amazing so much controversy has surrounded a book that can
only be bought in the fiction section. I don’t think
there has ever been more rebuttals to a book that acknowledges
it is a product of someone’s
vivid and creative imagination. If you think about it, the actual
title of any book that has been written to counteract the effect
of The Da Vinci Code should be “Why Dan Brown’s make-believe
story isn’t true.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s
really important to me what people think of Jesus, but instead
of upsetting me that people are thinking the wrong thing about
Him, I guess I am pretty amazed that 2000 years later people
are still thinking about Him at all. Kind of tells you something
about the extraordinary nature of this simple carpenter out of
Nazareth.
I
don’t think it is coincidental that The
Da Vinci Code has hit such a compelling chord among its audience.
Perhaps two of the most compelling figures in history are Leonardo
Da Vinci and Jesus of Nazareth. Add to that recipe a conspiracy
theory, a subversive plot, and the decoding of long-held secrets
then you have a story that becomes a magnet to the human curiosity.
What has been curious to me is how many people have without
reservation embraced The Da Vinci Code as unquestioned historic
fact. Ironically, the very same people who reject the Scriptures
for lack of substantial evidence readily embrace The Da Vinci
Code as if we found the original manuscript right next to The
Gospel of Judas. I think there is a reason why we lean towards
believing that something more is going on besides what we see
in modern day Christianity and Catholicism. Even the smallest
amount of understanding of who Jesus was would cause you to wonder
how in the world could present day Christianity be what his life
was all about. I think we not only are ready to believe that
there must be more to the story of Jesus. I think deep down we
hope that there is. If all the death of Jesus was about was the
establishing of a new religion, it seems like an incredible waste
of energy.
And for those who are searching for the secret code of the Bible,
the hidden message that has been buried and lost over the centuries,
my message is do not lose heart. Your instincts are right, the
message of Jesus has been lost in the catacombs of thousands
of years of empty religion. Jesus never intended his movement
to be about cathedrals and robes and titles and power. He never
intended to establish a religious version of the Roman Empire.
The secret message of the Bible is one of elegant simplicity:
• We
are created in the image and likeness of God.
• We are the object of his passionate love and concern.
• We have potential beyond our wildest imagination.
• We were created to live in relationship with God.
• We are spiritual beings and need God to be fully alive.
• We are closer to God than we know.
• We have been lied to about what God demands of us.
The secret that must be exposed is that God has come into human
history in the person of Jesus Christ so that all of us might
become the sons and daughters of God. We are all to be the holy
grail.
Perhaps what I love most about the controversy created by The
Da Vinci Code is that it exposes how the institutional church
has corrupted the message and mission of Jesus Christ. It has
clouded in secrecy and hypocrisy what should have remained a
simple message of acceptance, forgiveness, and freedom. Yes,
there is a secret, and it is that our souls long for God and
that strangely enough, as hard as it may be to believe, God longs
for you.
****
Erwin Raphael McManus serves as the lead pastor and Cultural Architect of Mosaic
in Los Angeles. He is the catalyst behind Awaken, a collaboration of dreamers
committed to creating environments that expand imagination and unleash creativity,
and is the author of numerous books including An Unstoppable Force, Chasing
Daylight, and Soul Cravings, to be released at the end of 2006. McManus is
a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Southwestern Theological
Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX.
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