Two days before Easter, I saw the movie Michael Clayton. My first impression was that it was exceptionally well done. For a plot line that could have been handed to us in a cheesy one-hour legal drama on television, the script, character development, acting, direction and dramatic tension brought this potentially uninteresting story to life. I was completely amazed that such a flimsy premise could hold my attention so well and actually make me care. That's great writing, acting, and directing!

But it was during the Easter Sunday sermon that I really began to see the overriding question of the film. My pastor was talking about Thomas, the disciple of Jesus who simply would not believe Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw Jesus with his own eyes. I got to thinking about Thomas' dilemma for a second. He was a Jew who believed that Jesus was the Messiah: the one who was prophesied to rule as a leader and a king of Israel, to restore dignity and power to the Jews. He had also seen Jesus perform miracles, raise the dead, command the elements of nature, and even during his arrest, Jesus' words "I am he" caused a multitude of soldiers to fall to the ground. The power of Christ was unparalleled. So, when Christ willingly went to the cross to die without so much as an argument, Thomas' faith was crushed. This would be the equivalent of me dying and getting to heaven (or hell or eternal bliss or whatever) to meet Allah or Buddha. There would be actual proof that I was totally wrong in my belief. Jesus' death, and his failure to save himself, was proof to Thomas that he had wrongly placed his trust in Jesus as the Messiah. So, would he believe when his friends said they had seen Jesus alive again? A part of him may have wanted to, but he just couldn't. Not for a second. He wouldn't be burned again. He needed proof.

As I was pondering the plight of Thomas, the premise of this movie wandered into my mind. Michael Clayton, this lawyer who needs to be convinced. Arthur Edens, the slightly crazy lawyer who needs to get the word out that a toxic pesticide used by an otherwise benevolent company is harming people. The words that Arthur writes on the wall of the hotel room for Michael to discover say it all: "Make believe it's not madness." Just put all your reasonings aside, pretend like I'm not a little on the loony side, and consider the possibility that I'm telling the truth. The message that a company devoted to saving the earth (U North) would actually be harming its people is preposterous. And it doesn't help that the messenger has issues of his own. Arthur's lewd actions before a room full of lawyers, his history of episodic insanity, and his numerous medications don't exactly help his argument.

I would imagine that Thomas, Jesus' disciple, pointed to every flaw and overly zealous attitude in his fellow disciples to negate the idea that his Christ had risen from the dead. I imagine that a very disappointed Thomas had all the modern reasonings we might use in a similar situation: they just want to see Jesus, maybe they've gone insane, maybe they're hallucinating or dreaming. It's an epidemic, zealous attempt to rectify the problem that Jesus caused by deliberately allowing himself to die. Thomas needed proof, just like Michael Clayton.

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