What Would You Do?

I finally watched The Davinci Code recently long after all the fuss died down. I thought it was a great movie. The plot was amazing and Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, and Ian McKellan were phenomenal. I liked the movie most for what it was, a movie. It is great entertainment, but I appreciate the courage to ask questions. No reasonable person I know believes The Davinci Code is anything more than a skillful compilation of myth and hypothetical theories assembled by the craftsman Dan Brown. No matter whether you fall on the side of "for" or "against," faith or science, the truth that is indisputable is that there are huge volumes of information about the birth, life, death, and possible lineage of Jesus that we do not know. In fact there is more that we don't know about Jesus than we do know, but that does not in any way diminish His impact upon the world and upon individuals. I'll save my summarizing and critiquing. I'd rather you watch the movie or read the book for yourself and make up your own mind. I personally found the most moving and transcendent part of the movie to be the final conversation between Robert and Sophie, which raises the most important question of the film, "What would you do?"

Sophie: What would you do, Robert?

Robert: Ok, maybe there is no proof. Maybe the grail is lost forever, but, Sophie, the only thing that matters is what you believe. History shows us Jesus was an extraordinary man, a human inspiration. That’s it. That’s all the evidence has ever proved, but when I was a boy… when I was down in that well Teabing told you about, I thought I was going to die, Sophie. What I did… I prayed. I prayed to Jesus to keep me alive so I could see my parents again, so I could go to school again, so I could play with my dog. Sometimes I wonder if I wasn’t alone down there. Why does it have to be human or divine? Maybe human is divine. Why couldn’t Jesus have been a father and still been capable of all those miracles?

Sophie: Like turning water into wine?

Robert: Well, who knows? His blood is your blood. Maybe that junkie in the park will never touch a drug again. Maybe you healed my phobia with your hands.

Sophie: And maybe you’re a knight in the grail quest.

Robert: Well, here’s the question. You’re a living descendant of Jesus Christ. Would she destroy faith, or would she renew it? So, I say again, what matters is what you believe.

Sophie: Thank you for bringing me here, for letting Him choose you, Sir Robert.