Couldn’t help noticing in The Da Vinci Code (Part I)
Reading The Da Vinci Code recently in preparation for the release of the movie in May, I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Dan Brown. For Brown, Jesus' humanity, his supposed marriage to Mary Magdalene and their so-called “sacred bloodline” which spawned generations of Merovingian kings is far more exciting subject matter than Jesus' divinity, his death and resurrection, and his pre-eminence over all. For Brown, the secret of Jesus' descendents is exciting because it's dangerous; it could result in the downfall of the institutional church and the collapse of Christianity. Much of the plot of The Da Vinci Code revolves around its unveiling.
Contrast Brown to Mark, whose gospel of 16 chapters revolves around the unveiling of the secret that Jesus is the Messiah who has come “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Now that's a secret worth getting excited about.