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The Sexuality of Jesus, and the Da Vinci Code
What might lie behind the public excitement about the way Jesus and the church are represented in The Da Vinci Code
Archdeacon Michael Smart, Priest Associate
21 May 2006
What might lie behind the public excitement about the way Jesus is represented in The Da Vinci Code?
A fictitious yarn has, for some, become an authority on Jesus, especially with regard to the book's claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers and had a child, and whose blood line remains, though hidden from all but an inner sanctum within the church.
There is nothing new in the author’s speculations, and there is nothing new in the desire of people to find in Jesus a red blooded fellow human being who, as such, would have had normal sexual feelings.
The Christian Community, in all its historic diversity, has a long-standing problem with sex. St Augustine, a famous 4th Century theologian, equated sex with sin. Even within marriage, intercourse should be had without desire or passion. The Church has never recovered. Celibacy is still seen by many as a higher state of purity. Did God give us the gift of intercourse and intimacy? He did tell us to be fruitful and multiply, but surely must have added “and don’t enjoy it"?
Jesus was fully human, we say, yet how often do we include in his humanity his sexual feelings? If Mary Magdalene was attractive, did Jesus notice? And if he did, would that reduce his perfection?
Jesus choose to be single, which is not surprising given he knew his life was to be both dangerous and short, but he did not choose to be single because he lacked normal sexual desire or saw marriage as somehow defiling.
Scripture says Jesus was tempted in all things, just as we are, yet without sin; so temptations stemming from sexual desire must have been part of his human experience, and we can be glad about that, otherwise he wouldn’t understand a significant part of our human experience.
There is nothing to indicate Jesus did marry, but even if he had, Jesus would be no less perfect.
Some Christians have viewed the virgin conception as necessary, so as to preserve Mary’s purity. It has been said that, if Jesus were conceived by intercourse, he would not be without sin. This is a further sad illustration of some Christians' view of sex. I suggest God did not avoid his own gift of intercourse because he saw sex as sinful. Rather, conception by a virgin makes clear that Jesus is the gift of God, and he comes at God’s initiative rather than being the result of Mary and Joseph’s bright idea.
How many times have you heard the Song of Solomon read in Church? It is an Old Testament erotic love poem.
In one parish I chose a reading from this scripture, but the reader refused to read it because in the poem the bridegroom expresses his admiration of his bride’s breasts. We screen out this side of our humanity when it comes to church and worship and the way we understand our relationship with God.
Adam knew his wife and she conceived. In the bible, to know a man, to know a woman is linked with intercourse. Jesus often used “ to know” when he described his work, as helping us “ to know God”. Knowledge of God is like a husband and wife’s knowledge of each other. Knowing God comes through intimacy, vulnerability, trust and the total giving of ourselves in love to God. When it comes to our strongest and deepest emotions, we are often lost for words and speak with our body.
As intercourse is for committed lovers, a sign and pledge of love, so this sacrament is for committed disciples, a sign and pledge of Christ’s love for us and our response to him .Yet for some even to mention the sacrament in the same breath as sexual intimacy would be heard as vulgar and unhelpful; we might ask why ?
A survey of the incidence of alcoholism among various religious groups concluded that people are not so likely to abuse what they see as God’s gift. Perhaps the abuse of sex today is in part because we have not celebrated sexual intimacy as a gift from God. Is our sexuality, our ability to express love through our bodies a gift from God or the Devil ?
In our N.Z. Prayer Book is a prayer giving thanks for the gift of sexual love, I know it is there because I wrote that prayer. In weddings I have taken over the years, only one couple has ever wanted to use that prayer.
When the gifts of God are misused or abused, our response should not be to abandon the gift, or see the gift as defiled; rather we should give thanks for the gift and use those good gifts as God intended.
The best response to all distortions of Jesus, both within the church and in secular society, is to uphold the truth that the revelation of God in human life is possible, as happens in Jesus. Because human life is not intrinsically sinful, so human life can carry the Divine.
When God is received and welcomed into our life, God does not neutralize or sterilize human life, but fulfills our life - abundantly! |