The Gospel is often preached unawares
The Indiana Jones franchise is probably my all time favorite. Even with its few missteps I find it utterly irresistible.
The best one in the franchise is inarguably the first. It’s about as perfect as films come, with the pentaverate of Spielberg Directing, Lucas Producing, Kasdan Writing, Williams Scoring, and Ford Starring. And it uses Erik Von Daniken’s esoteric take on the Ark in such a deliciously pulpy way which makes it exotic but still somehow gets the Old Testament idea of God’s dangerous holiness in as well.
The second best one is a more complicated debate than many want to admit, because the 5th entry was way better than most fans realize and the 4th one isn’t nearly as bad as some still think. And Last Crusade is riddled with silliness and plot holes. (Temple of Doom is the worst one by a mile, this really shouldn’t be up for debate especially since it’s mostly hashed together from leftover scenes from Raiders). But in the end the silver medal simply has to go to Last Crusade. It’s terribly funny with great action and most importantly one of the greatest finales in film history. The ending is utterly riveting and endlessly mystical.
I honestly think Last Crusade is a large part of why I knew I would someday leave low church Christianity behind for some form of Catholicism. The reason is because it presents the cup of Christ as possessing eternal life.
Most contemporary scholars resist the idea that the holy grail or the Arthur myths in general are related to Christianity, but this seems patently absurd to me. It’s a myth about a cup that gives eternal life. What else could it be about?
I get that the grail myths didn’t start there, I think the oldest one is connected to some kind of magical serving tray. But they clearly became about the Eucharist. Ronald Murphy even wrote a whole book about how he thinks he found the grail from Wolfram Von Eschenbach’s Parzival. Spoiler alert he thinks it’s an altar stone, which I believe is still in use to this day. The book where Fr Murphy argues for all this is called Gemstone of Paradise.
No the grail is about the Eucharist, or rather searching for it. And that’s the tragedy and the mystery of the grail myth. Because the true grail is available where ever two or three are gathered together in His name. But we go searching for it instead, trying to find the cup in some exotic place instead of the hands of the priest just down the street.
But what’s so cool about Indiana Jones’ quest for the grail is that multiple times we get glimpses of the good news concerning our King. Especially, and most powerfully, in the end when they choose the cup. The villain chooses poorly because he is looking for the cup of an earthly King. Indiana chooses wisely because he is looking for the cup of a carpenter. This teaches us two things: 1) the King of heaven is unlike any earthly king 2) real history is an important part of His story.
Indiana is able to make the right choice because of his earthly knowledge, but he’s only able to make that choice by passing three deadly tests and the knowledge to pass those tests is contained in a ragged old book compiled by years of his father’s work (sound a bit like the Bible?). And the first test is humility in the face of God’s breath, the second is walking in God’s name, then taking a leap of faith. But it’s not really a leap, in the end it’s a fearful step of faith. That’s a remarkably Christian adventure, and it’s one you can go on without having to actually go anywhere. But it starts with humility and faith.
I’m just utterly amazed that this film got made the way it did, especially with the cup at the end. My most recent viewing I was deeply moved by how this film conveys the truth that our King is nothing like the kings of this world. He humbled himself, becoming one of us, and died the death of a slave not the death of a hero or god. That’s what the cup of Christ is: access to the King who did not remain in heaven with the Father but came, and still comes to us. Our God has manifested his presence in this world truly and he still does.
If you seek the grail go to church, there you will find it.