In the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the climactic moment of the movie occurs in a small room that contains hundreds of cups that are guarded by a thousand year old soldier. One of the cups in this room is supposed to be the Holy Grail, the cup that the Lord Jesus Christ used to give the Lord’s Supper to his disciples in the upper room. The belief was that the cup would give anyone who drank from it eternal life. In his search for the cup, Dr. Jones father was shot and was dying. He was searching for the cup to save the life of his dad. When Indiana Jones entered the room, the soldier warned him, “choose wisely.”
Before he had an opportunity to choose, Indiana Jones rival entered the room, and forced Jones to wait at gunpoint. He then searched the hundreds of cups on the table, seeking to find the one that had to be the Holy Grail. Some had jewels, others were made of gold. Most of them were beautiful, and the man choose the one that was the most beautiful to the eyes. He then dipped the cup in water and drank from it. For a second he seemed to be fine, but then all at once this choice cost the man his life.
Indiana Jones had a difficult decision, he could walk away and save his own life, but his father would die. Or he could choose, but the wrong cup would have the same results as the earlier man. Then he remembered that Jesus was a carpenter. In the middle of the cups was one that wasn’t so pretty, and seemed a little beat up. It was kind of hidden behind the others, and seemed like the least likely to be this coveted cup. Dr. Jones took some water and drank from the chalice, to which the old soldier replied, “You have chosen wisely.”
In many ways, this episode parallels our life every day. Each day we are presented with choices. Many times, the options presented to us are fancy, and full of fun. They offer power, and money, and all that the world can offer. On the other hand, God’s way may seem boring, and less attractive. But when all is said and done, wise choices will protect you. It will keep you from getting into situations which will damage you or destroy you. The image in this passage is that of an immoral woman, who seeks to destroy a man with seduction. The conclusion is that “her house leads down to death,” and “none who go to her return.” The man is faced with a choice on how he will live his life and how he will respond to the situation. The Proverbs give us a very bold cry, “Choose wisely!”
When making decisions today, make it your goal to have the God of the universe look to you and say, “You have chosen wisely.”
