Beauty and the Beast

Recently our local high school put on a stage performance of Beauty and the Beast. We took our family and enjoyed it. You could tell a lot of hard work went into it and I was appreciative of the School putting this on for our community. I was actually pretty impressed with the acting and singing of our local high school students.

This post isn't about the play though. Other than that it was a launching point for my thought process!

I couldn't help but think of this concept after I had watched the play: Beauty and the Beast might be an appropriate allegory for Christ and the Church if you just switched a few important things up. (I'm sure I'm not the first to consider these comparisons)

1. Christ is the Beauty, and we are the Beast -

Christ is the glorious one. Infinite in beauty (cf. Ps. 27:4). He gave His life for the church (Eph. 5). He did not give His life because the church was beautiful but in spite of it. He came to ransom His Bride to make her holy and blameless, not because She already was.

2. We did not want to be rescued -

In the play Beast wants the curse to be broken. But we can't say the same for us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-4) and in our unregenerate state, we enjoy our sin.

3. Christ gave His life to break the curse -

It's wicked Gaston who stabs the beast in the play and this is ultimately what ends up causing Belle to profess her love for the wounded monster. Jesus died on the cross while we cheered and jeered. There was no profession of love on our behalf, but only on His. As He he was stretched out on that Tree, He bore the wrath of God down to the last dreg for His own. In His own time, He wakes up our dead hearts to receive the good news of His gospel so that what was accomplished 2,000 years ago can be applied to our wretched hearts.

4. There is real transformation -

It was neat to see the actors change from being the household items, back to their 'real' characters. With the gospel, however, there is change even greater than that! We are brought from death to life. We are brought from hating God to loving Him. We lose our heart of stone and it is replaced with a heart of flesh.

5. There is a real 'happily ever after' -

There is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. While it's true our lives may end like those of Faithful (see Pilgrim's Progress) we can rest assured that the Bride will live eternally with the Bridegroom in glory. We don't look for our best life now. In this world we will face various trials, and temptations. But let us live for the glory of the Beautiful One! He who gave His life for us to propitiate the wrath of God and clothe us in His own blessed righteousness! Let us look to His coming again with expectancy.



It's a tale as old as time. 

Only, it's not a tale. It's the Truth of God. To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.