Who's the Fairest of Them All?
Pop quiz time! Ready?
As fast as you can, name all seven dwarves from Snow White…GO!
Do_ _ _
_ _ _ezy
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Ha_ _ _
_ _ _epy
Gru_ _ _
_ _ _hful
and what's his name that we always forget? Oh yes, Doc…maybe because most of us don't really enjoy going to the doctor's office?
But it's ok if you don't remember all seven, or any of them for that matter, because once upon a time there was a classic fairy tale that was SO classic, we're making two versions of it in the same year!
The first, of course, being Mirror Mirror - a somewhat remake of Disney's 1937 *off the chain* vintage animated feature that is still a must watch 75 years after its release. But instead of following the same formula, we have updated our beloved seven dwarves from endearing and industrious "Hi Ho" creatures to undersized mercenary rebels whose theme song should be "mo money! mo money!"
And there are a few other twists and turns that distinguish Mirror Mirror from the previous pack - like the 2012 version of "Snow" - sporting a unibrow, and Sean "Boromir" Bean looking like he had a bit too much free time.
But one thing that should stand out to you from this saga is the striking reminder of the greatest story ever told that's hardly ever told.
Way WAY back before the Brothers Grimm conceived the idea of Snow White, there was another poisoned fruit that ruined not just one life, but every life that has ever walked this earth:
The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal GOD had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"
The Woman said to the serpent, "Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It's only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'Don't eat from it; don't even touch it or you'll die.'"
The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil."
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it-she'd know everything!-she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate" (Genesis 3:1-6).
Tragically, this was no fairy tale…it was a singularity that caused sin and death to be spread through humanity's genome and plunged our race into an eternal separation from the God who intended us to live happily in the ever afterlife!
And now we're grumpy…we do dopey things…we're bashful when facing the truth about our lives.
And we really need a spiritual doc!
We stare into the mirror of our pompous pomposity and obsess over who is the fairest of them all.
Yep, Adam and Eve's collapse left us in an eternal death sleep, but our Father in heaven could not let the story end this way! Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, vacated His perfect abode and previously unbroken fellowship in the Trinity. Why? So He could sacrifice Himself for our sins as true love's first kiss!
Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God. (Romans 5:18-19).
If we could only begin to fathom the love that Jesus Christ has for us, our hearts would nearly burst with the joy found in being awakened to this new life!
That's why a songwriter from long ago penned these stirring words:
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul's glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.
Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, Praise, adoration
Now and forevermore be Thine! (Public Domain)
When Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross and walked out of His own grave, heaven met earth as True Love's first kiss and freed us from the poison of sin and death.
So this week, remember that when most people look into the mirror, they are longing for something fair and beautiful that seems unreachable. That's why as part of THE Cause, our lives should reflect the image of Christ so that others will take notice and become curious as to why we aren't in a meaningless death sleep anymore.
And when they ask "Who is the fairest of them all?"… we'll have no trouble telling them the truth:
Jesus Christ!
