Parallels Between The Gospel

And Ancient Fairy Tales

by
Trish Carden
Located Nashville, Tennessee
Please e-mail me at the address below. Posted June 1, 2005

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs A jealous queen attempts to get rid of the beautiful step-daughter, Snow White.  The jealous queen would ask her magic mirror "Mirror, mirror upon the wall, who is the fairest of all?"  The beautiful Snow White takes refuge with seven dwarfs in their forest home.  The queen changes into a witch and tempts Snow White with a poisoned apple which puts her into an everlasting sleep. The dwarfs battle the evil Queen until she falls to her death. In several Disney movies the witch turns into a dragon. Prince Charming finds the Princess and plants a restorative kiss on her lips.  She awakes and they ride off together to a castle in the air.

A jealous queen (Satan the antichrist) attempts to get rid of the beautiful step-daughter, Snow White.(church) The jealous queen would ask her magic mirror "Mirror, mirror upon the wall, who is the fairest of all?" (Satan was lifted up because of his beauty, he corrupted the wisdom by reason of his brightness Ezekiel 28:17) The beautiful Snow White takes refuge with seven dwarfs (7 spirits in Isaiah 11 and Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?) in their forest home.  The queen changes into a witch and tempts Snow White with a poisoned apple (Genesis 3:3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.)which puts her into an everlasting sleep. (Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.)The dwarfs battle (Satan amasses an army, while Christ holds his Second Coming and amasses an army of his own. The two armies duke it out on the fields of Armageddon, and the good guys win.) the evil Queen until she falls to her death. ( Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.)  In several Disney movies the witch turns into a dragon. (Revelation 12:7-8  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.) Prince Charming (Isaiah 9:6 Prince of Peace)finds the Princess and plants a restorative (Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? )kiss(2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss. )on her lips.  She awakes (Ephesians 5:14 For this reason it says," Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.")  and they ride off together to a castle(John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.)in the air. (New Jerusalem, the heavenly city mentioned in the  Book of Revelation.) 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.?) Revelation 21:2  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.)
 
 
 

The bride of Christ are the saved in Christ.   We are looking ahead to the time when we will be united with Jesus our groom.  The bride is to prepare for her wedding by keeping herself pure and focused on the groom.  The bride will be brought into the New Jerusalem by the groom as is often the case of the carrying over the threshold to their new abode.
 

From Genesis to Revelation the Bible tells us the ultimate fight over good and evil.  The Resurrection of our Lord and Savior declares for all to know that life will triumph over death, that light will triumph over darkness, that good will triumph over evil, that justice will triumph over injustice, that freedom will triumph over tyranny. We all know that he was right. This, my friends, is the Good News.  God has triumphed, and that victory is offered to us all who come to Him by faith.

Do fairy tales reveal the truth of God's holy word?

Even though it was never the intention of the story teller, there are often eternal truths and parallels just waiting for us to point at.  Indeed, we should normally expect to find such echoes in the longings of writers.  Or could these ancient fairy tales have universal origin and be based on the truth.  The truth that Jesus is indeed coming a second time and coming for his bride.  (Eph. 5:25-32; Rev. 19:7-9).

Webster's defines an Archetype as - An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned.  Jesus was the original hero. Revelation 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. We all love a hero.  Whether it is Prince Charming who suddenly rushes in and saves Cinderella or the bravery of passengers who take on terrorists on a doomed flight, we have all known that mixture of joy, awe and indebtedness that causes a lump in our throat or a tear on our cheek.

Why do we hunger for heroes?  There is something in us that loves a hero because we are made that way.  And that takes us back to the original hero, Jesus.  Jesus knowingly went through a gruesome, pain-wracked crucifixion on behalf of us. That's a hero. It's an old story.  God foretold it in Genesis 3:15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. and in Psalm 22.

When speaking of Carl Jung (experimental psychologist)  let me make it clearn that I totally disagree with him.   But he very close to the truth.  Satan many times mixes a little truth with a lie in order to get us to believe it.  A Jungian archetype is a thought pattern that finds worldwide parallels, either in cultures or in individuals. Jung believed that such archetypal images and ideas reside in the unconscious level of the mind of every human being and are inherited from the ancestors of the race.  They form the substance of the collective unconscious.  Yes, Mr. Jung there are ideas placed in the heart of every human being.  But it was God almighty who placed them there.

Why didn't Jung just look in the Bible.  Because then he would have been held responsible for his actions.  I think God said it better than Jung in Jeremiah 31:33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. and Romans 1:19-20  that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse.

Joseph Campbell's classic book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" has inspired millions including George Lucus's writing of Star Wars.  This book is a cross-cultural study of the hero's journey.  I will use some of it's hero elements as examples of the typical hero.

All stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths or fairy tales.  A story is a also a comparison or model of some aspect of human behavior.

The Hero's Journey

• Home

 1.    In most fairy tales the hero begins birth under amazing circumstances through conception, birth, and childhood.  This establish the hero's pedigree. ." (see With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell)

If we compare this step with the birth of Christ.  We see amazing parallels.  God the Son became incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  He was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit.  God truly became man in Jesus Christ.  Jesus of Nazareth was and is a real human being, not simply a spirit or ghost.  The incarnation of God in Christ is the ultimate act of love, because rather than sending an angel or good human to accomplish the redemption and restoration of creation, God Himself became human. The virgin birth seems to be the first doctrine many modern day skeptics reject.

The Hebrew prophet, Isaiah, foretold Jesus of Nazareth's virgin birth more than 700 years beforehand "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is, God with us." (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1;23b)
 

• Elixir, spirits or potion

2.    The next step in major fairy tales is the hero acquires an object, knowledge, or blessing that is now put to use in the everyday world.  Often it has a restorative or healing function, but it also serves to define the hero's role in the society. ." ." (see With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell)

Jesus Christ not only acquired the Holy Spirit, He was the Holy Spirit.  And, yes, Jesus used it as knowledge and a blessing to often heal and restore people.

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (John 15:26, John 16:7)
 

• Return

3.    The hero again crosses the threshold of adventure and returns to the everyday world of daylight.  The return usually takes the form of an awakening, rebirth, resurrection, or a simple emergence from a cave or forest.  Sometimes the hero is pulled out of the adventure world by a force from the daylight world. ." (see With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell)

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the central events upon which the Christian faith rests. As the apostle Paul says "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." (1 Cor 15:14)

The Resurrection
Ephesians 1:20  which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Mark 16: 2 -6 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.  Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.   And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
 

• Flight

4.    After accomplishing the mission, the hero must return to the threshold of adventure and prepare for a return to the everyday world.  If the hero has angered the opposing forces by stealing the elixir or killing a powerful monster, the return may take the form of a hasty flight.  If the hero has been given the elixir freely, the flight may be a benign stage of the journey. (see With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell)

The Disciples Commissioned
Mark 16:14  Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

The Ascension
Luke 24: 50And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.
 

•  Climax/Final Battle

5.    This is the critical moment in the hero's journey in which there is often a final battle with a monster, wizard, or warrior which facilitates the particular resolution of the adventure. (see With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell)

Christ Defeats Satan
It is during this most crucial of times that the final and deciding battle in the war between good and evil will be waged.

"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years," (Revelation 20:2)
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (Revelation 20:9)
 

•   Helpers

    6.    The hero is often accompanied on the journey by a helper who assists in the series of tests and generally serves as a loyal companion.  Alternately, the hero may encounter a supernatural helper in the world of adventure who fulfills this function.

John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? In Prayer.
ROMANS 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Guides Us.
ROMANS 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Teaches Us All Things
JOHN 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things . . . .

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Reminds Us Of The Word
JOHN 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, . . . He will . . . bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Tells Us Things To Come
JOHN 16:13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, . . . He will tell you things to come.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Declares To Us The Things Of Jesus
JOHN 16:12-15 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Abides With Us
JOHN 14:16-18 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever,"even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Empowers Us To Be Witnesses
ACTS 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Brings Life And Healing To Us
ROMANS 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

How Does the Holy Spirit Help us? Encourages Us
ROMANS 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
 

• Tests

7.    A classic Hero must go through trials. And be pushed to almost give up. Before he triumphs.  The hero travels through the dream-like world of adventure where he must undergo a series of tests. These trials are often violent encounters with monsters, sorcerers, warriors, or forces of nature.  Each successful test further proves the hero's ability and advances the journey toward its climax.

The Temptation of Jesus
Luke 4   Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.

Hebrews 4: 15 says it perfectly: "We do not have a high priest (i.e., Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned."
 

• Crossing the Threshold

8.    Upon reaching the threshold of adventure, the hero must undergo some sort of ordeal in order to pass from the everyday world into the world of adventure. This trial may be as painless as entering a dark cave or as violent as being swallowed up by a whale. The important feature is the contrast between the familiar world of light and the dark, unknown world of adventure.

The Crucifixion
Mark 14:35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will."
John 19:1-6 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

Mark 15:22-26 Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

His mission of atonement was completed. He takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit."
 

• Helpers/Amulet

9.    During the early stages of the journey, the hero will often receive aid from a protective figure. This supernatural helper can take a wide variety of forms, such as a wizard, and old man, a dwarf, a crone, or a fairy godmother. The helper commonly gives the hero a protective amulet or weapon for the journey.

John the Baptist message was a forerunner of Christ.  He came to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. John baptized Jesus and recognized Him as the Messiah when he saw the Spirit come down on Him.

“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34)

God put his seal of approval on Jesus at his baptism.
 

• Call to Adventure

10.    The hero is called to adventure by some external event or messenger. The Hero may accept the call willingly or reluctantly.

The Ascension
Acts 1:9-11 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

The Bible and the story of Jesus Christ are not fiction.  God used the art of storytelling as a very good teaching technique. Story telling is the oldest and most universal art-form in the world.  The stories he told though out the Bible are true stories.  We have no trouble remembering Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, Abraham and Isaac, Joseph's coat of many colors, Shadrack Meshack and Abendigo, Ruth and Boaz, David and Goliath, Gideon and the sword of the Lord, and Samson and Delilah.  Why?  Because God put into us the need for heroes and heroines.  Storytelling has had many functions in the history of mankind, ranging from pastime and amusement to serving as an adjunct to survival and personal development.  Everyone enjoys a good story.

We like people who do impossible things or overcome great odds.   In one sense, we need heroes to inspire us.  To learn from their mistakes.

I have unshakable confidence that Jesus Christ is the stuff of which heroes and heroines are made.

So the next time you read or watch a fairytale with your children or grandchildren look for parallels between Jesus Christ our hero in real life and the hero of the pretend story.

One Source used: http://ias.berkeley.edu/orias/hero/