“The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ ‘I am He,’ Jesus told her, ‘the One speaking to you.’…Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?’” ~ John 4:25-26, 28-29, Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well
“Then Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.’ ‘Your brother will rise again,’ Jesus told her. Martha said, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die — ever. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she told Him, ‘I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.’” ~ John 11:21-27, just before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
Our prince decides to venture into the forest – alone – and comes upon the palace with all its sleeping residents. He wanders around until he comes upon the room with our Sleeping Beauty…“Trembling in his admiration he drew near and went on his knees beside her. At the same moment, the hour of disenchantment having come, the princess awoke, and bestowed upon him a look more tender than a first glance might seem to warrant. ‘Is it you, dear prince?’ she said; ‘you have been long in coming!’”[1]
The Beloved recognizes her Savior.
Now, there are some key differences between our prince and Christ. Most importantly, the prince seemingly happens upon the Sleeping Beloved. Jesus actively seeks us out. He actively seeks to awaken our hearts.
Look at the examples above – He speaks Life, Hope, and Freedom into each woman’s life. Their hearts awaken, and they recognize their Savior.
And Jesus didn’t just come to forgive us from an eternity in hell; He came to set us free in this lifetime.
What does that mean? For our Samaritan woman, it means not having to feel the weight of Shame because of her past. For Martha, it means not having to Fear the future because her only male relative dies.
Will there be heartache, sorrow, and trials? Yes. But we no longer need to be bound by the things that keep our hearts asleep.
And what is the response for such lavish love? An eternal union…a marriage. Marriage is meant to symbolize God’s enduring love and commitment to us. It’s why our “fairy tales” end with weddings.
Perrault’s is the first version to make marriage a prominent feature. Sleeping Beauty and the prince talk for four hours, feast (since everyone is “mortally hungry”), and are wed in the chapel.[2]
But just as a wedding is not the end, so too Christ’s first coming is not the end. There is still an evil in the world, and it constantly seeks to destroy the Sleeping Beloved…
Sources
[1] Dore, Perrault’s Fairy Tales, p. 10-13
[2] Dore, Perrault’s Fairy Tales, p. 15
