I have a four year old daughter. She’s been watching Disney Princess movies since we brought her home from the hospital. At least that’s what it seems like. Of course, in my opinion, Easton is the greatest princess ever. But I digress. One Disney Princess movie stands out from the rest, besides Frozen, and that’s Beauty and the Beast. I have seen that movie more times than any 39 year old man wants to admit.
Perhaps you are familiar with the story. If not, then let me give you a brief synopsis. A young, handsome, and wealthy prince becomes cursed due to a selfish, prideful choice. Part of his curse turns him into an awful snarling beast. He can never return to what he once was until he learns how to love, and until another loves him.
Chance takes place and a beautiful young lady by the name of Belle ends up at the Beast’s castle. The Beast is an ugly sight to behold. He’s not the kind of guy you take home to meet your parents, in hopes that they allow you to date him. He’s unrefined, rude, and prone to fits of rage. But somehow, someway, the Beauty falls in love with the Beast.
What if the Beauty never fell in love with the Beast? What if the Beauty was so turned off by the unpleasant Beast that she escaped the castle only to leave the Beast in his vile condition? Who could blame Belle if she wasn’t attracted to the Beast? He slurped his soup around until it ran down his matted and knotted mane. He didn’t have the type of face that even a mother could love. His bedroom was an absolute mess, with walls covered with torn paintings, cobwebs for curtains, and an unmade bed. And the smell? Can you imagine the odor? A wet dog come in from the rain probably smelled better than the Beast. And what kind of name is Beast? He doesn’t even have an ironic name like Harry, Igor or Pugsley. It’s just Beast. Who could blame Belle if she didn’t want awkward wedding invitations? “You are cordially invited to the wedding of Ms. Belle and Mr. Beast.” Furthermore, their children would have to have names like Minotaur, Sphinx, and Gorgon.
If Belle were to run far away from the Beast, nobody would blame her. He’s a beast, and she’s a beauty. She’s kind, caring, and loving. The Beast is a hairy, drooling, soup-slurping, beast; fit for a cage not a castle.
But that’s not what happens. The Beauty sees what nobody else sees in the Beast. Belle loves what nobody else loves. In the end she makes the Beast more beautiful than what he was before the curse.
This fairy-tale seems quite familiar doesn’t it?
The Making of a Beast: The Fall of Humanity
Once upon a time there was a prince living in paradise. He was innocent and beautiful. He was made in the image of his Creator, designed to reflect the image of God Almighty (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7). The Maker had given the prince everything anyone could ever need. But the prince was alone, and God said, “It’s not good that man should be alone.” So the Creator designed something more beautiful than man, and that was woman (Gen. 2:18). Adam and Eve lived in serenity, walking with God in the cool of the day.
All Adam and Eve had to do was keep the garden, be fruitful and multiply, and avoid eating from one singular tree: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:15-7). To eat of that tree meant imminent death. Death is such an ugly image, painted with the grimmest of colors.
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve couldn’t resist that tree. You may say, “Why not live as far away from that tree as humanly possible?” But like all people, they stayed so close to the tree they could hear the seduction of a slithering serpent hanging from its branches.
“Come and eat. You won’t die” hissed the subtle serpent. He continued his deception by saying, “God the Creator is keeping something from you. He knows that you will become just like Him, that’s why He threatened you with death” (Gen. 3:1-5) Eve was so close to the tree now she could reach out and touch the fruit with her soft fingertips. It wasn’t what she felt with her hands, it’s what she felt in her heart when she gazed at it too long.
One bite, two bites. “See, Adam. It won’t hurt you. Try it.” Adam bit into that fateful fruit and death was activated. The beautiful blue sky was suddenly covered with clouds, and darkness covered the earth. Adam, Eve, the serpent, and the earth were cursed. The once beautiful couple became beastly. They became just as depraved as the animals they once had dominion over (Gen. 3:6-24). Like an unruly beast they were kicked out of Paradise. Their actions deformed all of humanity into sinners (Rom. 5:19).
In other words, by one man’s selfish, prideful choice, humanity became like the Beast.
- Brutish
- Abominable
- Coarse
- Depraved
- Loathsome
- Repulsive
- Monstrous
Sin disfigured the beautiful into beasts. The ruin of mankind was the curse of sin. What was once a dazzling specimen, is now an uncontrollable monstrosity.
Who could love such beasts as us?
- Unfaithful
- Brutish
- Angry
- Temperamental
- Foul
- Hateful
- Loathsome
- Nauseating
- Vulgar
- Crooks
- Adulterers
- Liars
- Cheats
- Drunken
- Lawless
- Violent
- Rascals
- Phonies
- Corrupted
- Used
- Degraded
- Rejected
- Uncivilized
Sinful humanity is a barbaric beast. Losing our tempers at the drop of a hat; barking with impatience; slurping the soup of lust and greed while it drips down our vile countenance; showing our fangs to anyone who dares offend us; snarling and growling in attempt to hide how small and weak we truly are; we are unkempt and prefer to stay in our stink. We are fit for cages and not castles.
This is the nature of the beast. Is it any wonder in the Apocalypse that John depicts that which is Anti-Christ as a Beasts? John uses beast-like imagery to describe these blasphemous creatures. Seven heads, ten horns, leopards, paws like a bear, a mouth like a lion. Another has two horns like a lamb and it speaks like a dragon (Rev. 13:1-18). What grotesque creatures!
But that’s what sin does to all of us. It makes us Anti-Christ. Beastly. We speak blasphemies, cause wars, and worship loathsome images. Sin causes us to do things that we wouldn’t normally do.
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it (Romans 7:15; 18-20 NLT).
I’m nothing but a brute beast; unlovable and irredeemable.
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24 NKJV)
The Beauty
Who could love such a beast? Who would be willing to come near beasts such as us? Surely there couldn’t be anyone of beauty and grace that could love us brutes.
But that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t chance, it was ordained from the foundation of the world.
Jesus Christ, the God-Man, came to our shadowy havens. He wasn’t put-off with the stench of our sin. He wasn’t turned off by our ugly pride, and grisly cravings. Our hideous howling didn’t intimidate Him. Neither did our selfish behavior alarm Him. He came near our cage of brokenness and began to soothe us with calming words (Hos. 2:14). Beyond our fangs and horns there were tears. Like a mistreated animal, we shivered in the corner of the cage, until He reached in and touched us. And immediately our self-defense mechanisms came crumbling down. The cage door was opened and freedom from our beastly nature was available.
All this time we’ve been simply known as Sinner. Loser. Failure. Adulterer. Cheater. Liar. Mistake. Orphan. Drunk. Unwanted. Ugly. Broken.
Beast.
Who could love us? Jesus. What a beautiful name that is. He is not apprehensive of being associated with us. He wants His beautiful Name bestowed upon us.
Slowly, the beast is being tamed. No longer do I hunch down in shame of my behavior, so I stand a little straighter. The Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley brings me into His Kingdom, and gives me shelter. Beauty cleans me up, and clothes me with righteousness. He brings me to His banquet hall and his banner over me is love (Song 2:4). The Altogether Lovely One smiles offering grace and reform when I fall back to my old habits of slurping.
What If?
What if the Beauty never fell in love with the Beast? What if the Beauty was so turned off by the unpleasant Beast that He escaped the castle only to leave the Beast in his vile condition? Who could blame Jesus if He wasn’t attracted to the Beast?
If Jesus were to run far away from the Beast, nobody would blame Him. We’re beasts, and He is beautiful. He’s kind, gracious, and loving. We Beasts are a sinning, selfish, hateful bunch fit for a cage not a Kingdom.
But that’s not what happens. Jesus sees what nobody else sees in us. Jesus loves what nobody else loves. He loves us, even though we aren’t fit for loving. In the end He makes us more beautiful than what we were before the curse of sin.
Sin ruined, but grace restored. Sin disfigured, but grace reformed. Sin killed, but grace remade. In other words:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
That old creature is gone. That old beast is no longer in existence. I’m a new creature – a new man. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20).
All of us are beasts. Sin is ugly. It’s a destructive force that maims and deforms. But Jesus Christ has come to your cage today. The light has shone through the shadows of the curse to bring blessing and life.
Jesus wants to give you beauty for ashes. He wants to anoint you with the oil of joy instead of mourning. He wants to give you the garment of praise in exchange for your spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3)
It’s truly the Beauty and the Beast.