Fairytales are often criticised for focussing on love stories and for painting an unrealistic picture of romantic love (always between a beautiful woman in need of rescue by a handsome prince.) We’ve seen that that story in itself is a parable, for the church is a beautiful bride-in-waiting that needed to be rescued from sin by the magnificent Prince of Peace. I think it’s unfair to label all fairytales in this way, however, for some definitely have other themes.
Jack and the Beanstalk is one such tale. This is the story of Jack and his widowed mother, a tale of poverty and tension, for one of the protagonists is the giant who does not wish Jack to steal his gold, and as a result, we fear for Jack’s life. It is less clearcut in its moral teaching, for Jack is portrayed as both easily-led and foolish (for selling the dairy cow for ‘magic beans’ rather than for a secure profit) and the moral of the story seems to condone theft (the golden egg which free Jack and his mother from poverty was stolen, after all.)
Despite this moral ambiguity, the story focusses on important themes (material wealth is a key focus of life on earth for the majority of people) and shows us something of the temptations we face in life. Jesus reminded us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24) and advised us to store up treasure in heaven, not on earth. (Matt 6:19-21) The Bible warns us clearly of the dangers of covetousness and wealth, whilst commanding us to be generous and care for the poor. Sometimes a fairytale acts as a warning to us, a lived-out parable of what can happen if we follow wrong paths. Jack’s foray into the giant’s kingdom may seem to turn out fortuitously for him, but even here, the felling of the beanstalk to prevent the giant from entering Jack’s world is a reminder that we have to deal drastically and radically with the sin that so easily entangles us if we are to run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb 12:1-3)