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loukoncsol
It appears to me that the story of the Little Prince is steeped in Christian symbolism and doctrine. Christ Who is the Prince of Peace is also the One True Innocent in terms of His human nature (following the hypostatic union Christ is both fully divine and fully human yet without sin). The serpent blatantly represents Satan the Tempter, Deceiver, and Adversary. We first find the snake in a tree even as we do in the book of Genesis (beginnings). This tree is the central focus in an otherwise barren desert. The central issue when Adam was confronted by the Tempter was whether or not Adam (Man) would obey God's command regarding the "tree" of the knowledge of good and evil. Again, when the Little Prince (Christ the Second and Last Adam) meets the Tempter it is in the desert. The fox represents wisdom which is personified in the Word of God, cf. Proverbs 9:1-11, and Proverbs 8:16 which says “by me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth.” As our representative Christ follows the voice of wisdom even as His followers must. The fox basically provides the lesson of faith in the unseen God. Hebrews 11:6 sates, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Earlier in Hebrews 11:1 God says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Another analogy is the Little Prince is not so much bitten by the Serpent as he allows himself to be bitten. Even so Jesus in John 10:17 and 18 said, “... I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.” And again He says, "Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down his life for His friends” in John 15:13. Even as the Little Prince led the adult pilot to the water which saved the pilot’s life, it is only through Jesus Christ that one can be filled with the Water of Life (the Holy Spirit). In John 4:13 and 14 Jesus declares, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The adult pilot represents the citizenry of this present corrupt age (mankind in its loss of innocence, mankind the sinner). No adult could see with the innocent eyes of faith. None could see the elephant in the boa. Only in truly meeting the Little Prince could the jaded adult pilot regain innocence and see through the eyes of faith (conversion- being “born-again”, “born from above”). Initially, the adult pilot struggles against the foolishness of the Little Prince’s words and wisdom. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The height of foolishness in the Little Prince is when that character seemingly accommodates the wicked plan of the snake which will destroy the Little Prince- “suicide”. Even so Scripture proclaims, “For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)”. It is only after the death and resurrection (so to speak) of the Little Prince that the adult pilot can hear God (the Little Prince’s laughter), know true joy without any regret, and be elevated from the earthly to the heavenly (the repaired plane representing the repaired or “regenerate” individual compared to fallen man represented by the flightless, fallen plane with its engine or heart in need of desperate repair. Indeed the adult pilot has become a child again and learned to trust and depend upon God’s Word (Christ the Living Word and the Bible which is the Inscripturated Word of God which is the testimony of Christ, cf. Luke 24:44). This transformation points to conversion as presented in Matthew 18:3 “…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” and John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” It is entirely fitting that the transformed pilot is soaring among the stars at the conclusion of the movie since “…you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15)! Even the opposition between the sheep and the rose represents a great biblical truth. Both the unregenerate and regenerate belong to the Sovereign Lord. There exists an antithesis between the two wherein Christ represents the Head of redeemed humanity while Satan represents the head of godless humanity. The Lord in Genesis 3:15 (which is the proto-gospel) says to Satan “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” Carrying the allegory of sheep and rose to the Bible, sheep are truly muzzled by becoming born-again through the electing love of God which efficaciously applies merits of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the sheep via the gifts of faith and repentance thus transforming them from sheep to the collective rose, the Bride of Christ.
In the Old Testament, the elect of God are often represented as a vineyard; one which, grew thorns and thistles via the Old Covenant of works- gaining acceptance before an all-holy God through man’s own moral ability to keep God’s command. The Old Covenant was ineffectual in reconciling man to God. However, in the New Testament Christ is portrayed as the Vine and through the gift of faith in the perfect Person and perfect Work of Christ the unregenerate is made spiritually alive to God by being united to Christ. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” And moreover emphasizing the theme of electing love so prominent in the Little Prince, Jesus in John 15:16 says “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” In the Song of Songs, the beloved is identified as “the rose of Sharon”, “a lily among the thorns.” Though most likely inadvertent it is profound that the flower in view in the Little Prince is a rose. Looking at this word not only as a noun but expressly as a verb we find a summary of rebirth in Christ. Through Jesus alone and God’s electing love, the sinner is raised from being willfully spiritually dead in loving and obeying God; and, thereby abiding under His judgment. The redeemed sinner is given a new nature, a heavenly nature so that his true citizenship is now longer below but above. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 says, “… we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep [in Christ], or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.” This is the blessed hope of the genuine disciple of Christ. Amen.
The adult pilot represents the citizenry of this present corrupt age (mankind in its loss of innocence, mankind the sinner). No adult could see with the innocent eyes of faith. None could see the elephant in the boa. Only in truly meeting the Little Prince could the jaded adult pilot regain innocence and see through the eyes of faith (conversion- being “born-again”, “born from above”). Initially, the adult pilot struggles against the foolishness of the Little Prince’s words and wisdom. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The height of foolishness in the Little Prince is when that character seemingly accommodates the wicked plan of the snake which will destroy the Little Prince- “suicide”. Even so Scripture proclaims, “For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)”. It is only after the death and resurrection (so to speak) of the Little Prince that the adult pilot can hear God (the Little Prince’s laughter), know true joy without any regret, and be elevated from the earthly to the heavenly (the repaired plane representing the repaired or “regenerate” individual compared to fallen man represented by the flightless, fallen plane with its engine or heart in need of desperate repair. Indeed the adult pilot has become a child again and learned to trust and depend upon God’s Word (Christ the Living Word and the Bible which is the Inscripturated Word of God which is the testimony of Christ, cf. Luke 24:44). This transformation points to conversion as presented in Matthew 18:3 “…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” and John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.” It is entirely fitting that the transformed pilot is soaring among the stars at the conclusion of the movie since “…you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15)! Even the opposition between the sheep and the rose represents a great biblical truth. Both the unregenerate and regenerate belong to the Sovereign Lord. There exists an antithesis between the two wherein Christ represents the Head of redeemed humanity while Satan represents the head of godless humanity. The Lord in Genesis 3:15 (which is the proto-gospel) says to Satan “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” Carrying the allegory of sheep and rose to the Bible, sheep are truly muzzled by becoming born-again through the electing love of God which efficaciously applies merits of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the sheep via the gifts of faith and repentance thus transforming them from sheep to the collective rose, the Bride of Christ.
In the Old Testament, the elect of God are often represented as a vineyard; one which, grew thorns and thistles via the Old Covenant of works- gaining acceptance before an all-holy God through man’s own moral ability to keep God’s command. The Old Covenant was ineffectual in reconciling man to God. However, in the New Testament Christ is portrayed as the Vine and through the gift of faith in the perfect Person and perfect Work of Christ the unregenerate is made spiritually alive to God by being united to Christ. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.” And moreover emphasizing the theme of electing love so prominent in the Little Prince, Jesus in John 15:16 says “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” In the Song of Songs, the beloved is identified as “the rose of Sharon”, “a lily among the thorns.” Though most likely inadvertent it is profound that the flower in view in the Little Prince is a rose. Looking at this word not only as a noun but expressly as a verb we find a summary of rebirth in Christ. Through Jesus alone and God’s electing love, the sinner is raised from being willfully spiritually dead in loving and obeying God; and, thereby abiding under His judgment. The redeemed sinner is given a new nature, a heavenly nature so that his true citizenship is now longer below but above. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 says, “… we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep [in Christ], or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.” This is the blessed hope of the genuine disciple of Christ. Amen.
