Everyone loves a great Cinderella story!  We cheer, whistle and clap when the underdog wins, or see the little guy beat the big guy, because we can relate.  We know about struggle and fear in our own lives – so these stories can inspire and even move us to greatness!

Movies like “Rocky” are Cinderella legends that make us shout our applause.  We feel the punches, hear the music, and race up the steps in Philadelphia as we rise to conquer our own challenges!

When these stories touch a personal nerve, laced with family jealousy, power grabs, sexual undertones or false accusations – we can relate, and the stories come alive!

It surprises a lot of people to discover that some the most famous, interesting and most told Cinderella stories of all time come right out of the Bible.  For example, who wouldn’t stand and applaud for Joseph who was kidnapped, then sold into slavery by his own jealous brothers.  Later he was innocently accused of attempted rape and sent to prison to die, but ultimately become Pharaoh’s prime minister – the second most powerful man in Egypt.

Or how about the Cinderella story of the little shepherd boy named David who was overlooked and almost forgotten by his own dad and brothers as an insignificant child, incapable of receiving God’s blessing.   Later, this 150 pound teenager used a slingshot to kill the giant 600 pound Goliath.  Then after marrying the king’s daughter, David was chased out of the palace and forced to live in caves in the wilderness.  The story gets even more bizarre as David pretends he is insane and goes to live with his mortal enemies, Goliath’s people, called the Philistines.   It’s a story of bravery, jealousy, betrayal, adultery, murder, espionage, sorrow and intrigue.  And ultimately, David became the most famous king in all of world history and all of literature!

But my favorite Cinderella story of all time is the one about Jesus and his younger brother James.  James was like Cinderella’s stepsisters because he sure didn’t believe in Jesus. After all – can you imagine if your brother – the kid you grew up with – claimed to be the Messiah?  Really!  You’d try to reason with him, shake your head at him, argue with him, and most likely laugh at him in disbelief.   What a looney bird!

Imagine being Jesus brother for 30 plus years, and what a ruckus of talk and gossip as everyone talked about Jesus.  Jesus healed this guy.  Jesus said this and that.  Jesus turned the water into wine.  Really!  Jesus made lepers clean.  He raised people from the dead.  Really?

Then imagine how James must have felt as he watched the killers from Rome torture, crucify and bury Jesus.  And all for what?  Jesus was so mistaken.  What a waste.  Can you feel James pain as he couldn’t help but wonder: “How could Jesus have been so misled?  How could Jesus have possibly thought he was the Messiah?”

But the story doesn’t end there. . .  Because when we flip our Bibles toward the end of the New Testament, we come to the book of James.  In the very first sentence James introduces himself as, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” What an incredible, over-the-top statement from someone who once denied that Jesus was the Messiah!

What caused James to go from unbeliever to believer?  There’s only one possible explanation. . .  That James was someone who physically touched and talked with the risen Jesus.  The same Jesus that had been killed.  The same Jesus who claimed to be God.  The same Jesus whom James had once denied.

No wonder James believed.   He saw the same thing that we see – that Jesus is the ultimate Cinderella story!

James couldn’t help but roar in applause as Jesus’ foot slid ever so gracefully into God’s glass slipper. Suddenly, everything made sense.  Jesus was and is the One.  Suddenly, all the words that Jesus said became the truth.  God’s glass slipper fit. . .  All the stories of the old Testament pointed to Jesus!   God’s slipper fit perfectly on Jesus our Messiah!

James finally found him.  And so have we!  Now our life makes sense because now we are forgiven and can have true hope!   Now all the worries, concerns and empty promises of this life can finally have their proper place – because Jesus brought heaven to earth.  Because Jesus makes heaven our ultimate home!

No wonder we want to share Jesus with those whom we love.  No wonder we want to be like James and stand and sing and worship in applause for Jesus!  Who else, what else, could possibly be a better Cinderella story?

All of history watched, and waited. . .   Imagine the anticipation as God’s glass slipper fit on Jesus!   Let’s all roar together for our King.