The Lion of Narnia

Posted On April 10, 2022

“I will roar like a lion— Oh, how I’ll roar!”

Hosea 11:10 MSG

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Mark 11:9 ESV

As we begin Holy Week, I want to commemorate the Passion of Christ in a special way. In The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis tells the Gospel story beautifully with a lion named Aslan representing Christ. This week and next we will journey into Narnia to see the familiar Easter story told in a new way. I hope by seeing the amazing love of our King with fresh eyes, we will learn to appreciate His sacrifice even more. So let’s begin! Here we meet the mighty Aslan…

“Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”

Psalm 24:8 NIV

There is a great evil in the land of Narnia: A powerful witch was let into the world by humans shortly after its creation. Now the white witch and her followers long to take control. There is a battle brewing between the forces of good and evil, and everyone must choose which side they are on. Peter, Susan, and Lucy’s brother Edmund fell prey to the witch’s temptations and was captured. Although he was later rescued by Aslan’s forces, the witch still has a claim on his life based on the laws of the “deep magic” which governs the world. She will kill him unless Aslan does something to stop it…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made . . . .”

John 1:1-3 NIV

Aslan was there when the laws were written. He was the one who sang the world into existence. So he knows better than anyone that the deep magic demands a sacrifice on the stone table because of Edmund’s betrayal. What the children and the rest of Aslan’s followers do not yet know is that Aslan himself has agreed to take Edmund’s place. He will willingly sacrifice himself on the stone table so that Edmund may live and all of Narnia may be saved from destruction.

As I watch the next scene, I can’t help but contrast it with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Many of those who cheered praises and shouted “Hosanna!” would later turn against Him and demand His blood. It’s easy to think disapproving thoughts toward these fickle spectators, but how often have we done the same? We say we want to follow Christ. We applaud Him when everything goes our way, but then we turn against Him when things get hard.

In this scene, amid insults and jeers, Aslan willingly walks toward his death…

“Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands.”

John 19:1-3 ESV

When I was looking for a clip that would show the entire death scene of Aslan, I couldn’t find one. I could only find it in two parts. But then I realized maybe that was better. I’m usually tempted to rush through the crucifixion story so that I can get to the happy ending: the resurrection. But maybe it’s good for us to sit with this for a while. I’m sure Jesus would have liked to rush through the crucifixion, too. But He didn’t. He endured every brutal, agonizing hour of it. We will see the conclusion of the above scene next week, but in the meantime, let’s think about where Aslan is right now. He’s lying there, suffering, waiting to die. Why should we dwell on this? Because we should be willing to do the same.

“We must not let our personal desires catch us up in the celebration and shouting lest we miss the meaning of true discipleship. In our excitement and celebration, we must remember that following Christ involves hardships. It may include suffering, even death.”

Chronological Life Application Study Bible

I pray none of us will be called to be tortured and killed for our faith, but Jesus never promised that it was off the table. The truth is we may be. Jesus never said following Him would be easy. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 NIV). Take up our cross. That is a very vivid image, and I believe Jesus used it to convey what we may be called to face: hardship, injustice, persecution, suffering, and even death. While most of us will not be called to be martyrs, we will be called to face adversity at some point in our lives. And we may be called to endure it longer than we’d like to. That’s part of the deal when we choose to become Christ’s disciples. Why should we do this? Because He did it for us.

“It wasn’t right that spikes pierced the hands that formed the earth. And it wasn’t right that the Son of God was forced to hear the silence of God. . . .
For while Jesus was on the cross, God sat on his hands. He turned his back. . . .
He sat in silence while the sins of the world were placed upon his Son. . . .
Was it right? No.
Was it fair? No.
Was it love? Yes.”

Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

This week’s Scripture passages praise our King of kings and highlight some of the key events in Jesus’ life leading up to the crucifixion. As Christ was praised and honored during His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He knew the fate that awaited Him. He chose to do it anyway . . . for us.

The Christian life is not easy. Jesus never said it would be. But by His sacrifice He defeated evil once and for all. He fought the battle for us and won. Now He asks us to choose which side we are on.

“This is real love—not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

1 John 4:10 NLT

References:

• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dir. Andrew Adamson. Buena Vista Pictures, 2005.
• “The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Aslan Meets Jadis.” YouTube, uploaded by MongrelNevada08, 18 December 2017, https://youtu.be/IwEke2WGgi8.
• “The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Aslan’s Sacrifice Part 1.” YouTube, uploaded by Entertain Me, 24 April 2019, https://youtu.be/VLM2p-HSY88.
• Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2012.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
• “Meeting Aslan – Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” YouTube, uploaded by Disney ¡Fan!, 15 March 2022, https://youtu.be/e_fhgFeVWzk.

Images:

• Lion Face featured image by Alexas Fotos from Pexels (edited)
• Lion Eyes and Sky image by KTDesign_studio from Pixabay
• Lion image by 11994227 from Pixabay (edited)