If you’ve never read the Narnia series by legendary author Clive Staples Lewis, you’re doing yourself a misfortune.
In it he crafts a mysterious and magical world called Narnia that four young British children stumble into, through the back of an old wardrobe in a country house they are evacuated to during the second World War in London, in the first book titled ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’.
Much like Pilgrim’s progress, written by John Bunyan in 1678, ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ [and the subsequent books in the seven book series] was a Christian allegory sharing principles and truths of the Christian faith, through the telling of a captivating story.
Aslan is the name of the lion character that is introduced and it becomes clear that he represents Jesus in the way that He speaks and loves and lives [and dies, and comes back!]. He often represents a side of Jesus that we too often like to shy away from [especially in these emergent, post-modern times where we don’t ever want to feel bad or obligated or the need to repent for anything].
Two statements from ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ illustrate this well:
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
The idea of Jesus not being safe, but still being good. With statements like ‘If you want to follow Me, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me,’ is not a very safe statement. But it is good.
And the second one:
“He’ll be coming and going” he had said. “One day you’ll see him and another you won’t. He doesn’t like being tied down–and of course he has other countries to attend to. It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”
We tend to like the idea of a tame Jesus, that we can control. So the idea and practice of ‘this far and no further’. We like to be able to set the boundaries and draw the lines of commitment when Jesus has already invited us to a ‘life to the full’ but one that requires complete absolute commitment.
So I wanted to run a series [and maybe I will get some help from some friends] on some of the aspects of Jesus that are maybe easier to overlook or play down. The times when Jesus came across a little more like a lion than a lamb. This is an essential part of His character and should not be missed.
Join me on this journey as we take a bit of a deeper look at Aslan Jesus:
“I have come,” said a deep voice behind them. They turned and saw the Lion himself, so bright and real and strong that everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy compared with him.” [C.S. Lewis ‘The Silver Chair’]
[disclaimer: sadly Aslan is the one character I felt the movies got wrong. He needed a James Earl Jones Mufasa type voice of authority and they gave him a friendly Uncle Liam Neeson and so he, in my opinion, came across as rather a tame lion, which was an immense pity, as the rest of the movie was pretty good]
[For part I of this series titled ‘Get thee behind me’ click here]
[for part II of this series – guest post by Dalene Reyburn titled ‘Glory in the Claws’ click here]
[For part III of this series ‘Sticks and Stones’ click here]
[For part IV on Enough being Enough, click here]
[For part V on life backing up profession of faith, click here]
[For part VI on Jesus kicking some Pharisaical butt, click here]
![Taboo Topics: Living with Disabilities - Meet Uel Maree [Spinal Cord Injury - Unfortunate diving accident]](https://brettfish.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/uel.jpg?resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
Irresistibly Fish 
What a great idea for a series, Brett.
I, too, was disappointed in the movie version of Aslan. I think the TV and movie versions of Jesus are pretty pathetic as well. At least the ones I’ve seen (I don’t have cable, so I’ve missed some I’m sure).
What came to mind in reading your blog was that God has never been either safe or tame. I just read 1Kings 19 — the story about God reprimanding Elijah for deserting his post. This has always been a favorite passage of mine, because God was not found in the destructive power of the hurricane, the earthquake or the fire, but in the immense power of the still, quiet voice.
But what struck me today was that when Elijah deserted his post, God’s first words were “What the heck do you think you’re doing, Elijah?” And without waiting for Elijah’s response, God roused him and brought him to a safe place where they could talk. That blew me away. I never noticed that before.
God was concerned about Elijah’s safety, too, and even though God was more than a little ticked off with him for deserting his post, God was willing to take time to listen to Elijah. So he took Elijah to a safe place. Then, of course, God asked Elijah again, “What the heck do you think you’re doing, Elijah?” Elijah whined. And God let him have the answer with both barrels.
God showed Elijah he was neither safe nor tame, but he was always, always there. And Elijah returned to his post and never looked back.
That is the Jesus I believe in. That is the Jesus I know.
ah, what a great response, Gayle, thank you. perhaps i should get you to write a post for this series – seems like you’re quite passionate about it. i LOVE that story of Elijah and was planning a preach on it actually [altho my preach just got bumped by a month] because it comes on the heels of Elijah having just witnessed such an incredibly huge miracle and then suddenly he is running away from one woman [albeit a scary one]. and the whole bit about him being alone – woe is me! – and “the only one left” – and God’s like ‘well, apart from the 7000 i have snuck away in a cave. it’s like God reminding Elijah, “Don’t worry, I got this!”
C s Lewis must have been inspired by the Holy Spirit when he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. The first book in the series is not the Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe but actually The magicians nephew. Its about the first childern to go to Narnia and also the part where Aslan creates Narnia by humming. Something that always challenges me is the fact that, at the end of the book, Susan, who was a high queen of Narnia, does not believe in Narnia anymore.
second book chronologically in the series and so how the series was later released but actually was the first book written and has the feel of that as well.
Legendary? Hmm. 🙂 Sure my bones start to hum in resonance when I get into the groove of the best writing of his – the sheer genius of his elaborations of slightly difficult themes WAS legendary. My sorry bones attest to that. Yet I never got him. Still don’t. He was always too authoritarian for my liking – insisting that I shift my view to where his was. No deal. I have my view. I wish to have it respected. And it is not quite his. So? A million of the most exquisitely scented words speaking gibberish (to my hearing) is still going to appear as gibberish to me, no? And not gibberish as harmful btw; merely gibberish as a completely different worldview to mine. I killed for the ‘Narnia’ series when I was 7. I’d still kill for it now. I got ‘Hideous’ – just re-read it recently. I buy the theme. It agrees with where I’m at. His other stuff. Hmm. 🙂
This … “The idea of Jesus not being safe, but still being good” … implying trust of course. And what trust! If you can nail it – if you can manage to explicate this to the satisfaction to the non-believer – you’d be crowned a hero inside of a second. Not safe … but [still] good … I wish you all luck! This is, believe me, the money. 🙂
The non-believer, unfortunately through luxury, has only the ‘unsafe’ interpretation. The believer, also unfortunately – but through need – has nothing else going but the ‘good’ interpretation.
This is my (basic) understanding of Christianity.
Lewis – in my interpretation – possibly was correct. Possibly. That he was ‘correct’ is why I don’t buy – it is simply too terrible. (Reference: ‘Hideous’.)
Good posts – keep it up!
Hrm…. I’m going to have to keep my eyes open for unTame Aslan-like Jesus in my meditations… MAYBE I can get another guest post here. 😉
certainly Robert, send it along, have three or four people guest posting and just waiting for them to roll in.