Now how did I begin to read C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia? I was listening to a sermon by Tim Keller, and he referenced an example from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. His example fit in marvelously with his sermon message. Having only watched the movies, I decided I wanted to read Lord of the Rings and look carefully for Christian illustrations. So with a $25 gift card in hand, I took a stroll through Barnes and Noble. However, instead of finding Lord of the Rings, I came across a volume of The Chronicles of Narnia, with all seven books in one for a sweet deal of $20! I'm not usually a spontaneous buyer, so of course I didn't buy the book right then and there but instead bought it during my 30 minute dinner break from work. I got back to work with a fat grin on my face.
I must say, Chronicles of Narnia has far exceeded my expectations. The only book I've read of the series in the past was "The Horse and His Boy," and I have yet to see the movies (except for part of the old BBC "Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe"). Currently I am on the 6th book of the set, and I would like to share my thoughts on what I've read on this entry and future entries to whoever reads this blog, but of course in particular with brother Drew. If you have not read the series yet and intend on doing so, I advise you not to read from this point forward.
Book 1: The Magician's Nephew
In this book, Aslan (the Christ figure who is a lion) creates the world of Narnia. Obviously, this parallels God's creation of our world. However, this wasn't the main point of interest that caught my attention. What spurred my mind was one antagonistic event during Aslan's glorious work of creating Narnia:
"Suddenly the Witch stepped boldly out towards the Lion...She raised her arm and flung the iron bar straight at its head...It glanced off and fell with a thud in the grass. The Lion came on. Its walk was neither slower nor faster than before; you could not tell whether it even knew it had been hit...The witch shrieked and ran..."
This Witch was strong. Her great physical strength was shown in many events earlier in the book. However, the Lion went about his business like nothing even happened. What happened here? I'll tell you what happened: when a person with great strength attacks and their attack has been completely nullified, the one who was the target of the attack must not only be greater in strength, but must be immensely stronger than the attacker. The witch's response to this revelation is predictable; she fled immediately in fear of the repercussions of her initial attack.
Fast forward to the second book of the series, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Aslan is killed on the Stone Table by the Witch. What had happened was Aslan sacrificed himself for Edmund, the son of Adam who had betrayed Aslan and should have been the one killed.
Now, we have a big difference in Aslan in these 2 different books. In book 1, he is Aslan the invincible. In book 2, he is Aslan the vulnerable.
Now, we have Jesus Christ. The pre-incarnate Christ is fully God. The incarnate Christ is fully God, yet fully man. Because of this "man" aspect Jesus Christ became vulnerable. When I was reading through "The Magician's Nephew" and this particular scene, this verse from Philippians came to mind:
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (2:5-8)
Just as Aslan was there during the beginning of Narnia, the pre-incarnate Jesus was there during the creation of our world. The Triune God (The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit) created the heavens and the earth. To say Jesus had tremendous power would be an understatement. Yet what did Jesus do? The book of Philippians says he "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" and that he "emptied Himself," essentially laying aside His invincibility as God and becoming vulnerable when He became fully man. And why did He do it? So that we could become invulnerable to death. The death I am talking about here is not physical death, but something much worst. It is a death without the hope of life afterwards. It is a death with Hell looming. But alas, because of Christ we need not face such doom. Let's not forget that it wasn't simply a god who took our place on the cross, but it was the ALMIGHTY GOD who did so. Just as the iron bar simply glanced off Aslan's head and fell to the ground with no effect, so death has lost its sting on us because of the powerful work of Christ.
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