Narnia: The Cure For Turkish Delight

The Cure For Turkish Delight

Imagine a land in which it’s always winter and never Christmas. Narnia--land cursed by White Witch. She wouldn’t allow Father Christmas to come…

Edmund finds out about the power of this Witch’s curse when he tries her Turkish Delight.

Voluneer tries some Turkish Delight.

Turkish Delight is used in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe to teach us a few things about the nature of sin:

To get at the first thing, let’s talk turkey:

At one point in the film, a Witch gives a boy some enchanted Turkish Delight, a popular treat with the power to make one willing to stop at nothing to get more. After his sample, he asks for more, but is told he must lure his siblings to her to get it. She makes him an additional promise to make him a king if he will follow through with the act. His appetite for both Turkish Delight and power cause him to follow through, even after he comes to realize she is wicked. He finds out that her promises are empty. Her plans for him are quite the opposite of what he was told (in the end, she plans to kill him).

1. Sin makes desirable, but empty promises.

Ú Sin makes promises it cannot keep. Examples:

ü If you do it, you’ll be happy (Genesis 3:5 “you will be like God, knowing both good and evil”).

ü No one will ever find out.

ü Nothing bad will happen if you do; Genesis 3:4 “you will not surely die”).

Ú Sin leaves you wanting more and more.

ü Addictions: alcohol, drugs, pornography.

ü Drives: Law of diminishing returns (Isaiah 5:18 cords become cart ropes as one goes deeper and deeper into bondage).

Ú Sin’s lure is so powerful that we sometimes follow it even when we know it isn’t right and that it could cost us dearly (Romans 7:14-20).

Ú The payout for sinning is death, not a better life (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:11-15).

Ú Evil desires are always perversions of good desires

ü Nothing wrong with sweets, in moderation, nor influence and royalty).

ü The problem was Edmund’s excess… And his desire to wield power over his bossy brother. And his willingness to do whatever it would take to get more (ends don’t justify means).

Ú The problems Edmund created by selling out his brother and sisters required a more drastic solution than one might have expected. Story of Aslan’s self-sacrifice to intro 2nd point (emphasizing substitution for Edmund).

2. The problems our sins create require a drastic solution: the substitution of the innocent Christ to pay the penalty for us.

Ú Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, averting God’s wrath from us (Romans 3:25). If God doesn’t solve the problem this way, then we suffer for our own sins.

ü The crucifixion of Jesus…

ü In the film, what would have been the consequences if Aslan didn’t keep his word? Destruction of Narnia in fire and water. Someone had to pay. Justice had to be done. The Emporer Beyond the Sea must have justice.

ü God must have justice, too. The guilty cannot go unpunished. The innocent must not be punished. That is, unless the innocent substitute for the guilty (in that case, some sort of exoneration is in order: segue to Aslan’s resurrection).

ü In the film, did Aslan stay dead? No. Rises. Reunites with Susan and Lucy. Susan: “What does it all mean?” Aslan: “It means… that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward” (163).

ü Jesus, likewise, rose from the dead…

3. Jesus’ death and resurrection are more than adequate to solve the problems of sin.

Ú The guilt problem:

ü Punishment of the substitute solves that. Do you remember the royal name Aslan gives Edmund at the end of the movie? Edmund the Just.

ü If the guilt is gone, what happens to the punishment for guilt? Gone (death working backwards).

ü Christ the firstfruits, then us (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Ú The bondage problem:

ü God awakens in us a love for Him and others (1 John 4:7-8).

ü Jesus breaks the power of sin in our lives (John 8:34, 36).

ü Already/not yet (instant growth of regeneration followed by steady improvement of sanctification followed by instant completion in glorification).