CONSIDER THE WONDER:
THOUGHTS ON NOSTALGIA BASED ON C.S. LEWIS’S NOVEL
THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE
© Kent Suter
Cornerstone Bible Church: Lilburn, GA
The Wonder of Nostalgia
I can’t think of one person who doesn’t enjoy some sort of nostalgia in their walk through life. While some may deny the enjoyment of it, nostalgia comes in various forms: recalling all of the “remember when” stories when you get together with old friends, enjoying the mesmerizing glow of a campfire, fishing with your grandfather, or simply hearing a song on the radio that takes you back to a special moment in your life.
Whatever the form, we all seem to enjoy nostalgia. In fact, some like it so much that they build their entire lives around those moments. In my opinion, one of the largest reasons for the success of Starbucks® is that it creates an aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic atmosphere within its walls that makes people want to come back. It has great colors, great music (most of which can be attributed to Louie Armstrong), and most of all, is the starting point of some truly great memories (the caffeine always helps, too).
Likewise, there are the avid movie goers whose sole purpose in life seems to be to see the next big blockbuster. Now don’t get me wrong. I get caught up in the enjoyment of the big screen just as much as anyone else. But there are those we all know who won’t miss even a single new movie to come down the pike. Why? Because they so love the nostalgic atmosphere that is created in a movie that they just keep going back for more.
The Wonder of Another World
To piggy back on this a bit, without a doubt the new movie based on C.S. Lewis’ world of Narnia is going to be quite an experience for people of all backgrounds. In fact, I believe it will be a double-whammy on the “nostalgic meter” of our souls. The reasons for this are many:
1. The story appeals to our imaginations in vivid ways. Everyone loves to imagine what it would be like if there were another world within our grasp.
2. There is an evil to be shunned and a good to be emraced.
3. There is prophecy involved. Everyone is amazed by prophecy.
4. There are talking animals, which appeals to many childhood fantasies of talking friends/animals.
5. The story is now available on the big screen, which conjures up all of the potentially wonderful feelings our soul enjoys when engaged in a good movie.
While there are probably dozens more reasons to list, I hope you can grasp the picture I am trying to paint: there is something deeper below all of this; something which is appealing to the very core of our being that we can’t quite put a finger to, but we know is there. Narnia is not just a fairy tale locked up in a book. It is the representation of our longing for the True Country that God has designed us to seek – Heaven. Just as it is true that He has written His Law on the hearts of every person (Rom. 2:12-15), the same can be said of our earnest longing for another World. Nostalgia not only looks to the past, but to the future possibility of joy in this other World.
You see, we were not created to stay on this earth forever, nor were we designed to have complete satisfaction here. The author of Hebrews said it well when he said that the patriarchs of old (viz., Abraham and his descendants) recognized that they “were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland . . . a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Heb. 11:13-14, 16, NKJV). Abraham was specifically looking and waiting “for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10).
In essence, this is why Narnia is loved by so many. In this story, Lewis recognizes the existence of another world – a world in which Good and Evil are warring profusely. But the deeper question still remains: Why do we enjoy stories of Good vs. Evil? I believe it is because God has put inside us not only the desire for another Country, but also the desire to see Good overcome Evil, especially when accomplished in the face of impossible odds. The protagonist vs. the antagonist, so to speak. That is why a story without an antagonist of some sort is generally a flop. A great story makes you think that from the look of things, Evil appears to clearly have the upper hand; but in the end Good ultimately (and often unexpectedly) seizes the victory.
Everyone enjoys a story of how the underdog defeats the powerhouse. Just think of David and Goliath. Similarly, in Narnia, Aslan proves to the White Witch that her power, although strong at the moment, will ultimately be stripped from her. His power, while appearing to be subordinate, is immeasurably stronger, for His power is based on a law that was written before time. And as much as she thinks she is the stronger of the two, she is sorely mistaken. For it was only by His willful restriction of power that she had any power.
The Wonder of Aslan
Now that we know a large reason why the story is so intriguing to so many, let’s turn our focus on why the moral of the story is so important, for the underlying meaning behind the story of Narnia is essential to all mankind. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, one of the children (Edmund) committed a crime that demanded the death penalty. There was no dispute. Death was the only acceptable payment, and Edmund was the one required to pay it.
However, we see a remarkable turn of events. Just before Edmund was to be executed, Aslan interceded. But he did not do so by destroying the White Witch. In fact, quite the contrary. Aslan willingly subjected himself to the White Witch, who so harshly appealed to the law of the land which clearly stated that a death was required for Edmund’s actions. His form of subjection is remarkable. Instead of Edmund paying with his life, Aslan offered his own! The King offered to lay down his life for the lawbreaker! In giving his life over, Aslan showed Edmund (and the others) just how deep his love for him was. Despite the fact that he could crush the White Witch at any point, he kept his word and obeyed the law.
As it turns out, Aslan fulfilled the giving of his life. He was tortured, jeered, and humiliated by the Witch and her cohorts. Even though he was innocent, he became the substitute – executed on the very stone table that had the law of death inscribed on it. The death that guilty Edmund was supposed to experience was fulfilled by the mighty King, who never transgressed the law. Truly, if the story had ended at this point, the Narnia books would not have sold more than a handful of copies, for who likes a story devoid of hope? Who, in their right minds, enjoys watching evil triumph?
This brings us to the climax of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The beauty of the story after this point is found in the existence of a higher law which trumped the law that convicted Edmund and killed Aslan – a law that was written before time began. Because of this, Aslan was no longer subject to death, but rose again to life, and there was nothing the White Witch could do to overcome this.
The Wonder of Jesus
This story is an allegory of the greatest story ever told – the life, death, and resurrection of the King of the universe, Jesus Christ. For it was Jesus who came to earth and accomplished what we could not – perfect obedience to God’s Law, the Ten Commandments. Because of the fact that every human being has broken His Law, which has the death penalty for all who transgress, all of humanity is condemned. Paul said in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” Because God is perfectly holy, He can only have perfect holiness in His presence. Thus, when we sin by disobeying God’s Law, we, like Edmund, are required to pay the death penalty (Gen. 2:17; Ezek. 18:20).
But like Edmund, we have an Advocate on our behalf who was willing to give His life for ours (1 Jn. 2:1). Like Aslan, Jesus, the innocent King, died on the cross for the sins of all humanity (2 Cor. 5:21). He loved us so much that He paid the penalty we could never pay. Only a perfect life can appease the just Law of God; and only God is perfect; thus, only the God-Man could make this payment. Paul said in Romans 5:8 that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What a sacrifice!
It only makes sense why we get enjoyment from watching an underdog win (unless, of course, you’re team is not the underdog!), for it is the humble things of this world that God has chosen to exalt (Is. 66:2; Lk. 18:14; Phil. 2:5-11). Tolkien through the hobbits, Lewis through Aslan, God through Jesus – born of a virgin in a cowshed, laid in a feeding trough (Lk. 2:7), rejected by His own people (Jn. 1:11), killed (Lk. 23:46), but raised on the third day (Lk. 24; 1 Cor. 15). It is because of Jesus that man can have fellowship with the Creator of all things – the God of the universe. He is the one responsible for nostalgia in the first place, for He has created us to be engaged in the greatest relationship of all – the relationship with His Son Jesus.
In fact, everything beautiful is a reflection of what it will be like when we see Him face to face and experience the joy of fellowship with Him. Every time you experience beauty – whether that of a sunset, a view on top of a mountain, the sight of a flower, the music of Beethoven, the works of Monet, or the beauty of a great relationship – you are experiencing a taste of the character of God Himself. We are made in His image (Gen. 1:27), and because of this, as Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee” (St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, 1.1.5).
