The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a Christian allegory, so, it is not surprising that there are people in the world who are attacking this story and Lewis in writing it. Some even say that the Church is making it out to be something it is not. The Bible does use the lion for many ideas, but in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis narrows the scope of the Lion’s symbolism. He chooses one image from the Bible and runs with it. One little girl asked him in a letter who Aslan represented in the real world. This was Lewis’ response:
"Well, I want you to guess. Has there ever been anyone in this world who
1) arrived at the same time as Father Christmas,
2) Said he was the son of the Great Emperor,
3) Gave himself up for someone else’s fault, to be jeered at and killed by wicked people,
4) Came to life again, and
5) Is sometimes spoken of as a lamb (see the end of Dawn Trader)?
Don’t you really know His name in this world? Think it over, and let me know your answer."
Here is what he says in a letter to a young woman who was not understanding another book in the series. Lewis recommends that she read The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe:
When you have read that, I think you will probably see that there is a deeper meaning behind it. The whole Narnian story is about Christ.
So, not just in some obscure abstract way, or in some psychological subconscious way, but very intentionally Lewis wrote Aslan to represent Jesus and the action of the stories to represent episodes in the Bible and current life issues. He wrote many letters to children who wrote to ask him about it. Evidence suggests that every single child who wrote him and asked, he answered their letter with help to understand what he called, "the story behind the story."
So the question is raised, "Why did Lewis choose this particular image?"
Lions in the Bible
The image of the lion in the Bible is neutral. It is sometimes compared to good and sometimes to bad. We cannot say, "In the Bible the lion always stands for this or that." The best thing to do is to take each reference for exactly what it is saying and not try to read any more into it. Lions are
- Powerful
- Savage
- Relentless
- Stealthy
- Confident
- Frightening
- Strong
- Loud
- Impressive
So lions are symbols of power whatever that power is used for. Sometimes in the Bible, the savage nature of lions symbolizes evil, but at other times the strength and power symbolize good.
> The lion is a symbol of royalty
In the Bible, one of the images that is repeated is the comparison of the king to a lion. It was that way throughout the Ancient Near East. Kings went on hunts for lions and their power to overcome the lion showed their natural fitness to rule the people. One picture shows an Assyrian king killing a lion face to face with a knife.
Solomon especially associated himself with lions very closely. Look at how he designed his throne room:
The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.
1 Kings 10:19-20 (NIV)
Solomon sat flanked by 14 lions. The lion is a symbol of uninhibited power and the king wields that kind of power. It isn’t any surprise that Solomon said:
A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
Proverbs 19:12 (NIV)
and
A king’s wrath is like the roar of a lion;
he who angers him forfeits his life.
Proverbs 20:2 (NIV)
He wanted to leave no room for mistake. He was the lion of Jerusalem.
> The lion is a symbol of God
It is also important to notice that God is compared to a lion in the Bible:
- He pursues the proud with the patience and power of a lion (Job 10:16)
- He protects His people with the passion of a lion (Isaiah 31:4 )
- The way a lion’s roar causes action in people, God’s voice motivates obedience (Amos 3:8)
This is one aspect of God. He is symbolized in many ways, so it would be a mistake to use these somewhat frightening images to represent the whole character of God. However, we are to remember that God is no one to be trifled with. He is powerful and He has the capacity for devastating wrath.
But the lion is not just a negative image. I especially like Isaiah’s image, as a lion protects His cubs, so God is looking out for His own. In that way compare the other image of a lion that we have:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
Lions live in packs called prides. A male stays close to home while the lioness hunts. When a male lion goes too far from the cubs, or the cub wanders away, another male comes in and kills the cubs and tries to take over the pride.
When two adult male lions come face to face in competition over the pride, the stronger of the two chases the other off. If the competitor is too persistent, the stronger lion kills him with a single powerful bite to the spine.
It is not hard to see a strong parallel here. God is the head of His pride. We are the cubs. Satan is the renegade lion. If we wander away from God, Satan is waiting to pounce. But God is protective. He will not wander away and allow Satan to have us.
Satan wants you. He will do whatever he can to get you. Not because you are valuable to him, but because he wants to destroy you. But rest assured, your Father is greater than all, and no one can take you away from Him. The Bible tells us the end of the story, God wins.
> The Royal Lion and the Divine Lion come together in the Messiah
Especially in the Old Testament, the Israelites are set up to expect certain things in the Messiah.
- They did not know who he would be (that was to be revealed at the time)
- They did not know when he would come
but they were given hints and things to watch for throughout the Scriptures. Their history became full of ideas that filter down through the years, so that a certain type of person was expected.
Just like in Narnia, the animals had never seen Aslan. They waited expectantly and had hints and suggestions of what to watch for, they would recognize him when they saw him, but they had to keep an eye pealed.
The Jews, of course, had a culture of waiting. They knew a savior would be sent by God to deliver them. The prophets had said that He would have power over sin itself. But they also said that He would be a king. One of the earliest prophecies was given by Jacob as he was preparing for death. He prophesied and blessed all his sons. About his fourth son he said this:
9 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a liones; who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.
Genesis 49:9-10 (NIV)
Jacob was blessing his son and prophesying about not just a king, but a whole line of kings. Solomon was making it clear that the house of David was that line of kings.
But Jacob’s prophecy goes deeper than Solomon. He says that the whole line of kings would remain the true royal line until the ultimate fulfillment of the king like a lion would be fulfilled.
The ultimate king that would come was a sleeping lion. Judah’s real power was lying in wait, until God’s best time. As powerful as the kings of the line of Judah were, they were not at their height until the one would come who commanded the obedience of the nations.
The ultimate king would be more than a ruler ... he would be a lion of a ruler.
The first Christmas saw the arrival of that king.
> Jesus is the lion
In his life, Jesus is not compared to a lion. It is only in His exalted role in the last days that this image is made clear. Jesus is more than the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John shows us that when a person is sought to open the scrolls in heaven, only one person is found:
Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5 (NIV)
The prophets, including Jacob, looked down the passages of time and saw a ruler who would be:
- indomitably powerful
- frighteningly just
- commanding in authority
- impressively confident
- fiercely protective
The children in Narnia heard of Aslan and they immediately felt a wonder overcome them as the most attractive thing they could imagine. The more they heard about Aslan, the more impressed they were ... and a little frightened. But they were assured that though Aslan could be frightening ... he was good.
When it came time to meet him, Peter drew back, but Aslan put him at his ease, and Peter’s love for Aslan overthrew his fear and was replaced with a deep trust.
Jacob and Isaiah were sitting hundreds of years before the time of Jesus, looking into the future at a king who would manifest himself twice
- the first time as a baby in Bethlehem, born to be a sacrifice
- the second time as a king defeating the powers of darkness in the world and setting all to rights
They didn’t see Jesus as two separate people. To them, the whole picture was in the future, so they saw the image we think of out of Matthew superimposed on the image we know from Revelation. One and the same king.
And that is the way He should be seen. His kingdom is not of just the future, it came when He came and the kingdom lives wherever the king is proclaimed. It lives and breathes underneath the fabric of visible politics in the people who are citizens of other nations and leaders of people. Everywhere a person, citizen or ruler puts his faith in Christ, the kingdom of God is a current that runs through and influences their actions and decisions.
The king has come
The lion has arrived
In this church and in your homes and in your lives, the lion lives and
- exercises power
- brings about justice
- rules
- protects
I tend to be a little cynical about American history. I don’t believe that the founding fathers had a clear vision of what they were proposing, by saying that all men are created equal. I believe they were speaking of something that could not be accomplished with their political mechanisms and philosophies. They established a representative democratic republic in an effort to take power away from one person and put it in the hands of the many.
I don’t believe that is actually what they wanted. You may think I’m wrong, that is your privilege.
I believe they had been jaded by the evil rule of a particular George. So they replaced him with a George that theoretically had no ultimate authority. Given different circumstances, they would never have revolted.
They would have accepted the kind and benevolent rule of a good king and been thankful. It wasn’t the system of government they didn’t like, it was the governor. It was the abuse of the power, not the placement of it. Having seen the degree to which that power could be abused, they decided it was better to take the power away than it was to take the chance that it would happen again.
In the end they would have been satisfied with a king.
- I am convinced that all people actually want a king
- They don’t want just any king
- They want a king they can love and trust and who will not abuse his power
- They want a king they can whole heartedly give their loyalty to ... without fear or reservation
- They want a king who is wiser and more powerful than they are
- They want a king who can and will always do what is best with his people’s best interests and desires at heart
That desire lies dormant in each individual waiting for that king. But that king has come, and He is kind and wise and powerful. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah came 2 Millennia ago and set up His kingdom.
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation," nor will people say, "Here it is," or "There it is," because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)
The great mystery of the coming of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the King of the Kingdom of God is that this little baby came not to rule on an earthly throne ... this time around ... but to rule in hearts. His throne is not on Earth, but in Heaven. During His trial Pilate asked him a question, and Jesus answered like this:
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." John 18:36 (NIV)
The great lion, the king of the Kingdom of Heaven that begins in the hearts of people and finds its ultimate fulfillment in eternity wants to rule in your heart.
He has come into the world as a lion not to take by force all that He wants, but to exercise power in your life and ferociously fight all that is evil that wants to steal you away from Him.
When Aslan came to Narnia, all His followers made themselves known and stepped immediately to His side of the battle line.
In this world a battle is raging for the hearts, minds, and souls of women and men. Whose side are you on?
Have you given yourself to the King?
