Narnia: The Roar
When I was five years-old our family went to see a movie called The Hiding Place. It was the story of Corrie Ten Boom. Her family risked their own safety by hiding Jews during World War II and ended up in a concentration camp. Corrie's father and sister died there, but Corrie miraculously survived. The movie told her story of faith and grace.
I'm honestly not sure why, but something in that movie struck a spiritual chord. It was after that movie that I put my faith in Christ. I went home that night and as my mom was tucking me into bed I asked her if I could ask Jesus into my heart. And I did. That movie changed the trajectory of my life.
Let me share a personal conviction: I think the greatest message deserves the greatest medium. In other words, the greatest stories ought to be told in the most compelling ways. That's one thing that set Jesus apart. He used a unique form of communication called parable. He told imaginary stories to convey truth. Jesus was the quintessential storyteller.
Madeline L'Engle, the author of A Wrinkle in Time said, "Jesus was not a theologian, but a God who told stories."
This is unsubstantiated conjecture on my part, but I wonder if Jesus would have turned his parables into short films if He lived in the 21st century. I don't know the answer to that question, but here is an important distinction. The message is sacred. The medium isn't. The greatest message deserves the greatest medium!
What does all of that have to do with C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia?
C.S. Lewis told imaginary stories to convey truth. Lewis said the Narnia books were supposals-an imaginative answer to the question of how God might reveal himself in other worlds.
In all fairness, like any author, Lewis wrote for a myriad of reasons. He certainly wanted to entertain. He said he wanted to stoke kid's imaginations. But he also wrote to express his faith in Christ. The Chronicles of Narnia aren't an allegory. In other words, every little detail isn't meant to represent some truth in Scripture. But the main character, Aslan, is certainly a type of Christ.
Lewis got the name "Aslan" from an obscure footnote in Edward William Lane's 1840 translation of The Thousand and One Nights. It's actually Turkish for "lion." But Lewis also said he made Aslan a lion because Jesus was called The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
A little girl named Hila once wrote C.S. Lewis a letter asking him Aslan's other name. Lewis wrote back and told her he wanted her to guess. Here's what he wrote:
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 a 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. (5) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb? Don't you really know his name in this world? Think it over and let me know your answer!
Lewis got another letter from the mother of a nine year-old American named Laurence who was concerned that her son loved Aslan more than Jesus. She wrote to the publisher and Lewis wrote back. He said, "The things he loves Aslan for doing and saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus, and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before."
Here's the bottom line: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a window that allows us to see the gospel story from a different vantage point.
Every Christmas season I pray that God would reveal a new dimension of the Christmas story to me and make it fresh. The danger I face, having heard the Christmas story a thousand times, is taking the miracle for granted. The antidote is new ways of seeing old truths. I need new ways of imagining what Christ did for me so I don't take it for granted. That's what this movie did for me. I know we're all wired a little differently, but I had to hold back the tears during parts of the movie because I was so moved by what Aslan did for Edmund. I'm Edmund. And Aslan is Christ.
The Roar
Every once in a while I like to share things with you that you don't need to know to live a long and happy life. For example, African elephants poop eighty pounds a day. You don't need to know that. But somehow it makes life more meaningful for me.
Here's another one of those facts. You don't need to know it, but it's interesting. We were at the zoo with our kids a few years ago and I read something at the lion exhibit that I could hardly believe. But it was on the zoo sign so I'm guessing it was true. It said a lion's roar can be heard five miles away! I'm sure that varies. But the average roar can be heard five miles away!
Hold that thought.
Joel 3:16 says, "Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon arrive. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel."
The prophet Joel was looking forward into time. And I think there is a dual-fulfillment of this prophecy. One of them is a reference to the final battle described in the book of Revelation called Armageddon. The other is the day Christ was crucified.
Before we get there, let me share my favorite scene from the movie. I love the scene where Aslan roars. The white witch comes to claim Edmund who is a traitor. Narnia law demanded his death. But Aslan negotiated with the White Witch to take his place. The white witch and Aslan walk out of the tent and just before leaving, the White Witch says, "How do I know you'll do what you have promised?" And Aslan roars. Man, I love that roar!
Here is the way the book describes it:
His mouth opened wider and wider and the roar grew louder and louder, and the Witch, after staring for a moment with her lips wide apart, picked up her skirts and fairly ran for her life.
Tame Truth
I think our version of Christianity is too tame. I think we underestimate the evilness of evil. And I think we underestimate the righteousness of God.
I think we tend to anthropomorphize God. We think of Him in human terms. And we end up with sanitized spirituality. We end up with neutered theology. We end up with a tame God.
I love the Beaver's description of Aslan. In one place he says, "He's wild you know. Not like a tame lion." And in another he says, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."
There are two descriptions of Jesus that really capture two dimensions of his personality. He is the Lamb of God. No creature is more docile than a lamb. And He is the Lion of Judah. No creature is more feared. The lion is the King of Beasts. Jesus was and is both of those things.
Jesus is this perfect combination of love and power; grace and truth. He is gentle and meek like a lamb. You can tell by the way kids acted around him. He was a kid magnet. You can tell by the way women felt around him. He was lamblike.
But there are also episodes in the gospels where Jesus roars.
In John 2, Jesus walked into the temple with a whip he had made and turned the place upside down. The lion roared.
In John 11, the Lamb of God wept when he learned that Lazarus was dead. Then the Lion of Judah roared and commanded Lazarus to come out.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus cast out demons including a legion of demons. When the lion roared the demons scattered.
Dorothy Sayers said, "To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies."
Dead Men Walking
Matthew 27 records the crucifixion of Christ. Verse 45 says, "At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock."
I think we underestimate the meteorology of the moment. Three hours of darkness in the middle of the day? Remember the reference in Joel? It said "the sun will grow dark." That's exactly what happened. Then something miraculous happens.
Matthew 27:50 records Jesus' final roar:
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus' resurrection. They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
Jesus roared so loud that dead people woke up!
Imagine going to the cemetery to put flowers on the grave of a loved one and they are walking out of the cemetery!
That final roar couldn’t just be heard 5 miles away. It can be heard 2,000 years away! It's still waking up dead people!
The Final Roar
Back to the movie.
There is a scene where Aslan is liberating the creatures that the White Witch has turned into stone statues. Then he leads those liberated statues into the battle against the White Witch. And the book says, "Then with a roar that shook all Narnia from the western lamp-post to the shores of the eastern sea the great beast flung himself upon the White Witch."
Jesus roared at Calvary. Satan thought he was on the verge of victory, but Jesus flung himself on the cross and reversed the curse. And just like Aslan's death and resurrection, death started working backwards!
The prophet said, "The Lord will roar from Zion." That's exactly what Jesus did.
Let me close with an old Narnian rhyme:
Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bears his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
In the words of Revelation 22:20: "Come, Lord Jesus."
I'm honestly not sure why, but something in that movie struck a spiritual chord. It was after that movie that I put my faith in Christ. I went home that night and as my mom was tucking me into bed I asked her if I could ask Jesus into my heart. And I did. That movie changed the trajectory of my life.
Let me share a personal conviction: I think the greatest message deserves the greatest medium. In other words, the greatest stories ought to be told in the most compelling ways. That's one thing that set Jesus apart. He used a unique form of communication called parable. He told imaginary stories to convey truth. Jesus was the quintessential storyteller.
Madeline L'Engle, the author of A Wrinkle in Time said, "Jesus was not a theologian, but a God who told stories."
This is unsubstantiated conjecture on my part, but I wonder if Jesus would have turned his parables into short films if He lived in the 21st century. I don't know the answer to that question, but here is an important distinction. The message is sacred. The medium isn't. The greatest message deserves the greatest medium!
What does all of that have to do with C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia?
C.S. Lewis told imaginary stories to convey truth. Lewis said the Narnia books were supposals-an imaginative answer to the question of how God might reveal himself in other worlds.
In all fairness, like any author, Lewis wrote for a myriad of reasons. He certainly wanted to entertain. He said he wanted to stoke kid's imaginations. But he also wrote to express his faith in Christ. The Chronicles of Narnia aren't an allegory. In other words, every little detail isn't meant to represent some truth in Scripture. But the main character, Aslan, is certainly a type of Christ.
Lewis got the name "Aslan" from an obscure footnote in Edward William Lane's 1840 translation of The Thousand and One Nights. It's actually Turkish for "lion." But Lewis also said he made Aslan a lion because Jesus was called The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
A little girl named Hila once wrote C.S. Lewis a letter asking him Aslan's other name. Lewis wrote back and told her he wanted her to guess. Here's what he wrote:
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 a 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. (5) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb? Don't you really know his name in this world? Think it over and let me know your answer!
Lewis got another letter from the mother of a nine year-old American named Laurence who was concerned that her son loved Aslan more than Jesus. She wrote to the publisher and Lewis wrote back. He said, "The things he loves Aslan for doing and saying are simply the things Jesus really did and said. So when Laurence thinks he is loving Aslan, he is really loving Jesus, and perhaps loving Him more than he ever did before."
Here's the bottom line: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a window that allows us to see the gospel story from a different vantage point.
Every Christmas season I pray that God would reveal a new dimension of the Christmas story to me and make it fresh. The danger I face, having heard the Christmas story a thousand times, is taking the miracle for granted. The antidote is new ways of seeing old truths. I need new ways of imagining what Christ did for me so I don't take it for granted. That's what this movie did for me. I know we're all wired a little differently, but I had to hold back the tears during parts of the movie because I was so moved by what Aslan did for Edmund. I'm Edmund. And Aslan is Christ.
The Roar
Every once in a while I like to share things with you that you don't need to know to live a long and happy life. For example, African elephants poop eighty pounds a day. You don't need to know that. But somehow it makes life more meaningful for me.
Here's another one of those facts. You don't need to know it, but it's interesting. We were at the zoo with our kids a few years ago and I read something at the lion exhibit that I could hardly believe. But it was on the zoo sign so I'm guessing it was true. It said a lion's roar can be heard five miles away! I'm sure that varies. But the average roar can be heard five miles away!
Hold that thought.
Joel 3:16 says, "Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon arrive. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel."
The prophet Joel was looking forward into time. And I think there is a dual-fulfillment of this prophecy. One of them is a reference to the final battle described in the book of Revelation called Armageddon. The other is the day Christ was crucified.
Before we get there, let me share my favorite scene from the movie. I love the scene where Aslan roars. The white witch comes to claim Edmund who is a traitor. Narnia law demanded his death. But Aslan negotiated with the White Witch to take his place. The white witch and Aslan walk out of the tent and just before leaving, the White Witch says, "How do I know you'll do what you have promised?" And Aslan roars. Man, I love that roar!
Here is the way the book describes it:
His mouth opened wider and wider and the roar grew louder and louder, and the Witch, after staring for a moment with her lips wide apart, picked up her skirts and fairly ran for her life.
Tame Truth
I think our version of Christianity is too tame. I think we underestimate the evilness of evil. And I think we underestimate the righteousness of God.
I think we tend to anthropomorphize God. We think of Him in human terms. And we end up with sanitized spirituality. We end up with neutered theology. We end up with a tame God.
I love the Beaver's description of Aslan. In one place he says, "He's wild you know. Not like a tame lion." And in another he says, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."
There are two descriptions of Jesus that really capture two dimensions of his personality. He is the Lamb of God. No creature is more docile than a lamb. And He is the Lion of Judah. No creature is more feared. The lion is the King of Beasts. Jesus was and is both of those things.
Jesus is this perfect combination of love and power; grace and truth. He is gentle and meek like a lamb. You can tell by the way kids acted around him. He was a kid magnet. You can tell by the way women felt around him. He was lamblike.
But there are also episodes in the gospels where Jesus roars.
In John 2, Jesus walked into the temple with a whip he had made and turned the place upside down. The lion roared.
In John 11, the Lamb of God wept when he learned that Lazarus was dead. Then the Lion of Judah roared and commanded Lazarus to come out.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus cast out demons including a legion of demons. When the lion roared the demons scattered.
Dorothy Sayers said, "To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies."
Dead Men Walking
Matthew 27 records the crucifixion of Christ. Verse 45 says, "At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock."
I think we underestimate the meteorology of the moment. Three hours of darkness in the middle of the day? Remember the reference in Joel? It said "the sun will grow dark." That's exactly what happened. Then something miraculous happens.
Matthew 27:50 records Jesus' final roar:
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus' resurrection. They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
Jesus roared so loud that dead people woke up!
Imagine going to the cemetery to put flowers on the grave of a loved one and they are walking out of the cemetery!
That final roar couldn’t just be heard 5 miles away. It can be heard 2,000 years away! It's still waking up dead people!
The Final Roar
Back to the movie.
There is a scene where Aslan is liberating the creatures that the White Witch has turned into stone statues. Then he leads those liberated statues into the battle against the White Witch. And the book says, "Then with a roar that shook all Narnia from the western lamp-post to the shores of the eastern sea the great beast flung himself upon the White Witch."
Jesus roared at Calvary. Satan thought he was on the verge of victory, but Jesus flung himself on the cross and reversed the curse. And just like Aslan's death and resurrection, death started working backwards!
The prophet said, "The Lord will roar from Zion." That's exactly what Jesus did.
Let me close with an old Narnian rhyme:
Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bears his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
In the words of Revelation 22:20: "Come, Lord Jesus."
5 Comments:
The whole reason I was so fired up months ago about Narnia was because I saw the trailer of Aslan roaring, and all I could think was "that's Jesus roaring!!" It totally reminded me of his victorious power. And it compels us to worship! Thanks for reminding us that Jesus is not a tame lion at all. :)
very excellent comparsion! I got shook by your post!
I cannot wait to see the movie.
i think that matt 27 ref is one of the coolest things in the bible. that and the story when elijah calls fire down from heaven on 102 men coming to take him off the mountain. then there's the one about Jesus saying "I AM" in the garden and all the soldiers falling down. very cool "roar."
but then, jesus is just really cool.
Great post, Mark. You truly do a wonderful job (throught the H.S. of course) of tying the movie and the gospel together in a powerful, far from watered down I might add, message.
Hey Mark
I have to say I completely agree with you, my favorite part/s in Narnia are the parts where Aslan roars. These parts all sent chills down my spine along my arms! I love the attitude in roar directed at the white witch after the agreement between Aslan and the White Witch. It's almost liek hes saying, "How DARE you question my word!"
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