Aslan and You

I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. But one of the twenty-four said to me, "Stop weeping! Look, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals." (Revelation 5:4-5)

C.S. Lewis helps us to see this duality of Jesus' character through his creation of Aslan the lion in The Chronicles of Narnia. Who hasn't read the books or watched the movies without wishing we could roll and tumble, run and chase, and generally have the time of our lives with a real live Aslan? Aslan, at once beautiful and fearsome, is the only character to appear in all seven of the Narnia books. Lewis has not intended to include this character, but he received a strong vision of Aslan in a dream. Lewis said Aslan was the lion and the lamb embodied in one character.

Think about it: a lion is seen as a symbol of strength and force. A warrior who can slay a lion (or a shepherd such as David, who could kill one with his bare hands) is a stud. But here's the thing about Jesus the Lion...he won his victory not through exerting brute strength or overthrowing a system, but by laying down his life as the spotless Lamb of God. His sacrifice was his victory.


Action Step
Offer up a time of prayer to Jesus, the spotless Lamb who took away your sins. Next, praise the Lion of the tribe of Judah who rose again to defeat death and the grave.