In Chapter 12, the children finally get to meet Aslan. When they first see him, C.S. Lewis describes Aslan as being both "good and terrible at the same time." This description goes back to Mr. Beaver's description of Aslan as not being safe in Chapter 8. Aslan is not terrible in the sense of something being bad. He is terrible in the sense that Aslan has tremendous power. Aslan will always act for the good, but that does not mean the journey will always be easy for us. It certainly means that evil will get its comeuppance in the end. It is important for us to remember that God is the same. While God is the ultimate good in existence, God also has tremendous power. Because of God's love and kindness, we need not fear this power, but we should respect it. We certainly must remember that this is a power that ultimately will effect and change us, whether we want it to or not. After Aslan has welcomed the Beavers and the children, he immediately asks "But where is the fourth?" His first act is to show concern for their brother. Even though Aslan knows the answer to this question, Aslan still asks it because it is one that the children really need to hear and wrestle with. Mr. Beaver provides the quick explanation that Edmund has betrayed them, but then Peter does something interesting and significant. Unprompted, he says "That was partly my fault, Aslan. I was angry with him and I think that helped him to go wrong." We are told that "Aslan said nothing either to excuse Peter or to blame him". It is as if nothing more needed to be said. Looking at our own actions, there are times we need to acknowledge our own fault, even if we are only part of the cause to blame. For us, God neither excuses us nor condemns us, at least ultimately. Often what we really need is to move on. Lucy, even with all that Edmund has put her through, once again is the one to ask after his well-being. She asks what can be done to save their brother. Aslan's response is "All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think." Bringing about repentance, especially in ourselves, is never an easy thing. Aslan's words, however, will be made clearer in time. Finally, when Susan and Lucy are attacked by a wolf, all the other creatures immediate try to go and help. Aslan tells them "Back! Let the Prince win his spurs."
As with God, it is not that Aslan isn't there if help is needed. Aslan instead helps Peter to gain what he needs for the battle to come. God often does the same with us.
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There are two important quotations in Chapter 11. The first is this: [Edmund] would have given anything to meet the others at this moment- even Peter! Edmund is starting to see the White Witch for what she truly is: evil. It begins to change his heart in a very dramatic way. He is changing so much, that he wants to be back with his siblings, even Peter, the sibling he gets along with the least. This realization causes a shift in Edmund's outlook on everything. It even causes him to burst out and plead that the White Witch not to turn a group of animals they see celebrating along the way into stone. Edmund is, unfortunately, too late, and the White Witch gives him a blow for his outburst. Instead of focusing on the pain from the White Which hitting him, we learn that: Edmund, for the first time in this story, felt sorry for someone besides himself. His first thought isn't for himself, but for others. That is, indeed, a huge change for Edmund. Edmund has started to see the evil of the White Witch for what it really is. That is why, in my opinion, "his heart gave a great leap (though he hardly knew why) when he realized the frost was over." The frost ending means the end of evil's reign in Narnia. Like Edmund, we have all been on the wrong path at one point or another in our lives. Like Edmund, we have also found in ourselves a change of heart in realizing how wrong we were. Hopefully like Edmund, we can take this change of heart and do something good with it. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. The often repeated refrain of the Mandalorians in The Mandalorian is "this is the way." This has been used not only to acknowledge following the Mandalorian creed, but it has also been a way to accept the hard times, such as when the Mandalorian coven has to move or when the Mandalorian Din has to accept the task of returning the Child to "enemy sorcerers".
What I love most about this phrase is how it connects to our heritage as Christians. We did not originally go by the name "Christians". In fact, the term was used as a slur for those who followed our faith. Our faith was originally known as "The Way", as we see throughout The Acts of the Apostles. Following God's path, for us, is "the Way". When we walk that journey God has put before us, in both the good times and the bad, we too should hold our head up high and say "this is the Way." Hearing the Mandalorians say "this is the way" always puts a smile on my face and reminds me of my own faith. I hope it that it will do the same for you, no matter where the way may lead you. I hope it will also be a reminder to you that we never walk this way alone. In Chapter 10 or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the children and the Beavers meet Father Christmas. This is a hugely significant event. Father Christmas means Christmas is coming which means the White Witch's powers are starting to wane. There are, of course, gifts with Father Christmas' arrival. For the Beavers, Father Christmas provides them something they wanted, but were willing to sacrifice for the good of the children and for the good of Narnia. Father Christmas offers them their home repaired. He even gives Mrs. Beaver a new sewing machine. At the start of the chapter, Mrs. Beaver had to leave it behind, and was sad in thinking of what the White Witch might do with it. Now this item will be restored. For the children, the gifts are somewhat different. They are provided with tools (not toys as Father Christmas says) that will help them in the coming conflict. We should think of these items like the gifts that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 12. They are the spiritual talents the children will require to move forward in their journey to save Narnia. Father Christmas' visit is described as one filled with joy, but it is also a solemn occasion. It is to an end in it of itself, but Father Christmas' visit leads them to the future and their time as they get ready to meet Aslan. The same is true for us. Christmas has no meaning without Easter to follow it. The joy we experience in Christmas isn't just about the birth of Jesus. Instead, it is joy in what this birth will bring: mainly the salvation of us all. Finally, Father Christmas leaves them with a nice tea to fill their bellies and prepare them for the next leg of their journey. At the start of the chapter, Mrs. Beaver was so concerned about making sure they had all the right supplies. This was smart, and the exact right thing for her to do. At the same time, it is worth noting that God often provides for our needs in ways we don't expect and through means we could never imagine. Father Christmas' gift of food is a reminder that even when we worry and plan, God is there to provide for us still, even when we least expect it.
Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. Why is it that the Child is able to help the Mandalorian leave his old life behind?
The answer is simply love. The Child, not knowing the Mandalorian's intentions, saved him from the mudhorn. That act leads the Mandalorian to ask questions that, as a member of the Guild, he never would have dared to ask before. It leads him to rush in and save the Child from imperial experiments. It leads him to repent and put his old life behind him. The same is true for us. We put our old life behind us because of the love that God shows to us in Jesus. Out of love, Jesus died for us on the cross, even though we have often acted as God's enemies. That love is what transforms us and prepares us to turn back and serve God once again. Love's power transforms. We see that with the Mandalorian and we see that with ourselves. In many ways, Edmund is the most relatable character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He's not quite as hated as he thinks he is, nor is he quite as evil as he seems to be. At the start of Chapter 9, Edmund thinks that no one in his family cares or is focused on him. Later on, he takes his frustration with them, centered on his disagreements with Peter, and uses it as fuel to keep pushing forward. The thing is, his sister Lucy, the one he was so cruel to in Chapter 5, notices very quickly that he is gone. Edmund leaves right when Mr. and Mrs. Beaver begin their conversation about humanoid creatures like the White Witch and Lucy notes his absence right as that topic leads to the discussion of the prophecy concerning the four thrones at Cair Paravel, the true capital of Narnia. Also, Peter, who Edmund has been in conflict with for most of the book, is the one who suggests searching for Edmund. Even when Mr. Beaver says the search is pointless because Edmund is already in the grasps of the White Witch, Peter is the one who says, "All the same, we'll still have to go and look for him. He's our brother after all, even if he is rather a little beast. And he's only a kid." "He's only a kid." The notion that there is hope for Edmund yet, in spite of what he's done. Even with what he's done, he is still loved by his family. Edmund may think they don't care, but they truly do. Edmund, like many of us if we are honest with ourselves, convinces himself that what he is doing is right, even if he knows it's not. He tries to tell himself that of course the White Witch's enemies would say horrible things about her, but they couldn't be true. While he wants his siblings to be held up with him, he doesn't want the White Witch to do anything bad to them.
Ultimately we mustn't forget that it is the magic and temptation of the Turkish Delight that has Edmund hooked, even if we was pretty nasty in the earlier chapters. If we are really honest with ourselves, we all have been an Edmund at one point in time in our lives. The same is the case when we look at Jacob, the Israelites, or anyone else that falls short in Scripture. They may not seem like good people, and often they are not, but if we take a good, hard look at ourselves, we will find that we often behave in the same ways. The same is true of Edmund. We are often never as hated as we think we are, and we often convince ourselves to do things that we secretly know are wrong. Many times, we have our own Turkish Delight that leads us astray. Instead of hating Edmund, we should have pity because we've all been where he is at one point or another in our lives. We should also remember that just as Peter believes there is hope for Edmund, who is "just a kid", Jesus believes there is hope for each and everyone of us because Jesus came to save each and everyone of us from evil and sin. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. "The Sin" is one of the most powerful chapters of The Mandalorian. We see a lot of struggle from the Mandalorian, as well as a lot of growth. As a member of the Guild, Mando is bound to a certain set of rules. Most of these involve not asking questions. At this point in time, Mando has lived by the Code to the letter. But there's something about the Child (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) that Mando can't shake. Maybe it is that, in spite of being his "enemy", Baby Yoda saved him from the Mudhorn. Maybe it is because Mando, as a child, was saved from destruction and taken into care by the mandalorians. Whatever it is tugging at his heartstrings, Mando takes action to rescue the Child and take down the Imperial base, even though he knows doing so will be hard and will mean turning his back on everything the Guild stands for.
Making the choice to repent, or “turn back” is never easy. It means turning our back on everything we knew before. We do so because it is the right thing to do and because, in the end, we will be the better for it. Mando takes down the Imperials, but then he has the Guild to deal with. Fortunately for him, while Mando turned his back on the Guild, he is still a mandalorian, and his comrades come to his aid. When we make the transition from our old life of sin to a new life of turning back to God, we too are not alone. As Christians, we are called on to help one another in times of need, just like the mandalorians, and so just like the mandalorians, we can count on the help of one another in our own crises of sin. Once again, the children hear about Aslan and get a strange sensation about Aslan, just from hearing the name.
In this chapter, we learn from Mr. Beaver that Aslan is "the King" as well as "the Lord of the whole wood". He's also the son of "the great Emperor-beyond-the Sea." Jesus was also referred to as "Lord" and He was part of the ancestry of David, making Him an heir to the throne of Israel: a King. Jesus is also known as the Son of God, just as Aslan is the son of an emperor. Mr. Beaver also tells the children that Aslan, as a king, is a lion, "the King of Beasts." Lucy asks if Aslan is a man, but instead Aslan is something quite different. We shouldn't forget that the inhabitants of Narnia are mostly beasts, including the intelligent creatures. Jesus is God incarnate as a human being so that God could live among us as one of us. In a world of talking, intelligent beasts, it would make sense for the incarnation to take a different form and one that can relate to the being around. Finally, we are told that while Aslan is not safe, Aslan is good. This idea comes from a conversation C.S. Lewis had with the theologian Eveyln Underhill. She told Lewis that his conception of God could "do with a little more wildness." Thus Aslan was born. It is also a reminder to us that Good and Safe are not synonymous. Elijah has to learn this lesson difficultly ad painfully after his encounter with the priests of Baal. Jesus' family, even, wasn't safe after His birth. King Herod, out of jealously, drove His family, for a time, into Egypt. Even Mary wasn't completely safe when she said 'yes' to Gabriel. Being found with child by means other than her betrothed could have put Mary under penalty of death. Good does not mean safe. It doesn't mean there won't be hardships along the journey. It does mean, though, that in the very end, "all shall be well." |
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