After being resurrected, Aslan goes to the White Witch's palace to free all those who have been turned to stone over the years. This means there are really four sets of people in Narnia thus far: Those who served the White Witch, those who were turned to stone, those who kept their heads down and avoided the White Witch's wrath, and those who served Alsan and avoided being turned to stone. The White Witch probably saw this as a duality: you could either serve her and be safe or oppose her and face the consequences. It is a trap that evil tries to put us in within our world as well, one in which there are no good choices. Evil tries to force our hand. This is one of the reasons that Tumnus tells Lucy that Giant Rumblebuffin was turned to stone. If Rumblebuffin was a bad giant, according to Tumnus, the Witch wouldn't have bothered turning him to stone. She wouldn't have needed to then, because if Rumblebuffin was bad he would have served her. Evil finds a way to trap Rumblebuffin, even though he has only the best of intentions. Just like with Jesus' Resurrection, Aslan's return to life frees others of their bondage. This is reminiscent of the ancient statement of Faith, the Apostles' Creed, where we are told that after Jesus "was crucified, dead, and buried" that He "descended into hell." (some versions read "he descended to the dead.") One way to look at that statement is that Jesus is going to free those trapped in the land of the dead by the evil one and bring them to new life with Him in Heaven. Aslan seems to be doing something like that now. Aslan's actions in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe led to His freedom from death. That freedom is now spread to the others who serve Him. Death has really turned backwards for the others, just as Jesus' death turns death backwards for us as well. It is important to note, as was said before, that Aslan comes back not as a ghost but as a living, breathing being. It is also important that Aslan has a camaraderie and connection with the other beings. The other lion who is saved in the Witch's palace is quick to point out that Aslan, when getting everyone prepared for battle, says "us lions." Aslan doesn't see being an intelligent creature as beneath Him. God didn't see being a human being as beneath Him either. This shows the love God has for us, to become one of us. We know Aslan, as a fellow creature, loves Narnia, which is a sign of how must God must love us in our world too.
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The previous chapter covered the Crucifixion. This chapter covers the Resurrection. Everything is in place as it is in the Gospel accounts. Aslan's body lies dead and has to be removed from its bonds, just as Jesus' body had to be taken off the cross. For Jesus, Mary Magdalene came with other women to prepare His body while Aslan has the presence of Susan and Lucy. The two young ladies even face danger from all of the White Witch's allies, just as the Disciples faced danger from Jesus' enemies and had to go into hiding after His death. The disappearance of Aslan's body and His sudden reappearance in front of them, alive and well, is reminiscent of Mary Magdalene's encounter with our Risen Lord in the Gospel according to John. The most important part of this chapter happens at this point. When Susan asks what all this means, Aslan replies: It means that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards." In Chapter 13, the Witch lays claim on Edmund's life through the law of the Deep Magic. She and Aslan come to an arrangement and she withdraws her claim.
In this chapter, we learn that the Aslan promised His life for Edmund's. This, of course, is meant to reflect Jesus' death for us. The Witch represents the Accuser who, using the ancient law in Torah reflected here by the Deep Magic, condemns all of us. Edmund stands in for us. Aslan represents Jesus. The Stone Table even reminds us of the altar sacrifices were made on in the Temple. Like Jesus, Aslan approaches this sacrifice in the end without fear, but on the way shows signs that He knows that this means. Aslan's sadness is just like Jesus' pray to the Father to "take this cup away from me" in Mark and in Luke. Susan and Lucy walking with him to comfort Aslan is like Jesus asking the Disciples to keep watch with Him while He prays, although Susan and Lucy are much wiser and don't fall asleep. One of the most striking aspects of this scene is that evil doesn't understand Aslan's willingness to sacrifice Himself. In the last chapter, this Witch dares to ask Aslan how she can trust this bargain, and in this chapter, her minions are hesitant to approach Aslan to tie the Lion up, lest Aslan attack them. Just as in our world, evil cannot understand Love and sees it as a weakness, but as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, the power of God is "made perfect in weakness." While Jesus' sacrifice was global, Aslan's is more personal. This helps remind us that Jesus' death wasn't just for the world; it was for you and for me individually too. That is the depth of Jesus' love for us, undeserved as it may be, just as Aslan shows deep love for Edmund on the Stone Table. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. At the end of the first season of The Mandalorian, IG-11 has used its newfound programing to rescue the Child from the Empire, save Din the Mandalorian and his friends, and help Din find the Armorer who leads Din to the next path on his way.
Unfortunately, Din and his friends come to a point where a platoon of Stormtroopers is waiting for them with no escape in sight. IG-11, however, has come with a solution for their way out. It involves IG's self-sacrifice. "Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The Child will be lost. Sadly there is no scenario where the Child is saved in which I survive." IG-11 states. "Please tell me the Child will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command." This command is that IG-11 cannot allow itself to be captured. "But you'll be destroyed." Din answers. "And you will live. And I will have served my purpose." IG-11 proclaims. Because IG is a nurse droid, it can tell Din is sad from his vitals. IG tries to comfort Din by saying "There's nothing to be sad about. I've never been alive." IG-11 then wades through hot lava to make it to the platoon. There IG blows itself up, paving the way for Din, the Child, and their friends to escape. IG-11 makes a self-sacrifice in place of another, namely the Child. Jesus makes a self-sacrifice for us. The major difference is that Jesus' sacrifice isn't through violence done to others but allowing violence to be done to Himself. We would be well to remember that. The other difference is one that should give us hope. IG-11 is not perfect, unlike Jesus. IG has to change. Through that change, IG is able to make a sacrifice for another, similar to the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Our hope is that even if we need our base code fundamentally changed that we can follow Jesus' example and make our lives not about ourselves, but instead live our lives for others. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a book that most definitely has an ensemble cast. The character that we've gotten to see the most of individually, however, is Edmund.
The reason for that is that Edmund is the stand-in character for us. He is the one that has to go through the long journey of selfishness to remorse to this point of his final repentance and turning back to Aslan and his siblings. Edmund's discussion with Aslan is key to this. While we don't hear the conversation, we do know that "it was a conversation which Edmund never forgot." Not being told the conversation is a reminder of "minding our own business", as the Professor told Peter and Susan before. We should also remember that we all have our own private moments with God that are life changing for us as well. Aslan calls Edmund's siblings to them saying "Here is your brother, and- there is no need to talk about what is past." This statement, as well as the conversation we never hear, have hints of the Rite of Reconciliation, also known as Confession, about them. When we confess our sins to a minister, or to another fellow Christian, there is a seal over the conversation that can never be broken. Those sins are held up to God, and while there can be recommendations given on how to make amends, nothing in that conversation can ever be brought up again, unless the one repenting chooses to do so. The past remains in the past, and we move on restored and renewed in our relationship with God. Because Edmund has made a full turn back, he still feels the need to apologize. His siblings tell him "That's all right" and long to let him know the depths of how they forgive him and that they are truly reconciled with him. It is a moment of deep love. Of course, the White Witch is still chasing greedily after Edmund. She claims to still have a hold over his life, but Aslan does everything possible to protect Edmund no matter what, just as God has done everything to protect us from evil as well. The most interesting thing is that the whole time, Edmund can do nothing but just gaze at Aslan. His focus is not only restored, but it is completely changed. All he can do is look to Aslan now, just as we hope that our eyes will be focused on nothing else but God alone. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. When we first meet IG-11, he is an assassin droid who does not hesitate to try to kill the Child on their first encounter. This ends badly for the droid as the Mandalorian takes him out in order to protect the Child.
At the end of Season 1, Kuiil reveals that he took IG-11 under his wing and reprogramed him to be a nursing droid. Now instead of trying to kill the Child, IG-11 will protect the Child at all costs. This is the same sort of transformation that we hope to see in ourselves through Christ Jesus. The hope is that we cast off the sin we all lived in before and make a completely new life: one that is about loving, serving, and protecting others. The best part of IG-11's transformation is that it causes a transformation in others too. The Mandalorian, who distrusts droids after almost being killed by one as a child in the Clone Wars, comes to slowly trust IG-11. Our hope as Christians is that our transformation will lead to change in others, just as is the case for IG-11. |
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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