The unsafe saviour

THE LION OF JUDAH

Revelation 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

If we were to think of an animal most associated with Jesus it would be the Lamb of God. Yet today we are presented with Jesus as the Lion of Judah. Quite a contrast. What are we to make of it?

Well, one of the greatest Christian storytellers, CS Lewis, found enough inspiration from this one bible verse, from the Revelation of John, that he built the seven-book fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia around the Christ-like lion Aslan.

Aslan is first introduced in the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (though chronologically, it is the second tale in the chronicles – in the first, The Magician’s Nephew, Aslan breathes creation into being with his song). Narnia is in the hundredth year of the tyrannical rule of the White Witch, who has condemned the land to endless winter – but never Christmas – and has turned hundreds of Aslan's followers to stone.

He is first mentioned as being ‘on the move’ by quiet followers Mr and Mrs Beaver, who teach Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund that Aslan is the true king of Narnia. Aslan's presence begins to weaken the White Witch’s grip on the land as the ice begins to melt and Father Christmas appears at last and gives the children gifts.

What CS Lewis does is create a crescendo in the story which draws the most obvious parallels between Aslan and Christ. The White Witch comes to demands her right to execute Edmund for his betrayal, citing Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time that gives her power over all traitors. Aslan offers himself in Edmund's place, and she accepts his offer, though none of Aslan's followers know this. So later that night Aslan is led to a stone table where he is tied up and slaughtered by the White Witch – with Susan and Lucy watching from afar (providing yet another parallel with the Passion, as they represent the women at the cross). Aslan is left abandoned on the table, so Lucy, Susan, and several mice remove the bonds from Aslan's body; but as the Stone Table breaks they find that his body is gone. To their shock, Aslan reappears alive and well, thanks to a Deeper Magic from before the Dawn of Time. The Witch, having entered Narnia only at the Dawn of Time, had not known of this. Aslan explains that the powerful Deeper Magic is brought to life when an innocent willingly offers his life in place of a traitor's, causing death itself to be reversed until the victim is reborn.

One of the greatest quotes in the book comes when Lucy and Susan are first told about Aslan by Mr and Mrs Beaver. When they hear he is a lion, they are worried.

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “That you will, dearie, and no mistake” said Mrs Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.” “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

So that brings us on to the verses from the book of Revelation. In fact, I think the whole of Chapter 5 needs to be looked at; for it provides a most extraordinary and deeply moving and breath-taking word-pictures for us. It is the story of the Lion and the Lamb – the victorious King and the worthy Lamb.

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’

Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne.When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:

‘You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
    saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,
    and they will reign on earth.’

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honour and glory and blessing!’

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honour and glory and might
for ever and ever!’

And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped.

In Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom, there is another glimpse of how the nature of the lion and the lamb can co-exist. It is found in Isaiah 11.6-9:

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze,
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

We think on Jesus as meek and mild at our peril. Yet, in the glory of God’s kingdom, the different characteristics displayed by the animal kingdom and humanity, are in some way able to co-exist in harmony.

Is Jesus safe? Do we need something more than a safe saviour in these days?