Aslan

I have some really scary books in my house.  At least, they are scary in the eyes of many non-bibliophiles for one simple reason:  the books are massive.

(Bibliophile (noun): A person who loves or collects books).

One such massive book I have is actually a compilation of the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, which I recently picked up and re-read for the third or fourth time.

It didn’t take me very long; though the book itself is massive, the print is large and the stories are really easy to read.  What I find about reading through series quickly is that you get an overall sense of the cohesion, of the characters and their development, and you don’t really have the chance to forget about some of the lesser characters or events that are referred to and/or play an important role later on. 

Strangely enough, I discovered this when, for one of my courses, I had to read most of the Old Testament in about six weeks.

Combine the expression “Yiiiiikes!” “Oy vey…” and “Aiya!” and you might come close to what that felt like.

And yes. I did complete the assignments.

Anyway, here’s what became clearly evident: the Israelites were either dense, memory-impaired, or both. And yet God was gracious throughout and didn’t give up on them.

Inevitably, here’s what would happen: “O God, you’re amazing…. Oh, hey look! A distraction! Hang on a sec, what’s happening to us?  We’re screwed! Thanks a lot, God! …. Uh, Lord? We messed up. Help?”  At this point, God would miraculously intervene, which started the whole cycle all over again.

I would shake my head every time I encountered the cycle anew, awed at the stupidity and foolishness of God’s people …

Until God said, “Hang on a sec … you DO realize you do the same, right?”

Woops.

Anyway, back to Narnia.   What struck me was the juxtaposition of the words “terrible beauty” to describe Aslan.  Lions in and of themselves are terrifying, what with their teeth, their claws and their roar. There are reasons why the lion is often thought of as the king of the animals. I also don’t believe there is any other creature out there willing to fight them for the title.

They instill fear in humans, too. No one dares go near them unless there exists some sort of impenetrable barrier between humans and these creatures.

And yet they are beautiful creatures.  Strong and majestic.

And, I might add, surprisingly lazy during the day…

Aslan was all of that and more.  He was the size of an elephant, they often said.  Out of his mouth came both growling and singing.  His paws were usually gentle, but he could pull his claws out as needed.  And, in The Last Battle, when all created things met him at the entrance into the real Narnia, they were either overjoyed to see him, or else they were terrified.

C.S. Lewis could not have chosen a better metaphor for God.  And he could not have done a better job of detailing the truth of the apparent walking contradiction that is God. He is terrible (as seen in the Old Testament), and yet He is beautiful (as seen in the New Testament). 

And that's how we need to view Him.