The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: I am Edmund

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, two brothers and two sisters flee wartorn London to find shelter in the English countryside. While there, the youngest child, Lucy, discovers a doorway to the magical land of Narnia where animals talk. The White Witch has ensorcelled the land so that it is always winter, but never Christmas. Prophecy says that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve come to Narnia, Aslan, the true king, will return and set things right. Edmund betrays the family to the White Witch, but Aslan has indeed returned and things in Narnia will never be the same…

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Edmund mocked dear, sweet Lucy. He made her cry and then sulked when he was called on it. “If I did something wrong, it clearly wasn’t my fault!”

And Aslan chose to die for him?!

Edmund betrayed his brother and sisters. He chose to hand them over to the evil White Witch. And what’s worse, he turned them in…. in return for tasty food. Not anything so noble as life-saving medicine. Not anything so heroic as a hostage exchange. Not anything even as humanly understandable as a great deal of money. No, he traded his own flesh and blood in return for some snacks.

And Aslan chose to die for him?!

Edmund belonged to the Witch. It was magic from the dawn of time: Every traitor was hers. And it’s what he deserved, after all.

And Aslan chose to die… for him.

Aslan chose to trade himself for Edmund. The great untamed Lion, the Son of the Emperor over the Sea, the noble King of Narnia, handed himself over to release the traitor. The Witch rejoiced. The forces of darkness mocked “the great cat.” And then they killed him on a stone table.

Aslan chose to die… for Edmund.

When I first read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I identified with Lucy. Sweet, youngest Lucy. Maybe you identify with gentle Susan or noble Peter.

The truth is… I am Edmund.

Here is my Jesus who offers me eternal life. And what do I choose instead? Sweets that last only a little while. Maybe not literal candy, but a moment’s dalliance with pornography? Choosing to chase after money that will last an hour? Deciding to be my own boss rather than those God himself placed in authority? If I was going to trade in eternal blessings, you’d think I’d be smart enough to try and get something about the same value.

But like Edmund, all I want is the sweet of the moment.

It will help you shed a few pounds cialis 10 mg https://www.unica-web.com/anbi/anbi.html naturally. levitra free sample You do not need to rely on consuming heavy foods which are very difficult to digest if you know what actually caused your ED. The lowest dosage order cheap viagra unica-web.com is recommended for the beginners of Kamagra users. Sildamax tablets are produced tadalafil cipla in the dose of 100mg and used for the same results. And Jesus chose to die… for me.

Yes, Aslan chose to die for Edmund. The great Lion did not stay dead, though. As Aslan himself explains, “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 backward.”

Yes, Jesus chose to die for me. My Savior did not stay dead, though. As God himself explains, “[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

In the battle against the White Witch that follows, it would have been easy to hide Edmund in the back of the battle. After all, if Aslan chose to die for him, he needed to be kept safe! Yet, Edmund is not only useful in the battle… he plays a key part. He himself shatters the Witch’s wand, allowing Aslan’s troops to turn the tide of battle.

Aslan chose to use Edmund.

After all Edmund had done, Aslan still chose to use him. After his treachery, after his foolish betrayal, it would have been easy to sideline him. “You’re not ready. Not yet. Prove that you mean it.”

Oh, but that’s not the way of the great untamed Lion. He doesn’t follow our rules. He has bought Edmund back from the Witch, and he intends to use him!

Jesus chooses to use you.

After all you have done, after your treachery, after all your foolish betrayals, it would be easy to sideline you. “Prove that you’re ready, and I will use you!”

Oh, but that’s not the way of our great untamed Lord! He does not follow our rules. He has bought you back from sin, death, and Satan, and he intends to use you!

Perhaps your personality is more like Lucy or Peter or Susan, but it is Edmund’s story that is your own in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. You have sinned. You have betrayed Jesus over such petty things… but he still chose to die for you. He lives for you. And he chooses to use you.

Yes.

Jesus chose to die for you.

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A note on the illustrations we’ll be using for this series: artist Jason Jaspersen has graciously agreed to make original art for us! Please check out his website at http://jjjaspersen.com/. His art is awesome!  You can even buy a poster of the Aslan artwork featured above by checking out Jason’s artwork store.