The Bible in Prince Caspian: Follow Aslan
I’m FINALLY picking back up with my God in Narnia. I’m not not continuing my Witchcraft & Deliverance Chronicles, I’m just taking it as God gives it. But without further adieu, here is the first Prince Caspian God in Narnia installment! For the earlier posts, see here.
“Look! Look! Look!” cried Lucy.
“Where? What?” said everyone.
“The Lion,” said Lucy. “Aslan himself. Didn’t you see?” Her face had changed completely and her eyes shone.
“Do you really mean--?” began Peter.
“Where did you think you saw him?” asked Susan.
“Don’t talk to me like a grown-up,” said Lucy, stamping her foot. “I didn’t *think* I saw him. I saw him.”
“Where, Lu?” asked Peter.
“Right up there between those mountain ashes. No, this side of the gorge. And up, not down. Just the opposite of the way you want to go. And he wanted us to go where he was - up there.”
“How do you know that was what he wanted?” asked Edmund.
“He - I - I just know,” said Lucy, “by his face.”
The others all looked at each other in puzzled silence.
“Her Majesty may well have seen a lion,” put in Trumpkin. “There are lions in these woods, I’ve been told. But it needn’t have been a friendly and talking lion any more than the bear was a friendly and talking bear.”
“Oh, don’t be so stupid,” said Lucy. “Do you think I don’t know Aslan when I see him?”
“He’d be a pretty elderly lion by now,” said Trumpkin, “if he’s one you knew when you were here before! And if it could be the same one, what’s to prevent him having gone wild and witless like so many others?”
Lucy turned crimson and I think she would have flown at Trumpkin, if Peter had not laid his hand on her arm. “The DLF doesn’t understand. How could he? You must just take it, Trumpkin, that we do really know about Aslan; a little bit about him, I mean. And you mustn’t talk about him like that again. It isn’t lucky for one thing, and it’s all nonsense for another. The only question is whether Aslan was really there.”
“But I know he was,” said Lucy, her eyes filling with tears.
“Yes, Lu, but we don’t, you see,” said Peter.
“There’s nothing for it but a vote,” said Edmund.
“All right,” replied Peter. “You’re the eldest, DLF. What do you vote for? Up or down?”
“Down,” said the Dwarf. “I know nothing about Aslan. But I do know that if we turn left and follow the gorge up, it might lead us all day before we found a place where we could cross it. Whereas if we turn right and go down, we’re bound to reach the Great River in about a couple of hours. And if there are any real lions about, we want to go away from them, not towards.”
“What do you say, Susan?”
“Don’t be angry, Lu,” said Susan, “but I do think we should go down. I’m dead tired. Do let’s get out of this wretched wood into the open as quick as we can. And none of us except you saw anything.”
“Edmund?” said Peter.
“Well, there’s just this,” said Edmund, speaking quickly and turning a little red. “When we first discovered Narnia a year ago - or a thousand years ago, whichever it is - it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her. I was the worst of the lot, I know. Yet she was right after all. Wouldn’t it be fair to believe her this time? I vote for going up.”
“Oh, Ed!” said Lucy and seized his hand.
“And now it’s your turn, Peter,” said Susan, “and I do hope--”
“Oh shut up, shut up and let a chap think,” interrupted Peter. “I’d much rather not have to vote.”
“You’re the High King,” said Trumpkin sternly.
“Down,” said Peter after a long pause. “I know Lucy may be right after all, but I can’t help it. We must do one or the other.”
So they set off to their right along the edge, downstream. And Lucy came last the of party, crying bitterly. (Prince Caspian)
"Lucy," he said, "we must not lie here for long. You have work in hand, and much time has been lost today."
“Yes, wasn’t it a shame?” said Lucy. “I saw you all right. They wouldn’t believe me. They’re all so--”
From somewhere deep inside Aslan’s body there came the faintest suggestion of a growl.
“I’m sorry,” said Lucy, who understood some of his moods. “I didn’t mean to start slanging the others. But it wasn’t my fault anyway, was it?”
The Lion looked straight into her eyes.
“Oh, Aslan,” said Lucy. “You don’t mean it was? How could I - I couldn’t have left the others and come up to you along, how could I? Don’t look at me like that...oh well, I suppose I could. Yes, and it wouldn’t have been alone, I know, not if I was with you. But would have been the good?”
Aslan said nothing.
“You mean,” said Lucy rather faintly, “that it would have turned out all right - somehow? But how? Please, Aslan! Am I not to know?”
“To know what would have happened, child?” said Aslan. “No. Nobody is ever told that.”
“Oh dear,” said Lucy.
“But anyone can find out what will happen,” said Aslan. “If you go back to the others now, and wake them up; and tell them you have seen me again; and that you must all get up at once and follow me - what will happen? There is only one way of finding out.” (Prince Caspian)
There’s an old song that say,
Though none go with me, still I will follow...No turning back, no turning back.
Lucy, while positive she had seen the Great Lion in the wood, had never considered the fact that she could have followed Him despite what her siblings and the “DLF” (Dear Little Friend, Trumpkin) thought. Now I’m not sure if this is due to the fact that children at that time were still appropriately disciplined and not obeying the set authority (High King/Big Brother Peter) was seen as negative and not as “independent” or “spirited.” It’s also likely she, and Edmund, followed Peter’s leading for the sake of unity, even if they felt differently. But going with the crowd is not what Aslan required of Lucy. Nor is it what Jesus requires of us.
Jesus had to constantly tell people to forget everything else and follow Him.
Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." (Matthew 4:19)
Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:21, 22)
As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. (Matthew 9:9)
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)
That’s A WHOLE LOTTA “follow Mes”! Apparently Jesus was huge on this. And in fact, it often weeded out the non-committals from His followings. The disciples were kinda “stuck” with Jesus.
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Luke 6:68)
Translation: “We’d leave if we could, but we don’t have nowhere else to go!”
Oh sure, they could have gone with the Pharisees. They followed them before they followed John the Baptist. They could have stayed with John and then made a religious sect unto him after he died. Either way, they would have been searching for the same thing, but they found it in Jesus. And thankfully, they knew it. But following the Christ, the Son of the Living God, is never easy. Even if it is worth it.
Little Lucy had to make a decision--follow Peter or follow Aslan. She chose her brother and Aslan lovingly rebuked her. Had she followed the Lion, her siblings undoubtedly would have followed her--even as they followed her into Narnia the very first time--and they would have saved lots of travel time. But she didn’t. Kind of like another follower of the Lion…
I heard my “uncle,” Apostle Renny McLean once state that the “rich, young ruler” was actually Barnabas. And in case you don’t know who Barnabas is, read the Book of Acts. I’m sure he had some great Jewish tradition or divine revelation to backup his claim although I admit, I don’t presently recall what it is. Yet imagine with me, what would have happened had the rich young ruler actually followed Jesus?
He would have become A LOT more rich! According to Luke 6:38, had Barnabas sold all his wealth as Jesus told him to, he would have seen a MAJOR financial increase! Maybe not immediately, but eventually because God is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19)
He would have been personally discipled by Jesus. There’s a term my friends and I use called “getting dusty.” Young boys training to be priests would trail the Jewish priests so closely that they would get dusty due to the proximity. Therefore, Barnabas woulda got REAL dusty staying “up under” Jesus and His divine tutelage. Now that’s something you can’t put a price on!
He would have been part of the firstfruits of Jesus. “Firstfruits,” or “First Generation,” or “First Dispensation,” Barnabas would have been part of the first whatever, first disciples of Jesus. He would have been able to be “dusty” and ask Jesus questions in the flesh instead of in the spirit. But because of his disobedience, he didn’t allow the revelation to take hold until the Apostle Paul (second generation was in ministry and then Barnabas joined him. What a lost opportunity!
But enough about Barnabas. What about YOU? The Bible says,
Many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)
I like Marshawn Evans’ spin on this:
Many are called, few are chosen. The difference between the called and the chosen is that the chosen CHOOSE to answer.
The disciples were chosen because they CHOSE to answer the call of Christ. They chose to leave all and follow Him. They chose to follow Him even unto death. So now I ask you which are you: the called or the chosen?
