MAJOR Spoiler Warning! Do not read unless you have read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
Sacrifice is a major theme, if not the major theme, of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. It is the essence of giving up one’s self for the sake of another, a gift that usually is a saving gift, that kind of sacrafice is the theme most prominent in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorically written series, but the The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe has a more direct parellel to real life events than any other novel in the series. This is due to the fact that Lewis believed, as do I, that the greatest sacrifice, and I dare say the greatest example of all, was the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the main occurrence of sacrifice comes from the lion Aslan. In the story, Aslan pays the blood-debt owed to the White Witch instead of Edmund pouring out his own blood for his mistakes. Edmund was spared a horrible death at the hands of the White Witch. Aslan, who did nothing wrong, was humiliated, tortured and killed because of Edmund’s betrayal. Aslan loved Edmund so much that he took Edmund’s place and paid the debt. It was the same for Jesus. He took our place on the cross and paid our debt, for our sins because He loved us. It’s because of Jesus that we can have eternal life in heaven to share with him. We have only to accept His free gift of salvation.
In the end it was because of Aslan that the prophecy of Cair Paravel was fulfilled. Both Jesus and Aslan made incredible sacrifices on the behalf of the unworthy because of their amazing love. Yet the most amazing part both stories share is their happy, hopeful endings. Aslan knew of the deeper magic, and because he was innocent, even though he was slain; he rose from the dead. He then freed the Witc’s captives from their prison’s of stone, and won the war against the White Witch.
Just as Aslan did, Jesus also rose from the dead, but He set us free from the prison of sin, and death; which is the ultimate result of unforgiven sin. But the most amazing detail of the story of Jesus is that it really happened. Lewis knew that there is no greater sacrifice than to lay down your life for another. He portrays the true story of Jesus in the life and death of Aslan. And what a beautiful portrayal it is.
Undoubtedly the most heroic gesture is the sacrifice made by Jesus in the form of his counterpart Aslan, that makes The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe such a powerful yet entertaining story.
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