Where Edmund was looking
“‘You have a traitor there, Aslan,’ said the Witch. Of course everyone present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had got past thinking of himself after all that he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said.”
-C.S. Lewis; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
I’m guessing that many of the readers here have read The Chronicles of Narnia and therefore know the context of this quote. The White Witch comes to demand Edmund’s life from Aslan. As stated, Edmund is a traitor and as such, by rights, his blood belongs to the Witch. The night before the Witch’s audience with Aslan, Edmund had been rescued from almost being murdered by the Witch, and that morning had a conversation with Aslan that “no one ever heard…[but] Edmund never forgot”.
When I first really read the above quote, I was just dumbfounded by the parallels between what Edmund did and what I often fail to do. I sin…again and again and again…and I beat myself up for it, basically not accepting grace. I listen to the lies…and I also listen to what would be the truth if I didn’t have Jesus’ righteousness covering me. Yes, I am a traitor, of the worst kind, but that sin, and all the other ones as well, has been washed away and I am clean. But when I listen to “the Witch”, it takes my eyes off of Jesus and what He has done for me. However, if I keep looking to Him and not thinking of myself anymore, then it doesn’t really matter what “the Witch” says…I know what Jesus has said…and that’s enough.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
-1 John 1:9
It’s sad to see that Christians would be mislead into thinking the Chronicles of Narnia are good! If you study C.S Lewis, you will find he was definitely not a Christian!
1931
Lewis became a Christian: One evening in September, Lewis had a long talk on Christianity with J.R.R. Tolkien (a devout Roman Catholic) and Hugo Dyson. (The summary of that discussion is recounted for Arthur Greeves in They Stand Together.) That evening’s discussion was important in bringing about the following day’s event that Lewis recorded in Surprised by Joy: “When we [Warnie and Jack] set out [by motorcycle to the Whipsnade Zoo] I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.”
That’s a wonderful and very truthful post! It’s amazing what rare gems of wisdom are tucked away in the Chronicles, just waiting for someone to find them. I guess that’s why they’re an epic classic. 🙂
God bless and happy Easter!
I really love this – “But Edmund had got past thinking of himself after all that he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said.” It’s been a long time since I’ve read the Narnia books – thanks for sharing and reminding me of this…..to keep my eyes on the Lord.
Stefanie