“We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven – a senile benevolence who, as they say, ‘liked to see young people enjoying themselves,’ and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, ‘a good time was had by all.’” – C.S. Lewis
One of my favorite scenes in C.S. Lewis’s children’s story, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is a dialogue that takes place between Susan and Lucy Pevensie and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. In their conversation, Mr. Beaver describes Aslan, the great lion who rules all of the land of Narnia and whom the Pevensie children are on their way to meet. Susan is alarmed and wonders if she will be nervous when she meets Aslan. Mrs. Beaver affirms that anyone in their right mind would certainly be nervous before meeting Aslan.
“Then he isn’t safe?” asks Lucy.
Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
One of the subtle temptations we may face as we celebrate the birth of Christ during Advent is the temptation to reduce or tame Jesus. After all, a vulnerable babe lying in a manger is far more endearing than alarming. Our hearts are more likely to feel tenderness than terror when we think about Mary and Joseph caring for their newborn son. Thus, we might be tempted to think of “the Lion of Judah” as someone docile and domesticated, someone “safe.”
C.S. Lewis challenges us against making such simplistic reductions with his insight that Aslan, the Christ-figure in the story, is good but hardly safe. The ministry of Jesus on earth reflected the heart and character of God the Father, who far from being a “senile benevolence” is a righteous force to be reckoned with. Though we believe that God’s Son was born into this world in the form of a baby, we are wise not to presume upon His goodness or take Him for granted. Instead, we are wise if we take to heart the wisdom of Mr. Beaver: “‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
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