Monday, October 19, 2009

The Wild Lion

He is not a tame lion. He is not safe, but he is good. C.S. Lewis penned these words in his book, "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." This story, and the other parts of the Chronicles of Narnia, are loose parables of God and His dealings with man. Sometimes they are mirror images and other times the mirror is a little more cloudy. Nonetheless, Aslan the Lion is a picture of Jesus Christ.
In the book, one character, upon hearing that the often mentioned Aslan is a lion, asks another, "is he safe?" The reply is the quote at the beginning. "He is not a tame lion. He is not safe, but he is good." That is an excellent description of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! He is not tame, He is not safe, but He is GOOD!
You can't just casually take Him and leave Him, nor turn your back on Him. You must keep Him as the center of your focus. You must give him your direct attention just as you would a lion in the zoo into whose habitat you stumbled. The overwhelming difference in Jesus and a wild lion is His goodness. He is ferocious, yet loving. He is powerful enough to rip us apart but compassionate enough to be ripped apart for us. He is the prime example of power restrained, but do not take his meekness for weakness.
When He returns to claim His own, we will see Him with fire in His eyes. Where once He breathed His last, He will be breathing a two-edged sword when He returns! So until Jesus splits the sky, lets keep our eyes and heart focused on the Lion. Do not become too relaxed with Him, do not take Him for granted. He is good, but He is not tame.