The Lion and the Scroll

I have always been a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I read the entire book series at least three times while growing up and watched the Andrew Adamson film adaptations countless times. When I first watched "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" what I was most impressed with was not necessarily the acting or the story, but rather its portrayal of "the Great Lion," Aslan. Everything about Aslan exudes his great and awesome power. In stature, he is head and shoulders above everyone else, his claws and fangs are powerful enough to take down any enemy, and he has a majestic and wild golden mane protecting him.In Revelation 4, John describes the glory of the throne room in Heaven. He describes a place that so wonderful that things that are precious on earth are common place and unimportant. As John is describing this he sees four great living creatures and twenty-four elders bowing down and worshiping God. Then in Revelation 5, John sees in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll, but there is a problem: no one is able to open the scroll. As John begins to despair and weep, one of the elders says to him, "Weep No more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals" (Rev. 5:5). If I were in John's shoes, I imagine that I would be expecting to turn around and see something akin to Aslan, a great conquering lion. A majestic creature who is powerful and who is able to open the scroll because of his great might. However, when John turns to see the conquering Lion of Judah he doesn't see Aslan, rather he sees a Lamb standing as if it had been slain. (Rev. 5:6).The message that John conveys in these two chapters is powerful. He begins by describing the glories of Heaven, a place of incredible beauty in the presence of God. When the scroll is revealed in the right hand of God it takes the conquering Lion of Judah, a sacrifical lamb to open it. The message is simple. Jesus, the Lion of Judah, did not conquer through his might but through his sacrificial love. Through Jesus' sacrifice, God's will has been made known to the world.