NeoZine

It’s fair to blame the failures in Prince Caspian on Kingly-Leadership working independently from Prophetic-Leadership. We covered these failures in the first Caspian review, and they typify the “Natural Man” Paul describes:

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Corinthians 2:14

The efforts of King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Prince Caspian were brilliant. Their “hidden hole,” the ambush of the castle, their call to attack and not defend were all sound, practical solutions, but also doomed to fail.

Why was failure inevitable? Yes, their youthful characters were flawed, and they cracked under pressure. But as the story unfolds, it becomes evident they must fail, even without the flaws: quite simply, Narnians were too weak and too few against the power of the dark lord and his swarming armies.

In the ferocity of spiritual warfare, the Kingly-Leader’s brilliance and power is worn down into a dull and pathetic leadership. I’ve been there. I sympathize with those brave Narnian leaders when their escape routes were severed, their strength and strategies all exhausted. Meanwhile, fresh hordes of the enemy advance with trebuchets pounding mercilessly away.

“We’ve waited for Aslan long enough,” Peter told Lucy earlier. Oh what fatal words those were.

The Lonely, Weak King

The power of God made Kings subject to the prophets in Israel. That theme is repeated often in the Old Testament, and kings who rebelled against God’s hierarchy of of leadership met terrible defeat.

Consider King Uzziah. At 16 he was a decent king, who “did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight,” especially because he “sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” (2 Chronicles 26:4-5)

Uzziah was a teenager like the Narnian leaders, but unlike them, he succeeded against his enemies. He was keenly aware of his need for God’s leadership, despite his royal standing, and so he valued Zechariah, the lowly citizen-prophet .

Then he became a much older, wiser and more-powerful monarch:

But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 2 Chronicles 26:16

Even though God prohibited kings from usurping the role of priest, Uzziah grew impatient with God’s meticulous, slow ways, and did the job himself. He didn’t realize that God was reserving the role of King-Priest-Prophet for his son to fulfill in one person, but he didn’t care. Kings are busy people, you know.

So Uzziah ended up isolated in a world of hurt:

As he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead…So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house…
2 Chronicles 26:19-21

The character flaws of youth are easy to see for us “older kings”. But growing older can develop greater flaws when we feel competent, experienced and powerful with our vast holdings. But our competence is our undoing, just as with King Peter and company.

The lonely king standing tough against the world is indeed a weakling.

The Lonely Prophet-Leader

Little Queen Lucy on the other hand was right. From the beginning of the movie, her longing for for Aslan enabled her to “see” what the others missed.

Lucy knew Aslan was directing them across a deep chasm, and the others balked: what a foolish path! Without a bridge, the “Lucy path” was idiocy. But after many detours and dangerous alternatives, they returned to the “Lucy path” and discovered there was, indeed, an hole leading to safe passage.

Lucy was always alone but firmly-resolved because she longed for Aslan. It helps to know that Aslan is Jesus, the way C. S. Lewis conceived it. Jesus is, after all, the “Lion of Judah” in the Bible, the term for the royal household of Israel and its greatest king, the Messiah. Jesus holds the keys to the mysteries behind time:

“Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory!” Revelation 5:5

Lucy is the Prophet-Leader whose heart aches for Aslan. When Paul was about to die, he described his own life this way:

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight… And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

This is a life led by hope: which “eagerly looks forward to his appearing” like Paul. There are no regrets about a life “poured out as an offering to God.”

The secret of Lucy’s power was her desire to see Aslan. This is the heart of Prophetic Leadership:

Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6

And this is when everything makes sense:

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8

The power of the Prophet-Leader lies deep in the heart where God sees and dwells:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:13

God draws near to a sincere and loyal heart. Such a person maybe stands alone in a world dominated by the dark lord, but not without with great joy.

The Joy of the Prophet-Leader

When Lucy found Aslan, there was so much joy and frolicking and rolling around and playing in the woods.

Then they talked, and Aslan raised the big issue: “Why didn’t you want me earlier?” He wasn’t picking on her, but rather trying to clear the air so they could enjoy their fellowship together. This is what Jesus wants to do with us:

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:8-10 (NLT)

It is God’s secret to joyous relationships of all kind: the ability to confess our weaknesses in the presence of forgiveness. This is “living in the light” for Christians, who should never have to prove their worthiness to each other the way Kosmos-relationships require:

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

“Hello! There’s no time for this!” I kept shouting in my mind. How could Lucy and Aslan frolic in the woods while there was so much bloody carnage underway back there? It was unsettling.

Then it struck me: God says it really is this way! The contrast was obvious: while those Kingly-leaders were thrashing in the confusion and defeat of their own brute strength, the Prophet-leader enjoyed the hope of coming into presence of the King of Kings.

I should have known. Jesus himself counseled this:

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. John 15:9

By “remain” he means to “stay right here, with me, in my love.” It describes much of the strange wisdom in the New Testament:

For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest… Hebrews 4:10-11 (NLT)

And the really cool one:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

The Personal Prophet-Leader

All the power and victory in the Christian life is tied to the person of Jesus Christ. Lucy sought the person of Aslan. This is unique to Christianity.

In all manmade religions, “God” is a fairly aloof but useful resource in time of need. This clearly was not why Lucy longed to see Aslan, even though he indeed was very helpful, and she did have many needs to press upon him.

Did you know that Jesus does not always answer prayers? Some people teach Jesus answers all prayers, “But maybe not the answer we expect.” This is not what the Bible teaches. God can and will turn a deaf ear:

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double -minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6

To “ask without any doubting” seems impossible, especially for a young believer with many uncertainties. But this arises from a gross misunderstanding. James clarifies: don’t be “double-minded” and “unstable” about it. In other words, don’t pretend to trust Jesus with words when in fact we fully intend to pursue our own answers.

It works this way: we toss a prayer at Jesus because “that’s the rules!” Maybe we wait a little, impatiently, but then we’re off! We run back and continue our Kingly-leadership without Him. Who knows what God’s up to?

But our answers to prayer come from the way we deal with Jesus in our hearts:

“For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Luke 11:11 (NASB)

I’ve often misunderstood that passage to mean “really, really, really try hard to pray about it!” But Jesus goes on to explain that it means developing a love-trust relationship with him:

“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:11-13

Those who approach Jesus longing for his wondrous presence are those who “seek…ask…knock,” and they know about his deep love for us. “How much more will your heavenly Father give…?” It is a good question, and Lewis depicted it with Lucy’s relationship with Aslan.

The Power of the Prophet-Leader

There is one more vital point to make. It is the secret of discovering the promise of Matthew 11:28 that “I will give you rest…” It goes on:

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

What a tragedy the movie would become if Lucy and Aslan continued frolicking in the woods while the battle raged! Yet Christians get confused here: drawing close to Jesus for his “rest”, they do not enter into his victory.

Without spoiling the movie, there is a scene where the dark lord’s hordes rush across a bridge, when suddenly they all stop, astounded: at the other end is one little girl. It’s Queen Lucy, and she pulls out a cute little dagger. The crazy picture arrests them momentarily. What is the little girl up to? But she knew something they didn’t know…

The power of Prophet-Leadership occurs in “The Stand.” When Lucy takes her stand, that’s when all hell breaks loose! It was a stroke of C.S. Lewis genius. What purpose was served by Lucy’s stand? Aslan surely did not need such a dramatic entry.

It is the same question many Christians ask: “What does Jesus want me to ‘Go to all nations’ for? Can’t he reach them without me?”

There are many reasons why Jesus delegated the “Great Commission” to us, but certainly one stands out: we are now members of his household, members of a new race, “new creatures in Christ,” and he is building in us a new set of experiences we’ve never known before.

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Peter 1:4 (NASB)

The new life in Christ goes beyond theology and becomes a new set of experiences in life, a different set of memories and a new foundation.

To “seek… believe… receive” is to see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through our lives. This is how Jesus described answered prayer: “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

This is the difference between a freak “coincidence” and real, answered prayer is evident because God-answered prayers mean His person, His power and authority are poured out through us:

But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, A holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people OF GOD; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NASB)

In the proclamation, the power of God is unleashed. The marvelous miracles of God in your life “proclaim the excellencies of Him…” In the stand, the Prophet-leader unleashes God’s power. Everywhere in the Old Testament the Prophet-leader takes a stand. It is even more abundant in the New Testament:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth , And their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 10:18 (NASB)

It has always been, and always will be the flash-point of God’s glory exploding into the domain darkness:

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB)

Warning to Macho types: two of the most functional people I know (among others) both said they cried through much of the movie. To protect their machismo, we will not reveal Josh or Kyle’s last names, but we will say that one works at Wendy’s and the other at Bob Evans.

Related posts:

1. Prince Caspian, Part 1: The Power of the Natural Man