First Presbyterian Church      Rev. Michael J. Imperiale

Salt Lake City, UtahDecember 4, 2005

“Edmund's Dilemma, Aslan's Solution: The Sacrifice of Christ”

Hebrews 9:11-28

Introduction

In the book and movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy is the first of the children to find herself in Narnia. Returning to their game of hide and seek, Peter, Susan, and especially Edmund didn’t believe Lucy’s story of the wardrobe, the lamp post and this other world. Many people do not believe the Christian story and experience of Jesus. Yet the apostle John preaches it in his first letter (I John 5:20): And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

Then Edmund goes through the wardrobe into Narnia. He immediately encounters Jadis, the White Witch. She befriends him, shows kindness to him, feeds his hunger with delicious Turkish Delight, and gives him the promise of becoming a prince and eventually a king. Having been thoroughly deceived, Edmund betrays his brother and sisters to the evil plan of Jadis.

When exposed for his treachery, Edmund learns that it will cost him his life. Even though Edmund recognizes that her promises were evil, he was stuck with the deep magic from the dawn of time. The cost of sin is death as the White Witch says, “Every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey, and for every treachery, I have the right to a kill.” The cost of sin is death in our real world. “The wages of sin is death” and “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin,” says the Bible.

Then Aslan shows up at the Stone Table. There he gives his own life to pay the price for Edmund’s crime. Aslan’s sacrifice is offered to set Edmund free. Jesus gave his life to pay the price for our sins, our crimes, our treachery.

In The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis weaves the biblical message of sin and salvation, the reality of death and the hope of new life. As the movie opens this coming Friday, go see it. Invite friends, neighbors, children and adults. Use the insert in the bulletin for helping others to interpret the film in light of the Christian faith.

This morning’s sermon passage describes Edmund’s dilemma and Aslan’s solution. Listen to God’s Word from the New Testament book Hebrews, chapter 9, verses 11-28.

I. The Sacrifice of Christ (vs. 11-14)

“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here… he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood.” Written during the first generation of Christian believers, Hebrews is a masterful document written to Jewish/Hebrew people who were considering and evaluating Jesus as Messiah. Emphasizing that both the old Judaism and the new Christianity are religion revealed by God, Jesus is presented as not only sufficient but complete as Messiah/Savior for all who trust in him. At the beginning of the letter, it proclaims that “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (1:3).

The idea is that all human beings by nature are under the dominion of sin. In essence, sin is rebellion against God, an assertion of self over all others including God, and the resulting multitude of individual sins we experience. A just purchase price has to be made to free a person from the power, presence and penalty of sin. Throughout the Old Testament, a sacrificial system during high holy days offered in the tabernacle or temple for the people of God gave believers in the hope of forgiveness a tangible example of how such forgiveness is accomplished. (In actuality, the sacrifice of an animal could never achieve God’s forgiveness – that would only come with the promised Messiah, the Lamb of God, the sacrificial atonement of Jesus).

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ… cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

For the moment, like the White Witch, I’m going to pour it on. Edmund’s dilemma is ours. He was traitor and so are we. Have you ever lied to someone or about someone else? Have you ever cursed someone with God’s name? Has anger ever erupted in you in a way that demeaned or harmed a loved one? Has selfish ambition pushed God’s plan for your life out of the picture, even for a day or a year or a lifetime? Has participating in dissension, discord or factions marked your reputation in your family, in the church or in the world? Jesus challenged his critics saying, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Whenever we think, speak or act these ways, we betray God, we betray others, and indeed we betray ourselves.

Once in a while someone will ask me, “Pastor, did you intend for your sermon to make me feel guilty?” I don’t want to make anyone feel guilty. But if you do feel guilty, it’s probably because you are! And if I don’t feel guilty, it’s probably even more so.

That’s why we need Christ. That’s why we need Christmas. That’s why we need Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Without Aslan, Edmund would be subject to the Witch’s kill. Without Jesus, you and I would be subject to the laws of sin and death. The sacrifice of Christ was and is the perfect means for forgiveness and new life both now and eternally for all who trust in him. Indeed, that’s what it means to be a Christian; to trust in Jesus as your Savior.

II. Once for All (vs. 23-28)

One of my favorite phrases in the book of Hebrews appears twice in this passage: “once for all.” In verse 12, “Jesus entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood.” And verse 26, “Jesus has appeared once for all to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

The Old Testament sacrifices pointed to the realities of heaven. “The high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year.” We celebrate Advent and Christmas every year. But these religious festivals are meant to point us to the reality they represent: Jesus. Our recent Wednesday night study of the Gospel of John showed how Jesus used his Jewish heritage and identity to point to himself. The law said to observe the Sabbath. Jesus says, “I am your Sabbath rest… Come to me all who labor and are overburdened and I will give you rest.” The law said to observe the Passover. Jesus says, “I am the Passover, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world… Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast.” The law said to observe the Day of Atonement. Jesus says, “I am your atonement… your are forgiven, go and sin no more.”

In verse 24 it says, “Jesus entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. He has appeared once for all… Just as man is destined to die once, and after that face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

All of us will die physically. But Jesus died so that we would not have to die spiritually and eternally. You and I can have a wonderful confidence in the saving work of Jesus for us. He does away with the power and penalty of sin – past, present and future. He has forgiven our past sin when he died on the cross, sacrificed once for all. He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us live freely in faith and deal with present sin; he appears now in heaven as our high priest, he is the only one with priesthood authority. And Jesus promises to return and raise us to eternal life in a reality where sin will be banished.

Conclusion

Look carefully for these themes in the Narnia film. Wonder and marvel with your family and friends at the expression of God’s great love for us. Edmund’s dilemma and Aslan’s solution are for us in Christ. Jesus came into our world and offers to come into our lives by faith. The sacrifice of Christ is offered for your life and mine.

This is the Table of the Lord… Come; let us celebrate the Lord’s Supper as sign and symbol and reality of his sacrificial love for us.