A Donkey in a Lion’s Skin?

Have you ever seen a donkey in a lion’s skin? No? Neither have I.

But, if you are familiar with CS Lewis’s children’s books The Chronicles of Narnia, the idea might sound familiar.

Modern Fairy Tales

I listened to the books again last month. These modern fairy tales combine fun children’s stories with deep theological meaning.  In The Last Battle, the final book of the series, the mythical world of Narnia is in a time of unrest and political upheaval. Aslan, the Christ figure in the book, is a magnificent lion who created Narnia but has been absent from his world for a long time.

Fooled by a donkey in a lion’s skin …

So when an Ape named Shift claims to speak for Aslan himself and begins to parade around as an animal that looks vaguely like the image of a lion, many of the Narnians are convinced that Aslan has returned to Narnia.  When iIn fact, they are being deceived by an ignorant little donkey named Puzzle wearing a coat made of a lion’s skin. It is all an elaborate ruse by Shift to gain power and bring unrest into Narnia. 

Shift is in partnership with an enemy nation and is doing horrible things, like making work horses of the noble talking horses of Narnia and selling the dwarves as slaves to be deported elsewhere to work in mines.

He’s not a tame lion

The Narnians have always known that Aslan is not a tame lion. He is neither predictable nor safe. But they know that he is good, that they can trust his goodness. 

Somewhere along the timeline of history, they forgot this second truth. And they begin doubting who Aslan really is. Maybe he is capable of ordering the destruction of the talking trees for timber or selling his own citizens as slaves. After all, he isn’t a tame lion.

A lie kept in the darkness

Shift knew he couldn’t let anyone see his fake “Aslan” up close. So he was careful to only bring him out at night with a flickering bonfire to illuminate the scene. He knew that real light would reveal the truth. 

No one who had seen Aslan, or even anyone who had seen an ordinary lion, wasn’t apt to be fooled by the donkey in a lion’s skin. But times were hard, and many longed for the help that Aslan could bring. So they believed the lie.  

Of course, the shabby donkey didn’t convince everyone.  Many were skeptical that there had ever been an Aslan at all. He certainly wasn’t relevant to their lives at present. 

Widespread distrust 

Is it just me? Or does this scenario sound familiar and disturbing in 2024? We live in a world of skeptics. According to Gallup polls, the number of Americans who identify as having no religion has increased from less than ten percent in the 1950s to about twenty percent in the most recent poll.

The COVID 19 pandemic sparked a new wave of distrust in authority among many Americans as leaders and health officials grappled with more problems than they had answers. Institutions that we once trusted to provide us with accurate and scientific information have become embroiled in controversy. And the meteoric rise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reminded us that seeing isn’t always believing.

Church in chaos?

The evangelical church has seen a seismic shift in recent years. We have watched one respected leader after another caught in sexual or financial misconduct and forced to resign from a ministry they built and that often bears their name. Other leaders have walked away from the faith altogether, declaring that they no longer believe in Jesus, and they no longer call themselves Christian.

Deconstruction. Or unbelief. 

There are dozens of YouTube channels where earnest, eloquent young people, men and women in their 20’s and 30’s, tell stories of the “deconstruction” of their Christianity. A few just change churches or denominations, but many denounce any vestiges of the faith of their youth. Their shocking remonstrations of faith reverberate with a passionate hatred that matches the religious fervor they had a few years back. 

Their stories of spiritual and physical abuse should make those of us who remain ask for forgiveness. We need to do better. 

When we worship a lie …

But, I think that a lot of them were worshipping a donkey in a lion’s skin. They were presented a version of Jesus that was one dimensional at best, a deceptive lie at worst.

Even Jesus’s disciples didn’t always “get” Him. They had grown up with stories about warriors like Joshua and David and the Maccabees. That’s what they expected of Messiah, one who would lead an army against the occupying Romans and set up a glorious kingdom like David’s. 

Signs and wonders. 

And when Jesus showed up, He had the credentials of Messiah. He was Jewish. Of the tribe of Judah. And the miracles? They were exactly what the prophet Isaiah had described in the scrolls.  The blind received sight. The lame walked. The dead lived. He even gave them bread. 

But He didn’t look like they expected Him to look. He was from Nazareth, for one thing. And the rumors surrounding His birth followed Him everywhere. But His words rang with authority.  It was hard to deny people raised from the dead, especially if you’d been to the funeral. 

The cross and the empty tomb were the last, best evidence. Luke tells us in Acts 1 of the “many convincing proofs” that Jesus provided after His suffering. 

Who am I worshipping

So, how can I be sure that I am not worshipping a donkey in a lion’s skin? How can I be sure that I am not distorting the gospel? Here are some thoughts.

1. Trust the gospels. These four “authorized biographies” provide a clear picture of Jesus’s life and ministry. Each book tells the same story, seen through different lenses. An eye witness wrote each of these books. 
2.  Study the scripture in its entirety. The Bible presents one unified story through dozens of characters and scenes. On the day of the resurrection, Jesus meets two of His followers on their way back home after the trauma of the crucifixion. And He explains how everything they had experienced fit with the stories they had been taught all their lives. “Then beginning with Moses and with all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Him in the scripture.” (Luke 24:27) 
3. Go ahead. Ask Him! God isn’t angry at us for asking questions. When Thomas missed out on Jesus’s first appearance to the disciples and demanded a “command performance”, declaring that he needed tangible proof, Jesus provided what He needed. “Then He said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and see my hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.” (John 20:27)
4. Listen to the stories of others.  A transformed life speaks volumes. Not only did Jesus transform the lives of the people who followed Him in the first century, He still does today. The inhabitants of Narnia forgot their history. They believed a lie that discounted everything they and their ancestors had seen and experienced. 
5. See for yourself.  When you have a relationship with someone, you learn how they talk, what they believe, how they act. When you spend time with Jesus, you know what He is like. Paul declared that his greatest desire was to know Jesus. I want that too. What about you?

Courage to see?

The Narnians of The Last Battle were deceived by a poor imitation of their beloved Aslan. It took courage to open their eyes, but when they did, the truth was clear. Not all of them were brave enough. But if they opened their eyes, they saw. 

I pray that the deconstructionists will be brave enough to open their eyes and dare to trust again. Some will. Others have been too deeply wounded by false messiahs to trust again. 

It’s not my job to change their minds. That’s up to the Holy Spirit. My job is to bring them to Jesus  when they ask. He will take care of the rest.