Reading through the Silver Chair was interesting. I figured out why it was called Silver Chair. Not much is mentioned of this actually, but Prince Rilian is captured and tied down to this silver chair. Alsan breaks the spell and the prince is free. That is when we find out who the prince really is, he is the son of King Caspian. The children and the prince are trying to get out from the Underworld. This is the part of the story that made me want to put down the book actually.
Now let me explain. I wanted to put the book down because I don't like tight spaces. The idea of total darkness and being trapped underground was enough to make we want to get out quickly. I know it is just a story but it got to me. I sure they don't make a movie of it.
It got me thinking though. We talk much about Jesus being the Light of the World. We think of John chapter 1:7-9. Light is good, darkness is bad. This is the simple way of thinking about this subject. How much dark is darkness? How much light does it take to have light?
Do we really think about a world without Jesus as darkness. When reading the end of the Silver Chair, I thought about darkness. I don't like when things are pitch black. Is that how we see the world? Or do we see that everything is okay but would be better with Jesus? The Bible is clear that every human has sinned, and therefor is in darkness. Pitch black darkness. We are under the spell of the wicked witch. Without Jesus there is no light. The Bible says we were dead in our sins. It doesn't say we were half alive. It doesn't say we were okay, we just need Jesus.
So darkness is total blackness. No light anywhere.
How about light? Is it the lack of darkness? I think light shines on our darkness. It doesn't take much light to get rid of darkness. A small light or candle can do the trick.
Here is a story I heard from "Sticky Church" arthur Larry Osborne:
They were on a cave tour. The guide assured Larry that it will never get pitch black on the tour. So he convinced his wife(who doesn't like the dark) to go. Sure enough at one point the guide turns off the lights, so people can get a feel for total darkness. Larry pleads with the guide to turn the lights on as his wife is getting very nervous. With no luck there, he turns to his son and tells him to turn on his light for his watch. He turns on the light, and the darkness is gone. Larry' wife can relax. All is well, except for the other tour mates.
Why tell this story? A little light in darkness is powerful. A little light in light not so much.
When you read the Silver Chair remember the darkness that is life without Jesus.
I have always been partial to this segment. it so captures our predicament with the secular world: "Please it your Grace," said the Prince, very coldly and politely. "You see that lamp. It is round and yellow and gives light to the whole room; and hangeth moreover from the roof. Now that thing which we call the sun is like the lamp, only far greater and brighter. It giveth light to the whole Overworld and hangeth in the sky."
ReplyDelete"Hangeth from what, my lord?" asked the Witch; and then, while they were all still thinking how to answer her, she added, with another of her soft, silver laughs: "You see? When you try to think out clearly what this sun must be, you cannot tell me. You can only tell me it is like the lamp. Your sun is a dream; and there is nothing in that dream that was not copied from the lamp. The lamp is the real thing; the sun is but a tale, a children's story."
"Yes, I see now," said Jill in a heavy, hopeless tone. "It must be so." And while she said this, it seemed to her to be very good sense.
Slowly and gravely the Witch repeated, "There is no sun." And they all said nothing. She repeated, in a softer and deeper voice. "There is no sun." After a pause, and after a struggle in their minds, all four of them said together. "You are right. There is no sun." It was such a relief to give in and say it.
I have always been partial to this passage, it so describes our predicament with the secular world"
"There never was a sun," said the Witch.
"No. There never was a sun," said the Prince, and the Marsh-wiggle, and the children.
thanks Rick for your comments
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