The longer you know Him, the larger He seems

Concept art for Narnia movie by Justin Sweet

This week, I wanted to share a particularly insightful excerpt from GTN staff member John Gillespie’s latest book, entitled: Beholding Jesus: Letters to My Children. Enjoy!

“In C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia, Lucy encounters Aslan, the lion king, her hero and champion, once again.

“Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,” sobbed Lucy. “At last.” 
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face. 
“Welcome, child,” he said. 
“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.” 
“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. 
“Not because you are?” 
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” 

Remembering that Aslan is a picture of Jesus Christ, Lucy’s observation of him is glorious. (C.S. Lewis was a genius!)

Remember when you were a kid, and everything was “big”? Your bedroom looms huge in your memory, as does your tree house, school, until you return to those old haunts and marvel at how small they have all become! In reality, they have not changed, you have. You have grown, and the things which once appeared so large to your eye have gained their proper perspective…

The importance of “stuff” shrinks with time. This is what makes Aslan unique. Lucy encounters him, but not as he was. Unlike the bedroom he is not in reality smaller than remembered.

“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”

In fact, Aslan has not grown, but as Lucy has, she now sees Aslan more truly as he is… and he is BIGGER than she first thought.

But every year you grow, you will find me bigger. 

So it is with our King, Jesus. Because He is who He is (the Eternal Son of God), He is not in the process of becoming something greater or bigger. He is eternally perfect. However, as we grow in our Christian walk and mature in our faith, far from Him shrinking in our eyes, we esteem Him more fully. He is magnified before us, ever more wonderful, ever more powerful, ever more worthy of praise, ever more glorious, ever more able… BIGGER. 

Dear ones, you and I are just beginning this journey of discovery with Jesus Christ. Thus far, whatever we have truly experienced of Him is certain to grow in our estimation as we continue with Him… even into eternity. With Jesus, each day grows better than the one before, the “new” never wears off. There is always another adventure with Him, a new truth to delve into, explore, and glory in— a yet undiscovered facet of His character in which to rejoice. 

The Jesus of the Bible is worthy of our absolute surrender, our highest thoughts, our noblest efforts, our purest adoration, our greatest enjoyments, and our costliest sacrifices.”