The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opens in theaters on Friday, May 16. In order to whet your appetite, I am counting down the fifteen days to the movie by sharing a favorite selection from each of the fifteen chapters of C. S. Lewis’ masterful book, Prince Caspian. (Warning: Plot spoilers ahead! But if you haven’t read the book, you should really read it before going to see the movie anyways!) Here goes — let’s count down to Caspian!

From Chapter 14: How All Were Very Busy

They came to a little cottage where a child stood in the doorway crying. “Why are you crying my love?” asked Aslan. The child, who had never even seen a picture of a lion, was not afraid of him. “Auntie’s very ill,” she said. “She’s going to die.” Then Aslan went to go in at the door of the cottage, but it was too small for him. So, when he had got his head through, he pushed with his shoulders (Lucy and Susan fell off when he did this) and lifted the whole house up and it all fell backwards and apart. And there, still in her bed, though the bed was now in the open air, lay a little old woman who looked as if she had Dwarf blood in her. She was at death’s door, but when she opened her eyes and saw the bright, hairy head of the lion staring into her face, she did not scream or faint. She said, “Oh, Aslan! I knew it was true. I’ve been waiting for this all my life. Have you come to take me away?”

“Yes, dearest,” said Aslan. “But not the long journey yet.” And as he spoke, like the flush creeping along the underside of a cloud at sunrise, the colour came back to her white face and her eyes grew bright and she sat up and said, “Why I do declare I feel that better. I think I could take a little breakfast this morning.”

Thoughts:  Aslan, like Jesus, is a healer. Lewis alludes to several healing stories from the gospels in this account. There are hints of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15), the four friends lowering the paralytic through the roof (Mark 2:4), and Jesus raising the young girl from the dead all mixed in here (Luke 8:54-55). Eventually, Jesus will take us on the long journey where we will be healed from all pain and sorrow forever. If you are in Christ, death is not something you need fear; rather it is something you can be waiting for all your life. (Thoughts? Comments? Do you have a favorite scene or quote from chapter fourteen?)

All the Countdown Posts:  Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Click here for more Narnia and Caspian related posts.
Click here for Narnia sermon series.