(It may be important to point out, right off the bat, that when “Kingdom” or “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven” are mentioned, they are not referring to some other place that we go when we die. The Kingdom is wherever God rules and reigns. Where God is King, there is the Kingdom. Hopefully, the Kingdom is right where you are right now – which would mean that you are following the King, submitting to his rule, doing the King’s bidding and business. Do not make the mistake, as so often happens, that the Kingdom is about some other land or place. No, the Kingdom could happen anywhere…it is at hand.)
The Kingdom of God is a theme throughout scripture finding its high place in the Gospels. The Kingdom often gets described in ironic terms: what you expect is not the way it is. For example, Jesus says that the first will be last and if you want to be great you will be the servant of all. One of the ways this irony of the Kingdom is expressed happens when Jesus talks about little children in this passage:
Matthew 18:1-6:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child, whom he placed among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place – becoming like this child – is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a child in my name welcomes me.”
Remember that children were not cute little humans who were to be cared for and loved. Children were nobodies. They were useless. They were property. Jesus is not saying that we need to be young or young at heart or naive like kids or anything like that. He’s saying we need to be humble nobodies. Pride and arrogance and worldly forms of greatness do not count in the Kingdom.
So, in the Narnia books and in the movies so far, little children are the big heroes. The magic horn is sounded and great kings and queens of the past come…and most are disappointed that only little children show up. But that’s the irony of the Kingdom! Children are worthless, right? NO! Because Aslan has called them and shall use them, the least among us shall be the greatest. (The whole mouse thing plays into this theme as well.)
haven’t seen Prince Caspian yet but definitely looking forward to it… i’ll have to look over the book one more time just to remind myself how the original story goes
I’d watch the movie first, then go back to the book. If I had had the book in my mind, the movie would not have been as good…