Things Always Work According to Their Nature

(This post is part of a series of posts about The Chronicles of Narnia.)

Near the end of The Magician's Nephew, young Digory Kirke is told by Aslan, the lion who is Lewis's Christ figure, to go fetch an apple from a special tree, beyond Narnia's borders. Aslan wants Digory to bring the apple back to him so that he can plant it. The tree growing from this apple will protect Narnia from the Witch that Digory has inadvertently brought into Narnia.

When Digory gets to the garden, he sees a sign saying that no one must pick those apples for himself; they must be picked for another. But in that garden he finds the Witch, who has already picked one of the apples and eaten it. She tells Digory that it has given her everlasting life. The Witch urges Digory to eat an apple, too, and rule Narnia's world with him. The fruit smells enticingly good to him, but he refuses. But then the Witch suggests that he take an apple and return to his own world, without telling Aslan, and give the apple to his mother, who is sick and dying. The apple, she says, will cure his mother.

At this proposal Digory is torn. He certainly wants to heal his mother. He almost falls for the Witch's temptation. But when she makes the mean suggestion that Digory leave his friend Polly behind in Narnia so that she won't be able to tell on him, Digory realizes how evil the Witch is, and returns to Aslan with the apple.

When Digory is with Aslan again, he remembers once more how good and great Aslan is, and he is comforted. Aslan tells Digory and Polly that because the Witch ate the apple in the wrong way, by stealing it, the tree growing from it will be hateful to her and keep her out of Narnia.

"Oh I see," said Polly. "And I suppose because she took it in the wrong way it won't work with her. I mean it won't make her always young and all that?"

"Alas," said Aslan, shaking his head. "It will. Things always work according to their nature. She has won her heart's desire; she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess. But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it. All get what they want; they do not always like it.... And the Witch tempted you to do another thing, my son, did she not?"

"Yes, Aslan. She wanted me to take an apple home to Mother."

"Understand, then, that it would have healed her; but not to your joy or hers. The day would have come when both you and she would have looked back and said it would have been better to die in that illness."

Something very similar actually happened in our world. There was a garden here, too, and a tree growing marvelous apples. An evil creature met a man and a woman and tempted them to eat one of those apples. The apple, this creature said, would give them the knowledge of good and evil.

Things always work according to their nature. Unlike Digory, Adam and Eve did eat that apple and they did gain the knowledge of good and evil. They got what they wanted; they did not like it. Their idyllic life in the garden, walking and talking with God, came to an end. They were cast out into the world where they had to fend for themselves, toiling to earn their living, living with sickness and sorrow. All of us, their descendants, sin to some extent, some more, some less. We are miserable because of it. Sinning makes us unhappy. All get what they want; they do not always like it.

Thanks be to God that he has provided Jesus Christ as a way to escape the consequences of our getting what we want! Jesus came into the world and took the punishment for our sins. All we have to do is acknowledge that he did it, confess that we have sinned, and ask him to be our Forgiver and Leader. Aslan is a marvelous picture that only begins to paint how loving Jesus is. When we turn to him, he responds with amazing love.