A Tame Lion
And why Jesus would wear a plain suit coat
“Is he safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe, but he’s good. He is not a tame lion.”
C. S. Lewis1
C.S. Lewis, throughout the Chronicles, describes Aslan, the symbol of Jesus, as a wild lion. While Lewis notes that Aslan might not be a safe, docile pet, the lion is undeniably good.
So much of our personal Christianity revolves around our knowledge and perception of Jesus. Frequently, misty veils shroud the nebulous ideas of our heavenly Father. We know he exists, we know facts about him and have occasionally sensed his presence, but he’s closer to an idea than a person.
In our humanity, we can easily create an “idea” of God that mostly closely fits our world. God would act similar to how we act. God would make similar choices. He would believe similar things and even wear similar clothes. To be honest, he probably would wear a suit coat - a plain one that is.2 But at this point are we even worshiping God? Are we not worshiping our own idea of god? Is this not idolatry?
Once we have created our idea of god and worship him, we are serving an idol. God is not a tame God; he is not some pet to affirm your current living choices. His wildness may even be dangerous to your world at times. But if God is good, a little shaking of our status quo will only lead to growth. Perhaps his roar, fearful though it may be, gives us a clearer picture of who he is and what he wants to do in the world.
God doesn’t work within the box you have given him. He works in his own. The more we build a relationship with God as a person, the more we understand his methods and boxes. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”3
Lewis, C. S.. The Chronicles of Narnia : The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 1978.
This is just one example. Maybe your god would drive a BMW or definitely not wear red.
Isaiah 55: 8, 9. American Standard Bible (ASV), Public Domain.