by Keith Bortner

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.’” (Matthew 16:24)

There’s a passage in C.S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, in which Susan, speaking of Aslan the Lion, asks “Is he — quite safe?” In this allegorical story, Aslan is the King of Narnia and, as such, represents God.

And so the question stands: “Is he safe?” Is our God safe? We like to think so. We have numerous songs, devotions, and sermons talking of being safe in His arms and resting safe in Him. While those things are true, it’s also true that sometimes following Him isn’t safe. Sometimes following Him means going out of our comfort zone and talking to someone we wouldn’t normally talk to. Other times it might mean turning the other cheek and not retaliating in an attack, leading to personal physical harm. Many have followed our Lord and have endured hardship and death.

Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter. He had the power and means to command legions of angels to put an end to everything he was going through, but He didn’t. He chose what was most unsafe, to endure the beatings and whippings, to endure the suffering of the cross, and to ask His heavenly father to forgive those that injured and then killed him.

Is He safe? In Mr. Beaver’s reply to Susan, Lewis answers that question better than I ever could. “Safe? …Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. May we be willing to follow him that far.