The Red Lizard

In struggling with my sin the past week or so I was drawn back to chapter 11 of C.S. Lewis’, The Great Divorce, basically the second half of that chapter which is the account of the man and the red lizard. You may have read it and know exactly to what I refer.

The Great Divorce is a bus ride from hell to heaven. Those in hell can come to heaven and experience it firsthand. They are all ghosts and so heaven is more real, solid and powerful than they can know. To walk on the grass is painful for the ghosts from hell. Each is met in heaven by an angel and the sin of each ghost is challenged by an angel.

The story of the man and lizard is my story. It is the story of man who’s inner lizard is poisoning his mind, conniving, convincing, tempting the man. The man is led away, until destruction ultimately, by the lies of the lizard, “You’ll be happier doing this…” or, “You must have this, it is yours, you deserve it.” or, “You cannot be here, you should not be here, you are too great a sinner”. The man’s passions are ruling him and ruining him.

The angel approaches the lizard with desire to kill it. The man must give permission for the burning hot, massive angel to destroy the lizard, to kill it. The man resists over and over again. Having grown comfortable with the company of the lizard, he is unwilling to let it go. Over and over again are the excuses for not killing the lizard, “Not today, I must be in good health”, “Let me get another opinion”, It will hurt too much and possibly kill me”.

The angel persists with the man, wanting to free him and kill this thing.

I am the man and I am protecting poisonous lizards all the time. I keep them as pets, I think they will not hurt me, I enjoy the company. And the Angel of the Lord desires to kill it and free me. He, in love, continues to ask, “May I kill it?” I keep saying not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Tomorrow. I must be well. If you kill it, you will also kill me.

I read the passage this morning and I wept. I wept because as the story goes, the man concedes to the angel, the burning hot angel approaches, grabs the lizard and breaks its back, throwing it to the ground. In new found freedom, the ghost slowly turns into a man. He begins to form and to be solid, to be real. He sinks into the grass and it does not hurt. In reading the resurrection of this man I wept profusely, wanting to be free like this man, free of my sin and guilt, free of my hurts and regrets, wanting to find true and full satisfaction in God alone, rather than in anything that he gives.

The lizard is also redeemed. It reforms and transforms into a massive stallion on which the man rides. Horse and master breathed each into the other’s nostrils. The man turned from it, flung himself and the feet of the Burning one, and embraced them. Then the two ride into the great plain toward the foothills of the mountains, into the rose-brightness of that everlasting morning.

There is so much more in this one chapter, I encourage you to read it. Read the lot. It is a wonderful image and incredible encouragement. More to come on this…

~ by Nate on June 1, 2008.