Narnia in Context | “Who said anything about safe?”

This is one of the most famous passages in all the Narniad. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most misunderstood.

Many Narnia fans read it and think Lewis is being poetic—that Aslan’s lack of safeness is simply a metaphor for the countercultural, scandalous love of Jesus. For example, they say:

1. Jesus expects us to follow Him without looking back.
2. Jesus lived a countercultural, scandalous life.
3. Jesus may call us to do dangerous things for His sake.
4. Jesus is a danger to His enemies.
5. Jesus won’t be boxed in, nor command us to stay boxed in from Him.
6. Jesus tends to disrupt our lives.
7. Jesus doesn’t make our lives comfortable or predictable.
8. Jesus is unpredictable.