Narnia - Edmund the Just

After Eustace recounts his undragoning to Edmund, he apologizes for his behavior. Edmund then says something interesting:



"That's alright," said Edmund. "Between ourselves, you haven't been as bad as I was on my first trip to Narnia. You were a dragon, but I was a traitor."


Edmund was referring to his behavior in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where he betrayed his sisters and brother in hopes of becoming prince underneath the White Witch. Quite frankly, dear Ed's behavior was ghastly--some would say beyond forgivable. Yet Aslan gave his life in return for Edmund's freedom. Though Edmund's character doesn't necessarily talk about the incident much, we know through his actions that Aslan's sacrifice affected him greatly:


• It is Edmund who turns the tables during the war against the White Witch by severing her wand.


• While King of Narnia, Lewis tells us, "Edmund was graver and quieter man than Peter, and great in council and judgement. He was called King Edmund the Just."


• It is Edmund who first believes Lucy sees Aslan in Prince Caspian.


Edmund, in a sense, owed Aslan a greater debt than the others. He never forgets it.


It reminds us when Jesus was anointed by a "sinful woman" while eating dinner in a Pharisee's house. The Pharisee scoffs at the woman, who is pouring perfume on Jesus' feet as a sign of deep respect, and Jesus tells him a little story:


"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denari, and the other fifteen. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"


The Pharisee answers, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."


We can learn 2 things from this:


• Nothing we have done in our life is unforgivable.Aslan died for a traitor; Jesus died for all of us--no matter what we have done. You may be struggling with something you have done in the past that you can't seem to forgive yourself for. This may drag you down or weigh on your mind consistently. Instead of constant blame of yourself, look at the example given to us by Edmund. He used his past history for good. He became "Edmund the Just." He reacted with mercy and forgiveness with Eustace. God can use our past, no matter how bad we think it is, for good.


• On the other hand, If nothing is unforgivable for God, then nothing should be unforgivable for us. If we are harboring a grudge against someone, get rid of it. If we are judging someone for something they did in his or her past, stop. Don't be a Pharisee. They lived righteous lives and obeyed "the law," but Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. Don't forget that the one who loved the moneylender more was the one who had more of the debt canceled. If God is willing to forgive and restore, so should we.






"The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;"


-Daniel 9:9 (New International Version )






Dear Lord we want to thank you for forgiving us, we pray that we would also forgive those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.