This is #22 in the series Crossing the Threshold.

Act Three: Return

The Road Back and Resurrection

C.S.Lewis captured the mythic beauty of Jesus’ Resurrection in his famous tale The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Aslan the Christ figure, exchanges his life for the “traitor” Edmund held captive by the White Witch who rules Narnia. After his Resurrection from the dead, Aslan explains to Edmund’s sisters Lucy and Susan what it all means, giving us a glimpse of the full work of Christ.

“It means”, said Aslan, “that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”

Death itself would start working backward? Yes, the undoing of death, the undoing of the curse, the undoing of the fall. A new kind of life is now on release through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Return with the Elixir

The Hero returns from The Special World with the Elixir. He is forever changed by his adventure but the Elixir he brings back has the power to change others and the world itself. Our Hero’s Elixir is the Holy Spirit; the eternal life of the age to come is now available to all who believe and all who will receive as their Lord and Savior; Jesus the Christ, Jesus the King.

The Gospel of John that began with a new Genesis …”In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being, that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overpower it” (John 1:1-5), now concludes with the giving of the Spirit…. “And when He had said this He breathed on them, and said to them ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ (John 20:22).

This is not the end of the story; it is the beginning. The coming of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts is the ongoing story of the Last Adam, Jesus Christ now on the throne of the universe fulfilling the original commission to man to “be fruitful and multiply” and fill the earth with the glory of God. How will He do this? Through His Body the Church.

We have seen that The Hero’s Journey, the story that captures the heart and imagination of the world has its origin in the eternal story of The Son of God, Jesus Christ. Does this surprise you? Did you realize that with stories like Braveheart and Lord of the Rings God was wooing you, speaking to you in a language your heart could understand; the language of story? Have you ever seen The Hero’s Journey as an invitation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Probably not. Truth be told for some of you the moment I connected Jesus Christ to The Hero’s Journey your heart sank. And the reason why? Quite simply you associate Jesus with religion and religion is a lifeless confining box you do not want to be in. Neither do I.