Lion on a Leash

There is no more awe-inspiring imagery of Jesus than that of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Anytime I see the movie “Chronicles of Narnia” and hear Aslan (Turkish for lion) roar with the power of God Almighty backing Him up, it never fails to send holy goose bumps up and down my spine. Or, as my friend Lori would say, it gives her the holy heebie jeebies!

So what is the significance of the symbolism of the lion, which is from the tribe of Judah? Keeping it really simple, which is how I roll, the lion represents the king of the jungle. The lion is at the top of the food chain and is always depicted in movies as the leader of all other animals. In other words, the lion has dominion in his world.

Well Jesus was given all rule, authority, power, and dominion by His Father according to Ephesians 1:21. All things were put in subjection under His feet. This comforts me to no end. The knowledge that no matter what craziness is going on in our government or in our personal lives, Christ is above it all!

The tribe of Judah refers back to Jesus’ earthly lineage.  Jesus is indeed from the tribe of Judah. There is reference to this in Genesis 49:9. The most definitive and exciting reference is found in Revelation 5:5. “and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

Oh my – here come the holy heebie jeebies again! The beloved disciple John was just having a come-a-part at the beginning of Revelation 5. He was bawling his eyes out because no one was found worthy to open the book. Oh, but praise God – enter Aslan – the Lion of that is from the Tribe of Judah! He has overcome the enemy and death. Can you hear His mighty roar?  He alone is worthy! I must stop using exclamation points but it is so necessary on all of these sentences!

We know that Jesus Himself told us that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father but through Him. Are you ready for a really cool Old Testament connection? When the Hebrew people were wandering through the desert wilderness, they would camp whenever the glory cloud they were following stopped. They would then assemble the tribes around the tabernacle (portable worship center) in a very specific pattern. Numbers 2:3 tells us that the tribe of Judah was to be stationed at the east entrance, which is where the only gate was located.

Whew…I hope somebody out there has their sweet little hand in the air right now! The only way to get into the tabernacle where sins were covered was right smack dab through the tribe of Judah. Glory! He has overcome.