King Edmund the Just

In C.S. Lewis’ beloved children’s novel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is a small, often overlooked detail that speaks to the transformative power of the gospel. The royal title given to one of the main characters, Edmund Pevensie, shows us that no one is too far gone to be made right with God.

At the end of the book, when Edmund and his three siblings become the kings and queens of Narnia, Lewis gives us a description of what became of each of these four children as they grew up and ruled in Narnia. Peter, Susan, and Lucy all had appropriate and meaningful titles, but in my opinion, Edmund’s is the most poignant. The book says, “Edmund was a graver and quieter man than Peter, and great in council and judgment. He was called King Edmund the Just” (p. 184). 

This is significant because of Edmund’s backstory in the book. The other three Pevensie children were separated from Edmund for a time because, while they sought Aslan (Jesus in Narnia, the ruler) and remained loyal to the true Narnians, Edmund abandoned them. He fled to the White Witch’s castle, ensnared by her dark magic and the empty promise of being able to rule over his siblings. Edmund was a traitor. He sold out his family for the fleeting pleasure of food (Turkish Delight, to be specific) and an imagined superiority over them.

Edmund was later rescued and seriously humbled by his foolish decisions. However, his actions still had consequences. The witch demanded Edmund’s life, since he was a traitor, and Aslan acknowledged that, according to the law, she had this right. However, Aslan died in Edmund’s place. Aslan was no traitor, but he willingly went to his death and offered up his life as a substitute for Edmund’s. Aslan returned from the dead, and Edmund was spared because another died in his place. 

The parallels between this story and our own lives are magnificent. Edmund, by all accounts, was not just. To be just is to be considered righteous, as if the person has done no wrong. Edmund was a traitor, as Aslan himself acknowledged. He belonged to the evil enemy because of his actions. But because of Aslan, the “willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead” (p. 163), Edmund was considered free. He fought in the battle and went on to rule in Narnia alongside his siblings as King Edmund the Just. 

Friends, we too can be considered just. Though we are all traitors, though we were born enslaved to sin and obedient to the enemy, though we are the opposite of righteous, we are justified through Jesus. The Bible says in Romans 4:25 that Jesus “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” He died in our place. He was delivered up to pay the price for our sins, and because He is alive, we can be justified. 

I once heard a preacher explain justification this way: it is “just as if” I have never sinned. When we are justified, it is as if we have never sinned. In God’s eyes, we are spotless and blameless as Christ is. He removes, forgives, and forgets our sin. 

What a glorious truth. Just as Edmund’s treachery was forgiven and he was dubbed King Edmund the Just, you can put your name in his spot. You can say that you are just if you have been justified by Christ. We “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). 

Have you been justified? Have you taken on Jesus’ righteousness in the place of your sin? If not, turn to Him today. God is “just and the justified of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Place your faith in Jesus, and fear not, however you have betrayed or disobeyed Him in the past; for He will make you just. 

Another small detail that I love about this is in the movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the movie, we see the four siblings being crowned by Aslan, and he declares their titles. When we see Edmund be crowned “King Edmund the Just,” it looks as if he has the most genuine and excited response (this is the photo featured in this devotion). I always interpret this reaction as being because he knows he is the most unworthy to be there. That’s just my speculation, though.