Reflections on The Lion King

I recently enjoyed the movie The Lion King, which I have seen in other versions and on stage. But this time I was impressed by the parable it speaks to the church. I think most people are familiar with the story. The enemy, Scar, kills his brother, the king, then lies to Simba, the heir, blaming him for his father’s death. Filling him with false guilt and shame, he tells him to run away and never come back. This is the wicked scheme he implements so that he can take over the kingdom. His evil plan works and he successfully takes over the kingdom, and ruins it by fraternising with the evil hyenas.

Does that sound familiar? I was struck by the parable this offers to the church. How many of our King’s children have been lied to by the enemy, and have run away in shame and fear, abandoning their true call?

Two unlikely characters, a wart hog and a meerkat, befriend Simba, lead him to a beautiful valley and teach him to forget the past. He learns a new song, Hakuna matata, which roughly translates to ‘no worries’, and he grows into adulthood, eating grubs and insects, instead of being the carnivore he was created to be. He not only forgets the past, he forgets who he is.

How many of our King’s people are living in a false comfort zone? How many have forgotten who they really are, have forgotten the truth that a powerful King lives on the inside of them?

One day Simba’s formerly betrothed, the lioness Nala, escapes from Scar’s grip to go looking for Simba. She finds him and they fall in love, but Simba has forgotten who he is and, still believing the lies of Scar, refuses to go back. Then he meets the son of Rafiki, the mandrill, the ‘priest’ to the animals, who tells him his father still lives inside him. Rafiki tells him to look at his reflection in a still pool and Simba sees who he really is, the son of the king. He follows Nala back to the pride and confronts Scar. Eventually he leads the pride in a battle to overcome Scar and the hyenas. He saves the kingdom, delivers his people and takes up his rightful place as king.

Oh that we might rise up like Simba and remembering who we are, let the King on the inside of us rise up and lead us forth to confront the enemy. There is a Kingdom waiting to be established. Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Let your Kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Who is going to bring that Kingdom’s rule on earth if his people don’t? How many of his people are hiding in fear or enjoying false comfort in La La Land, ignorant of their destiny? How many are careless of the fact that the Kingdom is being laid waste by their enemy, who is stealing their inheritance and destroying their loved ones?

Let’s learn a lesson from this simple and beautiful tale and like Simba, return to our first love, enter into our destiny and take the Kingdom for our King!