The Deeper Magic of the Gospel

Scripture Reflections Inspired by C.S. Lewis’ Stone Table in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Introduction

When Susan and Lucy stand weeping before Aslan’s lifeless body on the Stone Table, they believe all hope is lost. Then, in the early light of dawn, they feel the ground shake and see that the Table has cracked in two. Behind them stands Aslan—alive, radiant, and laughing. Seeing their astonishment, he explains:

“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.”

With this, Lewis unveils one of the most powerful metaphors for the gospel ever written. The Witch knew only the Deep Magic—the law of justice that demanded death for every traitor. But there was a Deeper Magic from before the dawn of time: the mystery that when a willing and innocent victim dies in place of a guilty one, death itself begins to work backward.

This is the story of the cross. The Stone Table points us to Calvary—the place where justice was satisfied, love was revealed, and death was defeated. The Deeper Magic is the eternal wisdom of God, written into creation before sin entered it: that mercy triumphs over judgment, and life triumphs over death through the self-giving love of Christ.

1. The Substitutionary Sacrifice of Christ – Isaiah 53:4–6

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The Stone Table is the place of exchange—the innocent for the guilty, the just for the unjust. Aslan’s willing surrender for Edmund mirrors the heart of Isaiah’s prophecy: one suffering Servant bearing the weight of another’s rebellion.

Edmund, the betrayer, stands as a picture of every sinner—each of us drawn by pride, self-interest, and the false promises of the world. Yet the Lion dies in his stead. The Witch’s blade falls on Aslan, and the Deep Magic is satisfied. This is substitution in its purest form: mercy without the dismissal of justice. Christ, the true and better Aslan, stepped into our story, taking our guilt, our shame, our sentence—and in so doing, wrote a new ending.

2. The Victory of Love Over Death – Romans 5:6–8; John 15:13

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

The Witch believed death was final. She knew the law but not love. Yet love is the one force in the universe the powers of darkness cannot understand or overcome. When Aslan offers himself, he subverts every expectation. In that moment of apparent defeat, love is waging its greatest triumph.

Lewis captures this paradox so beautifully: the quiet walk to the Table, the shorn mane, the mocking crowd. It all echoes Calvary. “The Lion, the great Lion,” Lucy whispers, “oh, isn’t he… dead?” But this is the deeper truth: death cannot hold the Author of life. Love has gone deeper still.

3. Resurrection and Death Working Backward – 1 Corinthians 15:54–57

“Death has been swallowed up in victory… Where, O death, is your sting?… Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

At first light, the girls hear a great crack. The Stone Table is split in two, and Aslan stands alive before them—majestic, laughing, unscarred. Lewis writes that “though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know.”

This is resurrection. The Deeper Magic reverses the curse. Death begins to work backward. In that moment, Lewis lets us feel what Easter morning must have been like—the impossible joy of seeing life where death had ruled. The Stone Table, once an altar of judgment, becomes a symbol of victory. The broken stone points to another stone rolled away.

4. The Hidden Wisdom of God – 1 Corinthians 2:7–8

“We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”

The Witch’s ignorance of the Deeper Magic mirrors the blindness of the “rulers of this age.” They thought they were executing justice; instead, they were enacting redemption. The crucifixion was not a tragic mistake—it was the unveiling of a mystery long hidden.

Aslan tells Lucy and Susan that the Deeper Magic “was written before the dawn of time.” That phrase hums with theological depth. Before creation, God already purposed redemption. The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). The cross was not Plan B—it was the plan all along, the eternal wisdom of a love that outthinks and outlasts evil.

5. The Law Fulfilled by Grace – Romans 8:3–4; Colossians 2:13–15

“What the law was powerless to do… God did by sending his own Son… He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness… He triumphed over the powers and authorities by the cross.”

The Deep Magic was the law—holy, perfect, and unyielding. It demanded death for the traitor. The Deeper Magic was grace—the mystery of a God who would meet the law’s demand Himself.

When Christ went to the cross, He fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law and yet transcended it. The very justice that condemned us became the foundation for our salvation. Just as the Table split open when the Deeper Magic took effect, so the curtain of the temple tore in two when Christ breathed His last. The way to the Father was opened—not by breaking the law, but by love fulfilling it.

6. The Lamb Slain Before the Foundation of the World – Revelation 13:8

“…the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”

Before there was sin, there was already a Savior. Before there was judgment, there was already mercy. The Deeper Magic is not a desperate rescue mission—it is the eternal heartbeat of God.

In Narnia, Aslan’s resurrection feels both unexpected and inevitable. Of course the deeper story was always love. Of course death could not win. The same is true of the Gospel: Christ’s cross was not a tragic accident of history but the center of all creation’s story—the place where justice and mercy kissed, and the love of God rewrote reality itself.

Summary: The Gospel as the Deeper Magic

The Deep Magic declares, “The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)

The Deeper Magic proclaims, “The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

The Deeper Magic is the hidden wisdom of God—the love that fulfills justice through mercy, revealed at the cross and vindicated in the resurrection. It is the power that cracks the Stone Table, makes death run backward, and transforms shame into glory. The Deeper Magic is not only what saves us—it is what remakes us.

Reflection Prompts

Where have I seen God turn death into life in my own story?

What “Deep Magic” of guilt or fear still shapes the way I see God—and how does His grace speak a deeper word?

How can I live as one who has seen the Stone Table broken and death undone?

In what areas of my life am I still trying to “earn” what Christ has already paid for in full?

How might I bear witness to the Deeper Magic—the grace that makes death work backward—in my relationships, my words, and my worship?