What Happened to the Dragon

Our son explains in church

“Jesus killed the dragon.”

We were sitting in a church, all ten of us, waiting for a wedding to begin. Since we were actually on time for the service, we had time to look around at the unfamiliar walls, the high, steeply sloping ceiling, the vivid bright stained-glass windows. Our three-year-old, on the pew next to me as I held the infant, gazed toward the crucifix above the altar in the front. Then, in a moment of quiet, he made his comment.

“Jesus killed the dragon.”

I thought about what we’d been reading recently, namely some wonderful hymn books I’ve mentioned before from Kloria Publishing.¹ One is O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe,² written by Jacob Fabricius and illustrated by Emma Heidenreich. One verse starts:

Be of good cheer; your cause belongs
To Him who can avenge your wrongs;
Leave it to Him, our Lord.

The picture accompanying these words is a shepherd Jesus, standing with His foot securely atop an obviously dead and burning winged creature.

Another book is Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice by Martin Luther, a deeply theological hymn, beautifully illustrated by Edward Roijas. Our little man absolutely loves this book, despite—because of?—its ten verses and intricate, thoughtful visuals. As with the other hymn books, he loves to hear all the verses sung, often pointing out features in the pictures or asking questions about the people. In a middle verse of Dear Christians, which he’s probably heard a hundred times in his life, we hear of our awful reality, now turned hopeful.

But God had seen my wretched state
Before the world's foundation,
And mindful of His mercies great,
He planned for my salvation.
He turned to me a Father's heart; 
He did not choose the easy part
But gave His dearest treasure.

Next to these words, there’s a picture of Adam and Eve, forlorn and despondent, before a tree around which is wrapped the tail of a giant, red-scaled monster. Serpent, lizard, or dragon, I’m not sure which; it looks like an amalgamation of those evil creatures. Beside them is a crucifix, upon which is Christ crucified. The mouth of the monster is wide open—with the base of the cross staked through it. The image is clear; the wickedness and despair sowed in Eden was destroyed by our Lord Jesus. A portion of the picture is shown below.³

A portion of Roijas’s “Dear Christians: Salvation” pieces.

Somehow our preschool-aged boy had internalized these pictures and the messages of the hymns. He remembered the dragon, and he saw the cross. Then he verbalized our Christian hope. “Jesus killed the dragon.”

After a moment, I said to him, “Yes, He did. He killed the dragon, Satan, and the devil.”

He nodded solemnly. Then he said, “And now He’s the king!” His voice was sure and confident.

What an unexpected confession. Out of the mouths of babes He has given us strength indeed, silencing the enemy. Thank God for His work in these little ones. The dragon is dead; the King lives. Alleluia!

1. No, I don’t get anything from mentioning these here, other than the pleasure of knowing other people might learn about a great publishing resource for faithful Christians who want to teach their children great hymns. Disclaimer—such as it is—now over.

2. This is a “flip over” book, with “O Little Flock” beginning from one end of the book and “The Will of God Is Always Best” on the other.

3. You can purchase “Dear Christians: Salvation Spread” with the accompanying hymn verse next to the print or “Dear Christians: Salvation Vertical” with just the print at Edward Roijas’s website here. You’ll find a lot of other great sacred art there, too.