Thursday, December 4

The HOPE of Ebeneezer Scrooge

By Gil Harris

Scrooge is dead! Believe it or not, this is a good thing, a HOPEful thing. Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol in 1843 during the time known as the Industrial Revolution. The world was beginning to change, rapidly, and if you did not have the means to keep up, you were left behind.

Those who were rich got richer, while those who were poor became poorer, and often suffered quite drastically. Dickens was concerned about the society of his day and he wanted to do something about it, and as an author he felt he had the perfect means with which to do so.

In the story, Ebeneezer Scrooge is a heartless curmudgeon. He is a moneylender. He lends money and expects to be paid back according to the terms of the contract one would sign with him, and Heaven help you if your circumstances changed for the worse. Scrooge would not re-negotiate any contract. He collected his money and would not even spend it on himself. He despised Christmas. Scrooge is visited by four spirits, the ghost of his former business partner and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future. While Scrooge is somewhat moved by the Past and Present Ghosts, it is the Ghost of Christmas Future where Scrooge as we know him dies. 

So, why do I say he is dead? In at least four different film versions of the story, (Scrooge, 1970, starring Albert Finney; Mickey’s Christmas Carol, 1983, starring Scrooge McDuck; A Christmas Carol, 1999, starring Patrick Stewart; A Christmas Carol, 2009, starring Jim Carrey) as he is interacting with the Ghost of Christmas Future he falls into his open grave and sees the fires of Hell burning and he has no desire to go there. He realizes that he is old and alone. He finally realizes that he cannot take his wealth with him when he departs this world. He is scared of what his future holds. He asks if what the Ghost shows him is what will be, or only what may be. Banking on the chance that his future is not written in stone, he vows on his knees and in tears that he will change his life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. The old Scrooge died that night and a new Scrooge was born!

If there was no hope for Scrooge, why would he have been visited by the Ghosts? I believe it was because there was hope for change and indeed Scrooge does change, overnight, and becomes an ardent celebrator of Christmas, much to the amazement of all those who knew him. Can you imagine what his testimony would sound like if he were to speak in church?

We have hope and we celebrate Hope every Christmas because of what Jesus did for us. He became one of us, He lived as one of us, and He died as one of us, so that we may live as He now does in everlasting Joy, Love, Peace and Hope fulfilled. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15