12/13/2025
Finding Jesus in Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” In four parts
A close look at the mission of our ghosts in relation to the traditions of the church this week.
PART III - BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS
So once again I am going to be visiting the words of Scrooge’s Ghost of Christmas present. As I said, this one was my favorite and once again he directly addresses a comment from Scrooge.
Sadly though, this time, we realize that Scrooge himself, is just a victim of theological misinterpretations. . The setting of the scene in the book can be a bit difficult to comprehend, however, to the modern reader. The Ghost and Scrooge are walking among folks carrying their dinners to the baker’s shops. This would seem like a strange custom to us nowadays and in truth many of the screen versions of the story omit this scene or substitute it to some extent. However, to the reader in Charles Dickens’ time it made perfect sense.
In those days, most folks of little means (working poor) did not have the means at home to cook a Christmas meal. Fireplaces were small and could usually only accommodate heating soups,
gruel, and other food items like it. On one day in the year when they might use what money they could gather to purchase a full fowl for their meal (often goose) they did not have the means at
home to cook it.
The local bakers, however, had large ovens and since preservatives were not commonplace, they would be open early in the morning to bake fresh bread. Their large ovens would be made
available subsequently for a fee to cook these Christmas family dinners. It was a practical solution for the bakers as their ovens were kept hot and, in this way, they could make extra money. It was a necessity for the families whose small homes did not contain any other means to cook a full bird.
In the setting of this scene, which describes a Christmas morning in Victorian London elaborately, we see the Ghost removing the lids of these dinners and sprinkling them with an incense from the torch he is carrying (of course, this as with all interactions between the Ghost, Scrooge and the other parties of the scene occurs unseen by everyone except the Ghost and Scrooge).
A conversation subsequently follows this in which Scrooge attempts to turn the tables on the Ghost. Now up until this point there has not been much direct association between the Ghosts
and religion specifically. However, in Scrooge’s comments he does seem to tie them together.
"Is there a peculiar flavour in what you sprinkle from your torch?" asked Scrooge.
"There is. My own."
"Would it apply to any kind of dinner on this day?" asked Scrooge.
"To any kindly given. To a poor one most."
"Why to a poor one most?" asked Scrooge.
"Because it needs it most."
"Spirit," said Scrooge, after a moment's thought, "I wonder you, of all the beings in the many
worlds about us, should desire to cramp these people's opportunities of innocent enjoyment."
"I!" cried the Spirit.
"You would deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day, often the only day on which they can be said to dine at all," said Scrooge. "Wouldn't you?"
"I!" cried the Spirit.
"You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day?" said Scrooge. "And it comes to the same thing."
"I seek!" exclaimed the Spirit.
"Forgive me if I am wrong. It has been done in your name, or at least in that of your family," said Scrooge.
"There are some upon this earth of yours," returned the Spirit, "who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us.
Unfortunately, what Scrooge does is paint a not untrue image of how he sees religion addressing the question of the poor and unfortunate, placing customs and traditions ahead of mercy and
justice. I believe that John Wesley, father of Methodism, had the same issue with the church in his day as well. Once again, however, the Ghost of Christmas past makes it clear that the church’s interpretations of faith were of their account and should not be reflective of the work of the ghosts (and here, by extension I read, reflective of God).
Sadly, this abuse of the teachings of Jesus continues even today. I have seen many churches place their traditions and customs ahead of actually following the work of Jesus. Jesus went to the places he was needed; he didn’t wait for those in need to come to him and he supported what was needed. Healing those who needed healing, feeding those who were hungry, comforting those who were poor in spirit.
This message of warning against putting custom and tradition ahead of justice and mercy predates even Jesus in our Bible being found in the Hebrew prophets, is further enhanced by the
message of Jesus and subsequently Paul and continues to be raised today!
Amos 5:23-24 –23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Matthew 7:15- Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 12:7- I desire mercy not sacrifice
Matthew 12:10-12-10 a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Suppose one of you
has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the
Sabbath.”
Romans 16:17-18- 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who create dissensions and hindrances, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites,
[a]and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.
John Wesley(from his Journal)- At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people. The Scripture on which I spoke wasthis (is it possible anyone should be ignorant that it is fulfilled in every true minister of Christ?):
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord”
Attributed to Pope Francis- You Prayer for the hungry, then you feed them, that’s how prayer
works.
