Three Ghosts, Three Witnesses

Luke 15:4, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”

Most everyone has heard of Charles Dicken’s timeless classic: A Christmas Carol. The tale of a greedy miser who becomes the most generous man is as engaging a story as it is profound. It’s a short book, yet it packs so much. My family prolifically watches several versions of it every December. I could spend hours discussing all its elements, and one of its most memorable are the three ghosts. Each one engages Scrooge differently. The Ghost of Christmas Past gently re-educates him with what’s familiar. The Ghost of Christmas Present is jovial yet appropriately stern apologist, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come guides in complete silence. Still, their combined tactics miraculously softens a stubborn man. How remarkably this mirrors the process of Christian conversion is quite stunning really. God declared He’s made himself clearly known to every man. Not a one can claim complete ignorance of Him. For just as we daily face three enemies (Satan, the world, and ourselves), our Triune God placed three witnesses of His character and existence in our modern world. I just can’t help but notice the parallels between them and Dicken’s Ghosts.