It’s been almost half a century since I read Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen any of the movies made from it. And I’ve never been very good at memorization. 

Yet to this day I can recite the last line of this beloved novel: 

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”  

The speaker, of course, is Sydney Carton. He is headed for the guillotine, sacrificing himself to accept the punishment meant for the aristocrat Charles Darnay. 

I don’t know about you, but I see in this story a reflection, albeit imperfect, of Christ’s death on the cross as payment for the sins of the world, so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:15).  

But apparently I’m wrong about that, because the Wikipedia entry on this novel insists on another meaning entirely: “The very last thoughts attributed to Carton, in their poetic use of repetition, register this faith as a calm and soothing certainty: that both the name of Sydney Carton and of France will be reborn into glory and made ‘illustrious.’" 

There’s no mention of Jesus Christ in this somewhat lengthy synopsis. No mention of the biblical account of His sacrifice, which seemed to me so clearly to have inspired Dickens. And just one mention of Heaven, in its quotation of the novel’s opening paragraph.  

So color my face red: A Tale of Two Cities must be nothing more than a compelling saga about those greedy aristocrats and the noble (if murderous) revolutionaries and a suicidal lawyer who was trying to make a name for himself with his Top Secret sacrifice. 

Just one problem with that assessment: Charles Dickens was a devoted Christian and student of the New Testament. Consider just some of what he wrote on the subject:

• “The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.” 
• “Remember!--It is Christianity to do good always--even to those who do evil to us. It is Christianity to love our neighbours as ourself, and to do to all men as we would have them do to us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful and forgiving, and to keep those qualities quiet in our own hearts, and never make a boast of them or of our prayers or of our love of God, but always to show that we love Him by humbly trying to do right in everything." 
• “I have always striven in my writings to express veneration for the life and lessons of Our Saviour.” 
• “I commit my soul to the mercy of God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and I exhort my dear children humbly to try to guide themselves by the teaching of the New Testament in its broad spirit, and to put no faith in any man’s narrow construction of its letter here or there.”

What's more, Dickens’ last published work was a gospel-retelling entitled The Life of our Lord. Written for his children, it was an instant best-seller when it was finally published in 1934, after the death of his last child.  

Some observers charge that Dickens believed in a works-based plan of salvation. If that’s true – and it may be so – how curious that he painted, in Sydney Carton, such an astounding picture of substitutionary sacrifice in the satisfaction of a death penalty. I certainly have read only an infinitesimal fraction of the world’s books, so I’m no expert; but from what I have read, I don’t know of any novelist who more clearly captured Christ’s atoning sacrifice.    

I’m guessing there must be much more biblical imagery in A Tale of Two Cities – imagery that I would have missed when I read it, having been well on my way to full-blown atheism, and having never paid a bit of attention to my weekly Sunday School lessons. It’s high time I dug out my old copy of this outstanding novel and read it through the lens of the Bible.  

An update: Last week, I finally caught a movie version of A Tale of Two Cities – the 1935 edition produced by David O. Selznick of Gone with the Wind fame, starring Ronald Colman as Sydney Carton.
 
The ending was, not surprisingly, absolutely riveting. As Carton headed up to the guillotine at the film’s end and the camera panned to the heavens, he spoke those heart-wrenching last words, “It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done …”
 
But even more gripping was what followed: A title card reading, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. –John 11:25”
 
Dickens himself quoted this verse four times in his novel.  I wonder how many of the more recent movie versions included it? I’m guessing none, but perhaps I’m wrong – perhaps another movie-maker or two felt compelled to acknowledge the Christian message of this unforgettable story; it’s hardly subtle, and overlooking it would be an obvious  demonstration of willful ignorance.   

 Gone with the Wind is probably my favorite movie of all time. Since reading the book two or three times as a young teen, I’ve seen the film at least 30 times. Every time it’s on TV, I tune in with the intention of watching for just a few minutes; and every time, I end up glued to the set until Scarlett utters her final “Tomorrow is another day.”
 
In spite of having practically memorized the dialogue, it wasn’t until I was born again that I understood the significance of Melanie Wilkes being Christian. Yet there it was: Melanie was always kind, compassionate, faithful, loving – the epitome of Christian virtue. How wonderful to have her goodness on such prominent display in this fallen world, with non-believers always on high alert for hypocrisy in the church.
 
But this morning I realized that another GWTW character may have telegraphed, in just a few words, something even more important than goodness.
 
Surprisingly, that character was Rhett Butler – surely no Christian, given his flagrant disregard of the commands of Christ. 
                  
Rhett’s critical theological insight was tucked into the movie’s last scene.  You may remember it: Having proclaimed her long-standing but just-discovered love for him, Scarlett O’Hara was tearfully expressing her regret over the recent course of their lives together.  He responded, “My darling, you’re such a child. You think by saying ‘I’m sorry,’ all the past can be corrected.’” (See the clip here.)
 
Consider this comment in light of the gospel.
 
According to the word of God, Christ suffered and died on the cross to pay the penalty for the world’s sin. To avail ourselves personally of His payment and be ensured of a heavenly forever after, we need to do two things:

• Repent – i.e., to acknowledge that sin is what God says it is, not what we like to think it is; to sorrowfully seek His forgiveness for our personal sin; and to turn from it once and for all. (See, for example, Luke 13:3 and Acts 3:19.)
• Trust in Christ to have paid for our sin in full on the cross. We cannot pay for even one sin ourselves, so we must give up trying to earn heaven and rely entirely on His finished work. (See, e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 5:21.)

 
Scarlett did indeed say she was sorry – very, very sorry, in fact. But did she repent of her behavior? Or did she simply make excuses for it?
 
Now, obviously Rhett was not meant to be even a poor imitation of God. Even if Scarlett had truly repented and sought his forgiveness, he was clearly on his way out the door. His patience and love for her had vanished.
 
Fortunately for us, God’s patience never runs out, and His love never dies. If, before we breathe our last, we truly repent and trust in Christ to have paid our sin debt in full, we will be clothed in the righteousness of Christ and welcomed into heaven for all eternity.
 
But if Scarlett’s approach is all we can offer Him on judgment day – if the best we can do is say we’re sorry and make excuses for our sin – we will be paying its penalty for all eternity.  And that will be true even if we cloak our regrets and excuses in good works and sacraments. These are not the things that save us; only the blood of Christ can do that, and we can take advantage of that only by repenting and trusting in Him.
 
Have you done so yet? If not, don’t wait; tomorrow will indeed be “another day,” but are you certain you’ll live to see it?

Over the years, I’ve found that the Christian life really is easy, at least when I pay attention to the Lord's advice.
 
He recently brought this home to me again in an entirely new way: this time, in changing my response to a perceived violation of my rights (a perennial problem for a recovering feminist like me).
 
Here’s the story, in a nutshell, with the circumstances changed mightily to avoid an outright complaint against the offending party.
 
I’m a freelance writer who has done some work for one of the world’s largest corporations. This particular company has always been slow to pay. And its AP people have long taken a “fast payment” discount even after six months have elapsed since I invoiced them. But hey – at least I always knew they would pay me eventually.
 
But suddenly that has changed. My last invoice has been ignored completely; it doesn’t even show up in this company’s online vendor-accounting system.
 
To make matters worse, the person who hired me for this project has been forcibly retired, and his supervisor has not been at all helpful; in fact, over the last year (yes, year!) she has responded to my emails requesting payment updates with exactly two “I’ll look into it” replies. After that, nothing.
 
I finally managed to get a fellow in Accounts Payable on the phone. “You’re no longer an approved vendor,” he told me. “You were removed three months ago. Why? Beats me.” Maybe it was my punishment for trying to get paid – that, along with an apparent end to any future work from this group.
 
It’s not a huge amount that I’m owed. Viewed in light of all they’ve paid me over the years, it’s practically nothing.
 
Still, I’ve lost plenty of sleep over this issue. How many times I have woken up at 1 a.m. and found myself awash in anger over this clear injustice, in frustration over my inability to get anywhere, in plots involving hiring some high-priced lawyer eager to stand up for the little guy.  For Pete’s sake, don’t I at least deserve an explanation from these people? Don’t I have a right to be treated with some respect, even though I’m among the tiniest of vendors?
 
Again and again, I’ve eventually calmed myself with scriptural truth – most notably, Romans 8’s assurance that my omnipotent, omniscient God makes all things “work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” I’ve seen this verse play out many times in my own life, and the lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ. How could I let a little thing like an unpaid invoice shake my confidence and disturb my rest?
 
On the worst nights, I would retreat to other biblical advice: Turn the other cheek. Store up your treasures in heaven. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, make your requests known to the Lord. Every man will give an account for every idle word on judgment day (so there will be ultimate justice for the creeps treating me like an ant at a picnic).
 
And so on. The Bible has a great deal to say about money and pride and enemies and the Lord’s unlimited power and unwavering love for His children. In fact, it addresses everything that could possibly concern us in this life.
 
Still, I kept waking up at 1 a.m., primed for another marathon of tossing and turning over the same old issue.  
 
And then I came across the verse that has set me free. It’s Hebrews 10:34:
 
 “For you … joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.”
 
That did it! In just a few words, the author of Hebrews reminded me that this silly little problem of mine is completely irrelevant in light of the eternal glory awaiting me in heaven.
 
Sure, there are other biblical passages that make the same point. But for some reason, it took this particular verse, and this particular set of circumstances, to reset my heart on the issue.
 
If you have a problem that’s driving you to distraction, turn to the word of God. Read it. Meditate on it. Embrace its teachings. And memorize those passages that speak to you most clearly about the issues you’re grappling with today; next time the torment threatens, you’ll be able to crush it immediately with His eternal truth.