The stories of the wealthy, stingy duck with a heart of gold Scrooge McDuck, along with his misfit yet lovable nephews, took over for the next half-hour. Scrooge had a Money Bin which rivaled the Empire State Building in size. Ever much in love with the money that he made, he would swim in the piles of coins that he had amassed.
Despite his enormous wealth, he guarded it very carefully. He raised his nephews with care and concern, never spoiling them. An animated version of Warren Buffet, Scrooge never gave anyone so much money that they would not do anything.
| Magica Despell |
Then there was Magica Despell, the evil gander with jet-black hair who tried again and again to seize Uncle Scrooge's "Lucky #1 Dime", the first dime that he had ever made. If Magica every got her evil wings on that "Lucky #1", then she would rule the world (now imagine wild laughter following).
My favorite episode of "Duck Tales" was called "Nothing to Fear." The first scene of the episode closes in on the McDuck mansion, and then all of a sudden dark clouds hover over, thick and black, and a terrible rainfall ensues. Who is behind this black cloud? Magica Despell of course, andin this new scheme of hers, she will conjure up Scrooge and the nephews' worst fears until they run and hide, or until the wealthy mallard gives up his "Lucky #1"
This episode centered around the strange appearance of fearful circumstances menacing the main characters with terrible threats. The butler saw a fearsome vacuum cleaner with huge teeth. The big next door neighbor, Doofus, wanted to eat a banana, which then grew into an immense duck-eating monster. Suddenly, one of his worst enemies, "Bully Beagle", would appear out of nowhere and start harassing him.
For Uncle Scrooge, he visits his Money Bin, only to find that all of the money is suddenly gone. Then a horde of bill collectors rushes toward him, then hound him from across his front lawn. "This is a nightmare!" he yells.
The nephews see a warped and menacing version of their teacher Mrs. Quackenbush. She threatens to give them all detention because they did not do their homework. One of the nephews sits down to play "Commander Gander", a video game with a hideous evil boss, a space-pig wearing a purple suit. He leaps out of the television screen and intimidates the three boys. Their worst fear of all then storms into their room: a large version of Uncle Scrooge, very cross and not to be crossed. He shames all of them: "You have been eating me out of house and home. I don't love you, and I never wanted you." The "Large Scrooge" then destroys a picture of the three boys.
In another scene, the real Uncle Scrooge is looking for his three nephews, and the Three Evil Nephews, with darkened brows and wicked smiles, accost Uncle Scrooge. They call him nasty names, they carve their own names into the wood, and then they throw him out the window.
Uncle Scrooge: "On No! I have failed them. I have done a terrible job."
He then sees the three nephews with knapsacks tied around sticks.
"Boys! What's going on? Why, I thought that I saw you inside!"
| Uncle Scrooge: "Nothing to Fear" |
"Uncle Scrooge, we just packed up our things to leave because we thought that you did not love us anymore."
The truth sets everyone free, and Uncle Scrooge figures out that something is wrong:
"Boys, come here. I have to tell you something. What we are seeing, what we are afraid of -- they are not real."
No matter what challenges that the Body of Christ may face in this life, as we growing in grace, receiving the gifts of grace and righteousness to reign in life, we grow more keen to discern good and evil, truth and error.
When Scrooge realizes what has been happening, Magica Despell appears, cackling and taunting the rich duck and his nephews.
"Until you give me your "Lucky #1" you will run from your fears. Run! Run! Run!"
With a wave of her wand, Magica produces the four great fears which have scared all of them
"No lads," Scrooge answers. "If we don't face our fears, we will be running from them forever. Stand up to them. Show them you are not afraid."
"You didn't do your homework!"
The three boys respond: "Oh, yes we did! Here it is!" With a mild apology, the frightening Ms. Quackenbush disappears: "Oh, Sorry!"
The next "Fear" -- , the evil Pig dressed in Purple from "Commander Gander": "We're not afraid of you. You're just a video game!" With that, the Gander explodes.
Magica grows despondent. The fears are not working.
Then Scrooge confronts the "Three Evil Nephews":
"You are not my boys, because these are mine, and they love me." With that whiff of truth, the three evil nephews shrink into nothing, then disappear.
Then the nephews confront the "Big Bad Scrooge":
"If you were our Uncle, would we do this to you?" Right on the spot, the three nephews grab clumps of mud and throw them at the "false uncle", who then disappears into nothing.
The nephews and their Uncle Scrooge have defeated their fears. The sun shines in the sky, and the cloud of Fear hovers over Magica Despell, raining all over her.
"Oh No!" She screams, "My worst fears are coming true!" Then the Cloud of Fear pursues her all the way back to her lair.
Now that I have learned so much more about the Gospel, and all that Jesus Christ has done for me, I can see the Truth that sets me free.
What scared all of the main characters? More than threats to their lives, it was the shame, the fear of reproach, from the teacher who threatened them with detention, to the notion that they would lose the love and approval of someone else.
Perfect love casts out fear, and this love must be received in truth. When the nephews and Uncle Scrooge fought back with the truth, they overcame their fears. When we receive the Truth of who we are in Christ, that He loves us perfectly, and that this love transforms us from alienated and dead in our trespasses and to accepted and alive through the Holy Spirit, we overcome every fear, which is based on: False Evidences Appearing Real.
When we receive the "Good News", we can rest assured that in Christ, there is "Nothing to Fear."
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