Pilgrim's Progress: Chapter Two

Pastor's Note: Since it's in the public domain, Pilgrim's Progress is available for free from Project Gutenberg (http://ow.ly/dOe250z0sx7) or can be purchased on Amazon Kindle (http://ow.ly/Y7vW50z0syK) (free for Prime members, $2.99 for everyone else).

Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the second meeting* of the Stapleton Baptist Book Club. We’re reading Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book and read chapter two before reading the rest of this. The goal here is not to explain the chapter in its entirety; it’s making some observations from my reading and facilitate a discussion amongst ourselves that hopefully results in some learning and Christian growth. Be sure to avail yourselves of the comment section at the bottom of the page to weigh in with your own thoughts so we can talk about them.

“But," said Christian, "are there no turnings nor windings by which a stranger may lose his way?" Goodwill: "Yes, there are many ways butt down upon this, and they are crooked and wide; but thus thou mayest distinguish the right from the wrong, the right only being straight and narrow.”

1. Most of my observations in chapter two will be from conversations rather than events, and I’d like to focus on less obvious stuff. First, the conversation between Goodwill and Christian has several notable points, but this one caught my eye. Christian wanted to know if there was any way for him to stray from the path he ought to be walking. Goodwell tells him yes, but every wrong path is easily discernable. He would have to ignore the obvious right way to go down a wrong way. If you ever have to go into twisted, convoluted, novel explanations of Scripture to explain why God is ok with the way you’re living your life, you’ve probably stopped walking on the straight and narrow path.

Then I saw in my dream, that Christian asked him further if he could not help him off with his burden that was upon his back. For as yet he had not got rid thereof, nor could he by any means get it off without help. He told him, "As to thy burden, be content to bear it until thou comest to the place of deliverance; for there it will fall from thy back of itself.”

2. John Bunyan struck gold here. To come to Jesus is what God wants us to do. It’s His work on the cross that makes the burden fall off of our backs. We can neither loose its bonds nor cast it off ourselves. Come to Him in faith and the burden will fall off on its own…independent of your works.

“The man whose picture this is, is one of a thousand. He can say, in the words of the apostle Paul, "Though ye have ten thousand teachers in Christ, yet have you not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have been your father through the Gospel.”

3. His name is never mentioned, but this is Evangelist. Read the rest of the paragraph. Look at the way Bunyan describes him. Is this the way we typically think of evangelists? Especially since Interpreter tells Christian that Evangelist is the man God Himself chose to guide his way. This man is worthy of great honor, but all he’s received is disobedience by Christian and mockery by Worldly Wiseman.

4. This parabolic moment with the sand is wonderful. It’s a picture of our heart when exposed to two things: first the law, and second the gospel. The law shows up and points out the wrongs in us, but by doing that it just stirs them up. It has no power to clean them out. The gospel stills the sand and cleans it up. Not instantly…some sweeping is still involved. Sanctification takes time. But a heart changed by the gospel will in fact show progression in righteousness. NOTE: This isn’t about salvation. It’s about sanctification. The Gospel saves instantly upon belief, but sanctification takes a lifetime.

5. I’m struck by Passion and Patience right now. Passion wants everything now. Patience is content to have his best at the last. Reading this book right now amid this coronavirus pandemic, the church must be patient. We so badly want to be together again, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s a good thing. But rather than make us rash and impatient, this should make us patiently long even more for the day that we get to be together forever inseparably and trust Jesus in the meantime. If we rush this out of passion to get back to the normalcy we’re used to having in the world but we do so at the cost of harming our neighbor…which child are we?

6. How funny is the image of Jesus throwing oil into the Christian’s heart-fire from a location Satan can’t see? This is also relevant in these times. Our church could do one of two things: let this virus break us down and defeat us, or spur us on to greater faithfulness. I honestly believe it’s having the second effect. Folks are longing to be back together. They’re being faithful in Bible study in their homes, using things like video and audio. Keeping in touch with email and Facebook, with phone calls. Satan can try to use this to break the church, but he’s oblivious to how Jesus is using it to strengthen us.

7. Christian doesn’t need an explanation of the next parable. He gets it because he’s living it…and he will continue to live it until he arrives at the Celestial City. As soon as a man, woman, boy, or girl sets out on the journey on which they bid this world goodbye and claim another as home, those of this world will rise up to deny them passage. It’s kind of like a crab pot. Have you ever seen a crab pot? They’re horrible at catching crabs. But crabs are great at catching crabs. The only reason crabs can’t climb out of the pot after falling in is the other crabs won’t let them. They reach up and drag the escapee back down. Those of this world don’t want to leave, and they don’t want anyone else to leave either. You’ve got to prepare for a spiritual fight if you want a home in the Celestial City.

8. The man in the cage of despair is a frightening parable. John Bunyan was basically a Calvinist. His doctrine was slightly more nuanced than your basic 5-pointer, but I think we can reach some common ground with this parable. I want to point out a few things before two short final observations. First, have you noticed that Interpreter never answers for the man in the cage? Any time Christian asks him to explain the man in the cage, he tells Christian to ask the man himself. The man is the one in despair. He says he cannot repent. He says he cannot come to God for salvation. Be careful that you don’t misinterpret this. He’s not saying he wants to repent but God rejects his repentance. He’s not saying he wants to be saved but Jesus will not save him. He’s saying that his heart cannot do these things anymore because he worked so hard to push Jesus away that Jesus finally did what the man wanted: left him alone with himself. Calvinist or not, Scripture is clear: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”  (John 6:44). Jesus drew this man and he crucified Christ again to himself, rejected him, pushed him away, and now could not even find it in himself to want to repent, even though he knows what awaits the unrepentant. This is a strong caution: when God calls you, listen. Don’t put it off expecting that you’ll hear the call again and again and again. You never know when you may reach the day when God answers your prayer, “Just leave me alone.”

9. What was the last encouraging sight Interpreter showed Christian? A man who ever kept the day of judgment before his eyes. Worthwhile advice. It’s good to be like this man. Think about what’s to come rather than forget it’s coming and live only for the present day.

10. Interpreter is a preacher! Look at where he’s stationed. At the beginning of the journey. He Interprets so that Christian knows how to walk. When you come to church (or watch your video, as the current situation dictates), it’s not the end of your journey; it’s a starting point for how you ought to walk throughout the week and throughout life. Don’t think of your trip to Interpreter as a job well done…think of it this way:

“Well, keep all things so in thy mind, that they may be as a goad in thy sides, to prick thee forward in the way thou must go.”

What about you? What observations do you have?