The Shepherds continue to guide the Pilgrims through the Mountains, and as they come down into a valley, they are confronted by the third ‘wonder’, and likely the one we will find most traumatic. There is, even at this late stage in the pilgrimage, a ‘by-way to hell, a way that hypocrites go in at’. Hopeful is amazed at this: ‘I perceive that these had on them … a show of pilgrimage, as we have now, had they not?’ The Shepherds concur. Some, they say, had a show of pilgrimage that lasted even as far as the Delectable Mountains.
Two aspects of this are worth reflecting on. The first is more straightforward. It is to confront the uncomfortable truth that there are those who walk the way of Christ without integrity. Scripture not only shows us the danger of straying from the Path into Error, it warns us of God's wrath and judgment for those pretenders who walk the Path, but who persist in patterns of life and belief that are sinful. It is a simple matter of observation that people who have even been involved in leading Churches, ministries, and missions - high profile, influential figures - turn out to have been spiritual frauds. Indeed, Bunyan has introduced us to a number of characters who journey with Christian but who aren’t Pilgrims themselves. They are those who are caught up in the life of the Church for a host of diverse reasons which have in common only that they aren’t about devotion to Christ as revealed in the Scriptures. They aren’t about following Him. At some point they all leave the way, and stumble into destruction. It requires some measure of maturity to recognise this as a fact of Church life, and even more to discern it in real time.
One last insight into spiritual maturity. The Pilgrims aren’t satisfied even with all they enjoy in the Delectable Mountains. In due course, they long to press on. That in itself is a sign of growth. But before they go, the Shepherds long to give them a glimpse of the Celestial City. Spiritual growth turns our perspective on life increasingly towards the New Creation. The more mature a Christian, the more likely they are to focus on, and delight in the prospect of, Zion. It is the other side of the coin. As our centre of gravity swings slowly towards the age to come, we have deepening convictions about both heaven and hell. As our time on earth grows shorter, a Christian will find that the allure of this world grows weaker, and our desire for the glories of Christ in heaven (and ultimately in the New Creation) grows stronger. We do well to be concerned if we feel we are looking back, and grasping at a life that is slipping through our fingers, and that we should be content to leave behind. ‘To die is gain…’ (Phil.1:21).
Yet even as our Pilgrims stand atop the Hill Clear, their view is impeded. The reminder of past failure, and the conviction of present sin, and the reality of God’s judgement, cause their hands to shake so that ‘they could not look steadily through the glass’. Although their heart is gravitating towards the Celestial City, there is still too much of this world in them for their vision to be as clear as it could be, or perhaps should be. They are not yet so confident in the grace of God in Christ as to be undaunted at the prospect of Judgement. But it remains an inviolable spiritual truth that we can enjoy the prospect of the New Creation only to the extent that the Spirit has been able to make us fit to be there. The acquiring of such knowledge is not merely an intellectual pursuit. It is a spiritual reality, and requires a certain spiritual strength to gain and to bear.
And so their tour of ‘wonders’ is complete. The Shepherds have served them well. They are, after all, ‘servants of Christ and … those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed’ (I Cor.4:1). But their service isn’t quite complete. They give the Pilgrims a ‘note of the way’, instruction on how to progress faithfully along the Narrow Path. They also impart a double caution, against the Flatterer, and against sleeping on the Enchanted Ground, both of which prove apposite, as we’ll see in due course.
Shaky though it was, the Pilgrims’ view of the City is enough to speed them on their way. And rather unexpectedly at this point, Bunyan wakes up, and the dream is interrupted! He is making sure that we register that we have passed a key division in the narrative, and that the Pilgrims have passed a significant milestone in their journey. When we pick up their story tomorrow, we will be entering with them into a new chapter of their Pilgrimage. There is continuity to be sure, but Christian has now ‘moved beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and been taken forward to maturity’ (Heb.6:1). There is a qualitative difference to Christian’s pilgrimage from this point on, and the challenges and difficulties he meets are those that are characteristic of a more mature disciple.
Questions to Ponder:
How clearly focussed are you on your future in the New Creation? To what extent does it shape how you make decisions in the present?
How do you feel about the idea that our ability to confront and accept the reality of judgement is a sign of spiritual maturity?
How have the challenges you face as a Christian changed as you have grown more spiritually mature?
A prayer about longing for heaven:
O My Lord
may I arrive where means of grace cease, and where I shall no more confess, fast, weep, watch;
where I will no longer need preaching, sacrament, intercession or confession;
where I will no longer be tempted, where nothing defiles, where there is no grief, sorrow, sin or death…
Where the more perfect the sight, the more beautiful the object,
the more perfect the appetite the sweeter the food,
the more complete the soul, the happier its joys,
and where there is full, clear knowledge of Thee.
There shall I be near Thee, shall I dwell with my family, shall I stand in Thy presence,
one with Him who is one with Thee;
and the exercise of all my powers of body, soul and spirit shall be in the enjoyment of Thee.
As praise in the mouth of the saints is fitting, so teach me to exercise this divine gift in the midst of your people today, as I hope to praise you eternally hereafter.
…taken from A Valley of Vision, ‘Heaven Desired’
