As Christian left the Interpreter, the highway that Christian climbed was fenced on both sides with a wall called Salvation. Christian ran till he came to a small hill, at the top of which stood a cross. At the bottom, was a tomb. When Christian walked up the hill to the cross, his burden came loose from his shoulders and fell off his back, tumbling down the hill until it came to the mouth of the tomb, where it fell in to be seen no more.
Chapter 3 – A Burden Lifted and a Journey Begun.
Christian was relieved and delighted, exclaiming with a joyful heart, “He has given me rest by His sorrow and life by His death.” For a while he stood still in front of the cross to look and wonder; it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should ease him of his burden. He continued looking at the cross until tears began streaming down his cheeks. As he stood looking and weeping, three Shining Ones came to him, ‘Peace be with you.’
The first said to him, ‘Your sins are forgiven’. The second stripped him of his rags and dressed him with new clothing. The third put a mark on his forehead and gave him a scroll with a seal on it. He told Christian to review it often as he went on his way and at the end of his journey to turn it in at the Celestial Gate. After this they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy and went on his way.
Scripture: Isaiah 26:1 Zechariah 12:10 Mark 2:5 Zechariah 3:4 Ephesians 1:13
Thoughts to Consider: When your burden tumbles down the hill, disappearing into the tomb, to be seen no more… don’t go running after it to make sure it’s really gone! Don’t start missing it. Don’t start identifying yourself as incomplete without it. By doing so, you may be missing the opportunity for the freedom, peace, and the blessing God has for those that trust in Him.
As Christian went on, he came to the bottom of the hill and saw three man fast asleep, with chains on their feet. Their names were Foolish, Sloth, and Presumption. Christian tried to wake them saying… ‘Wake up and get back on the path, and if you are willing, I will help you take off your iron shackles.’ ‘If he that goes about like a roaring lion comes by and finds you like this, he will destroy you with his teeth,’ he added.
Foolish: I see no danger.
Sloth: I just need a little more sleep.
Presumption: Everyone needs to make his own choices. You need to mind your own business and not meddle in ours.
The three lay down to sleep again, and Christian went on his way.
Scripture: Proverbs 23:34 1 Peter 5:8
Thoughts to Consider: When you finally experience that freedom from your burden, available ONLY through Christ and the Cross, that’s when your Christian journey truly begins. Remember in Chapter 2, Christian is given advice and knowledge from the interpreter to make his journey profitable. After Christian goes to the cross, the first part of his journey here, in Chapter 3, centers around people! Specifically, the people, he meets in the places, he goes.
While thinking about the lack of regard that Foolish, Sloth, and Presumption had for his offer, he saw two men tumble over the wall on the left side and onto the path. They immediately came toward Christian. One was named Formalist and the other was Hypocrisy.
Christian: Gentlemen, where did you come from, and where are you going?
Formalist and Hypocrisy: We were born in the land of Vain-Glory and are going to Mount Zion where we expect we will receive both praise and honor.
Christian: Why didn’t you enter by the gate that stands at the beginning of the way? Don’t you know that it is written that ‘he who does not come in by the door but climbs up some other way is a thief and a robber?’
But Formalist and Hypocrisy answered that to go to the gate was considered by them and all their countrymen to be too inconvenient and roundabout, especially since they could shorten the journey by simply climbing over the wall.
Christian asked if this would be seen as trespassing. ‘Don’t you think the Lord of the City for which we are bound must count it as a violation of His revealed will?’
Formalist and Hypocrisy told him not to worry about it since it had been the custom of their land for more than a thousand years.
Their conversation continues but gets no closer to agreement. Insults start and the conversation ends. Formalist and Hypocrisy see no difference between themselves and Christian except the coat he wore, which they speculated was given to Christian to hide his shame and nakedness. They laugh at him and his beliefs.
Christian continues with no more conversation, walking ahead of them and talking with himself, sometimes sighing, sometimes encouraging himself, and often refreshing himself by reading from the scroll that had been given to him.
They all approached the foot of the Hill Difficulty – at the bottom of which was a spring of fresh water. The men were faced with a choice of three paths. The path that led directly from the gate continued straight up the steep hill. Christian went to the spring and drank until he was no longer thirty and then began to go up the Hill Difficulty.
Formalist and Hypocrisy also came to the foot of the hill, but when they saw how steep and high it was and that there were two simpler ways to go, they chose the ways that looked easier. They supposed the two ways would go around the hill and meet up again with the straight way that Christian was taking.
Formalist chose the way called Danger which led him into a great wooded area; and Hypocrisy went the way to Destruction, which led him into a wide field full of dark mountains, where he stumbled, fell, and never got up.
Scripture: John 10:1 Galatians 2:16 Isaiah 49:10
Thoughts to Consider: What an amazing encounter! Formalist and Hypocrisy are united in their attempt to change… challenge… and mock Christian’s faith in Scripture. He doesn’t compromise and must put some distance between himself and his challengers, but they each get to the same point in their journey where they must make a choice: climb the Hill of Difficulty or try one of the other two options with the appearance of being less difficult. Christian chooses the straight path. The other two, formerly united against Christian, get to the same point and they separate, each taking one of the other paths – Formalist choses Danger and Hypocrisy choses Destruction.
I think this is a clever way for the author to show us that some relationships do not have the integrity that their appearances would seem to indicate. While these two men would seem to Love God and Love each other, when push comes to shove… i.e., faced with difficulty, you see that they only loved each other when they shared a cause of self-justification. When the going got tough – they went their own ways. What a lesson – how tempting it is to want to join others when they appear to walk together in unity.
Christian’s pace climbing Hill Difficulty slowed from running to walking and finally to scrambling on his hands and knees because it was very steep. About halfway up the hill, there was a pleasant arbor built by the Lord of the hill for the refreshment of weary travelers. When Christian reached this spot, he sat down to rest. He comforted himself with readings from the scroll, then began to look at the coat he had been given and he entertained pleasant thoughts about the changes that had already taken place in his life… and he fell into a deep sleep, from which he did not awake until it was almost night; and in his sleep, his scroll fell out of his hand.
As he was sleeping, someone came to him and awakened him, saying, ‘Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.’ And with that, Christian sprang up and sped on his way.
At the top of the hill, he met two men running in the other direction coming to meet him. Timorous and Mistrust.
Christian: Sirs, what’s the matter? You’re running the wrong way.
Timorous: We were going to the City of Zion, but the farther we went, the more danger we encountered. So, we turned around and are going back from where we came.
Mistrust: Yes, for just ahead there are a couple of lions in the way – we don’t know if they are sleeping or awake. But we are sure that if we came within their reach, they would pull us to pieces.
Christian: You’re making me afraid. Where shall I run to be safe? If I go back to my own country, which is prepared for fire and brimstone, I shall certainly perish. If I can get to the Celestial City, I am sure to be safe. I must go forward. To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will go forward.
Timorous and Mistrust continued to run down the hill as Christian pressed on forward. But as he considered their words, he reached for his scroll to comfort himself. But it was not there. He was greatly distressed – this scroll not only gave him comfort, but it was his pass into the Celestial City.
He stood still, perplexed, not knowing what to do.
Scripture: Proverbs 6:6
Thoughts to Consider: Sleeping! Nice throwback to the first people that Christian met in this chapter and tried to help. Only this time, when someone warned Christian, he got up and sped on his way. But losing his scroll brought him great sadness and regret. Meeting Timorous and Mistrust did not change his determination, but reasoning through going back to certain death or moving forward being only the fear of death, then life everlasting… He knew he would go forward, but he’d have to endure the consequences of going back for a little while to retrieve his scroll.
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8 Revelation 2:5 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7
Christian did return to the arbor where he’d previously sat and slept. The sight of the place renewed his sorrow as he remembered again how wrong he had been to fall asleep. He began crying over his sinful sleep, saying, “O wretched man that I am, that I should sleep in the daytime, that I should sleep in the midst of difficulty, that I should so indulge the flesh as to use that rest to ease my flesh, which the Lord of the hill intended only for the relief of the spirits of pilgrims! How many steps have I taken in vain! This is what happened to Israel for their sin.
He finds his scroll and now must continue his journey in the darkness. He remembers the danger that drove Mistrust and Timorous back and begins to worry and fret over his unhappy situation. When he lifted his eyes, he saw a very stately palace, named House Beautiful, and he quickly walked forward, hoping he would find lodging.
As he approached through a very narrow passage, he saw the two lions (They were chained, but in the darkness, he did not see the chains.) He was afraid and thought about going back, seeing nothing but death ahead of him.
In the most recent film of The Pilgrim’s Progress there is the scene of that burden rolling down the hill, down and down and down it goes until it rolls into a tomb…
I love that scene – I’ve felt that burden roll off of me, like a big weight lifted off my shoulders and it was the greatest feeling ever.
Each Pilgrim’s Progress movie they make, there are always at least 1 or 2 gems that stand out in them. I want to rewatch them all and read the book.