Pride in Family

Journey to the Celestial City #61. In our continuing look at John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” today we find the man, Christian, the Lord having just allowed him escape from Vanity Fair, upon leaving there he meets another friend, Hopeful. In good company these two travel and after a little while they encounter yet someone else, By-ends, from the town of Fair-speech. He will have Christian and Hopeful as companions, except on his road. In answer to Christian’s reply about Fair-speech, “Is there any good that lives there?,” By-ends turns to family pride. Of course, they are rich in Fair-speech and almost every last one there is a relation of By-ends including: the Lord Turn-about, Mr. Smooth-man, Mr. Facing-both-ways and Mr. Two-tongues. There is also his great-grandfather who “was but a waterman, looking one way and rowing another” from which By-ends inherited “most of his estate by the same occupation.” And then there’s the wife of By-ends. His and her religion consists of: (1) Never go against the flow; and (2) Only when the sun is shining. And pride in family is a dangerous trap. And even if it’s our father or mother or wife or children that are against Christ, we must choose Him or lose our soul. “‘No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.'” (Matthew 6:24ab) “‘If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.'” (Luke 14:26) More to come in the next blog post. Check back soon. (To read this entire blog post series, scroll down to “Pilgrim’s Progress Series” in the left sidebar.) pp 90