Season 5 Podcast 31 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 6, Chapter 2 B, “The Interpreter.”

Season 5 Podcast 31 John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Episode 6, Chapter 2 B, “The Interpreter.” The main character in Pilgrim’s Progress is named Christian for obvious reason’s. In Bunyan’s mind, every Christian must take the same journey. In other words, the reader is the main character or hero of the story. What Christian learns, the reader must learn. In last week’s episode, Christian breaks off with Worldly Wiseman and the City of Morality and after being chastised by Evangelist returns to the straight and narrow path.. He meets Goodwill at the Wicket Gate who open heartedly invites him in. One of the first things Christian asks Goodwill is how to get rid of the burden on his back. 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.Goodwill gives him a rather strange answer. 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."Then “Christian began to gird up his loins” meaning he was preparing himself for a long journey or for a difficult task. Proverbs 31 tells us, “She girdeth her loins with strength. And strengtheneth her arms.”  The image refers to someone tucking their long robe into a girdle or belt so they are not hampered in traveling. One would practically have to memorize the Holy Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, to pick up all the Biblical allusions in Pilgrim’s Progress. One can hardly read Pilgrim’s Progress without being astonished at his Biblical knowledge. Had he not served twelve years in prison, perhaps Bunyan would never have written Pilgrim’s Progress. There is an analogy with Milton’s Paradise Lost. Milton, who was blind at the time he wrote Paradise Lost was also a kind of prisoner in his own home. He moved to his home outside of London to escape the plague. He too would have known the Bible by heart. Both Milton and Bunyan were perceived as enemies to the crown for their political and religious beliefs. Both Pilgrim’s Progress and Paradise Lost are epic journeys of the soul, while facing enormous opposition, Satan himself being the primary enemy.Goodwill directs Christian to the house of the Interpreter. So the other told him that as soon as he was gone some distance from the gate, he would come at the house of the Interpreter, at whose door he should knock, and he would show him excellent things. Then Christian took his leave of his friend, and he again bid him God speed.The Interpreter, a person much like Evangelist, plays an important role in preparing Christian for his journey. He teaches Christian how to read the Bible by explaining what things mean. While walking through the Interpreter’s home, he sees symbols of things and each symbol must be interpreted. The imagery of the Bible, of course, is heavily symbolic, written in highly poetic language, and requires interpretation. A classic example is the use of Parables by the Savior. Sometimes Christ gave the interpretation and sometimes he didn’t. It is refreshing when Christ interprets his own parables. One gets so much more detail such as the Parable of the Sower.Then he went on till he came to the house of the Interpreter, where he knocked over and over. At last one came to the door, and asked who was there.Chris. Sir, here is a traveler who was bid by a friend of the good man of this house to call here for his benefit; I would therefore speak with the master of the house.So he called for the master of the house, who, after a little time, came to Christian, and asked him what he would have.