Cross and Sepulchre
Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death. Then he stood still
awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight
of the Cross should thus ease him of his burden. (Christian, during his talk
subsequently in the Porter's Lodge tells Piety, "I went but a little further, and I saw One, as I thought
in my mind, hang bleeding upon the Tree; and the very sight of Him made my
burden fall off my back for I groaned under a heavy Burden, but then it fell
down from off me")
Three Shining Ones meeting Christian
(Christian as directed by the Interpreter now reaches the place of the Cross and the Sepulchre en route to the Celestial City)
He looked therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold three Shining Ones came to him and saluted him with "Peace be to thee"; so the first said to him, "Thy sins and iniquities be purged and thy burden be cast away": the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with Change of Raiment; the third also set a mark in his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bid him to look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the Celestial Gate. So they went their way. Who's this? the Pilgrim. How! 'tis very true,Old things are past away, all's become new.Strange! he's another man, upon my word,They be fine Feathers that make a fine bird.Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing, Thus far did I come laden with my sin;
Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in
Till I came hither: What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss?
Must here the burden fall from off my back?
Must here the strings that bound it to me crack?
Blessed Cross! blesed Sepulchre! blessed rather be
The man that there was put to shame for me.
Interpretation:
Christian during his earlier journey to the same place, he had a similar emotional experience after seeing the Crucified Christ. But at that time he chose to backslide and to return to the city of destruction after getting rid of his burden. There he had met a false teacher who had cautioned him against proceeding beyond the Golgotha. However, during this journey, he was rightly guided by Goodwill who took him by his hand and pulled him inside the Gate when he procrastinated at the Gate. The Evangelist rightly led him to the Wicket Gate by preaching the right gospel for escaping the City of Destruction and reaching the Celestial City. Merely preaching the gospel and presenting Jesus as Saviour and Healer or Miracle Worker is not enough. But the preacher has to persuade the lost soul to accept Jesus as his Saviour and Lord. The saved soul has to be made a disciple of the Lord being confirmed in the faith by water baptism.
We get the burden on our back removed at the Cross and the Sepulchre. The Cross cannot be separated from the Sepulchre for our salvation from the sin or for our freedom from the burden of the cares of this life. We carry the burden on our back even after reaching the Calvary. We stop at the Calvary and do not go to the empty Sepulchre to believe that our Lord has indeed risen from the dead. The power of resurrection is available at the Sepulchre. It is the power of resurrection through the indwelling Holy Spirit we can overcome the sin; get rid of the cares of this life. Distraught believers go to different preachers and churches seeking deliverance from the burden of the sin or from the burden of the cares of this life. They have no faith in the Cross and the Sepulchre but in the ability of preachers who give a sermon or pray for them. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out".(John 6:37). Jesus Christ is not manifested in any message or in any prayer but in the Cross and the Sepulchre. If you go to Him, He will never cast you out.
Christian looked at the Cross and the Sepulchre and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. He stood there weeping. Today multitudes are brought to the Cross just to say a simple prayer of confession without repentance. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise". (Ps.51:7). Where are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart?
The Interpreter takes the Christian towards the Cross and the Sepulchre after showing him the twin sisters of Passion and Patience, fire burning against the wall, stately palace, man in iron cage. After reaching the Cross and the Sepulchre, the Christian has not reached the Celestial city. Nowadays, preachers tell us that as and when we reach the Cross, we get salvation and enter the Celestial City. There is a long way for the Christian to go. It is a long journey full of hazards, snares, pits and falls.
You are clothed with Change of Raiment at the Cross and the Sepulchre. The rags which you were wearing earlier give place to New Garments. You receive here the Holy Spirit who clothe you with His garments. As you have put off your rags here, you need to take a bath in the water-tub by water baptism as a symbolism of washing of your sins by the blood of the Lamb. A mark is set on your forehead to show that you are different from the people of this world. You have become a new creature in Christ Jesus. You are also given a Roll with a seal upon it. It is the Word of God that you have to read and meditate for guidance during your journey and you find a seal upon it. It is a sealed Roll. It cannot be tampered with. It cannot be misquoted or wrongly interpreted because the seal on it prevents it from such tampering. You should read and meditate it on your own with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Of course, you may find the help of your guide, the Interpreter, till you reach the Celestial City. The Interpreter merely interprets what is written in the Roll. You should not forget to carry it. Do not ask the false teachers or the false prophets to read this Roll for you. They will simply remove the seal and read it for you and you may be deceived.
Today, millions do not read this sealed Roll themselves but listen to their pastors or favorite evangelists. They lose this precious gift given to them at the Cross and the Sepulchre during their onward journey to the Celestial City. They also do not look at the change of garments which took place in their lives. They go to some preachers to receive the Holy Spirit through them as if the Holy Spirit is transferred to them through a conduit. The mark is already set on their head by the Holy Spirit to constantly remind them that Jesus is with them and in them.
The Cross and the Sepulchre should not be forgotten by us even after we get saved from our sin, till we reach the final destination i.e. the Celestial City. When we get wounded by the Apollyon or by the false teachers/false prophets, we have to come back to the Cross and Sepulchre to get refreshed or restored.