A man in rags
A man in rags with a burden on his back
The Pilgrim's progress if rightly interpreted is meant for the Christians of today who profess to follow Christ but deny Him through their lives. The life of a Christian who is on the way to perfection is full of ups and downs.
John Bunyan firstly sees the dream of a man clothed in rags as follows:
I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a Book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the Book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying What shall I do?"
Then said Evangelist, "If this be thy condition, why standest thou still?" He answered, "Because I know not whither to go". Then he gave him a parchment - roll, and there was written within, Fly from the wrath to come. The man therefore read it, and looking upon Evangelist very carefully, said, "Whither must I fly"? Then said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, "Do you see yonder Wicket-gate?" The man said, No. Then said the other, "Do you see yonder shining Light?" He said, "I think I do". Then said Evangelist, "Keep that Light in your eye, and go up directly thereto: so shalt thou see the Gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do". so shalt thou see the Gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall be told thee what thou shalt do".
So I saw in my dream that the man began to run. Now he had not run far from his own door, but his wife and children, perceiving it, began to cry after him to return; but the man out his fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying "Life! Life! Eternal Life"! So he looked not behind him, but fled towards the middle of the plain.
Interpretation:
Normally, John Bunyan refers to a man who was not saved by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus. However, in addition to the definition of this man by John Bunyan as one who was not saved from the burden of the sin, I am also referring this man prophetically as one belonging to any of the following three categories:
The first group comprises people who have gone to Jesus for miracles or healing but have never gone to the Cross and Sepulchre. They just go to the ministers concerned to be prayed for. They have not become disciples of Jesus.
The second category is of those who had once been to the Cross and the Sepulchre but who have now turned to a false gospel and have begun to backslide because they have ceased to bear their crosses and follow Jesus denying them. They have since got their white dresses of salvation soiled by the sin that beset them easily leaving a burden on their back for the cares of this life. They have begun to listen to the false teachers who placed a heavy burden on his back by bringing him under the bondage of the Old Testament They have begun to depend upon the preacher. People of this category need to repent and to go back to the Cross and the Sepulchre. They are attracted to the vanities of this world and are entangled in the cares for this life. They have begun to be burdened with cares for this life as they took his eyes off the Celestial City and made this earth as their home. The burden of the cares of this life and iniquities became a great burden on their back. They have not committed grave sins but iniquities and "the sin which doth so beset us". "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb.12:1). It was not the commission of grave sins but the little sins (foxes) and the omission of good works. "Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes" (Song of Solomon 2:15).
People of the third category are those who had encountered the Cross and the Sepulchre but have been deceived by the false teachers to believe in another Jesus who is not of the Scriptures. They carry the burden of sin on their back in rag clothes.
The man in the picture belonging to the second category is the main character in this book. He is the Christian. John Bunyan who lived in a Christian nation presented this man and named him Christian. This man lives for himself and his family. This man does not follow Jesus as his Master, though he came to Him for receiving forgiveness of sins on hearing the gospel through an evangelist. This evangelist, not likened to the Evangelist of the Pilgrim’s Progress, had merely preached forgiveness of sins and worldly blessings like healing and material prosperity. He had not preached on the Celestial city and the city of destruction and hell. He had not exhorted Christian to go forth unto Him without the camp, (beyond the Golgotha) bearing His reproach (Heb.13:13). The whole truth was not preached to him. He was not exhorted to deny himself, take up His Cross and follow Jesus. Of course, he had received the garments of salvation. But, after receiving Christ as his Saviour, he has not become His disciple so as to follow Christ. He went back to the city of destruction whence he had come having been enticed towards the vanity fare in that city. He began to backslide as he did not choose to proceed further on his journey to the Celestial city.
He now blindly follows the Christian preachers who are not likened to the Evangelist in the Pilgrim's Progress. The so-called Christian preachers are false teachers and false prophets who present another Christ (Antichrist) to the millions. The garments of salvation clothed by God (Is.61:10) have now become rags in the sight of God. He has a name that he lives but is dead (Rev.3:1). He has lost his first love (Rev.2:4). The burden of sin on his back begun to increase daily coupled with the burden for the cares of this life as he took away his eyes from the Cross. He believed on the preachers, especially his church pastor and not on Christ for leading his spiritual life.
This man has acquired this great burden as he started following the instructions given to him by the false teachers and false teachers. Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light". But this man has received a yoke which is not of Jesus but of the false teachers who present another Jesus to him. He is not bearing his cross and following Jesus so that his burden is light. The god of this world has blinded his eyes so as to not discover the secrets in the word of God. By not carrying his cross and following Jesus, he has begun to carry the cares of this life which became a snare for him.
This man, Christian, meets a true preacher of the gospel, called the Evangelist of the Pilgrim’s Progress.
When this man started reading the Bible as instructed by the Evangelist/Prophet, he begins to get revelations about his own life, his backsliding, etc. He is coming out of the deception as he reads the Book with the help of the Evangelist. He now cries out "What shall I do?"
The Evangelist tells him, "Stand still a little that I may show you the words of God. “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven” (Heb.12:25). He said moreover, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. He also did thus apply them, you are the man that is running into this misery, you have begun to reject the counsel of the Most High, and to draw back your foot from the way of peace, even almost to the hazarding of you perdition. (These are the exact words spoken by the Evangelist in the Pilgrims Progress) His Neighbours (Obstinate and Pliable), wife and children could not understand the agony in his heart as they are also travelling with him in the same boat. When he tells them, "I am a pilgrim on the way to the celestial city, leaving the city of destruction, they laugh at him saying, "you have been born again and you are now a member of a church. You would definitely go to Heaven, the celestial city. God does forgive your sins when you commit them here. You can live here as you like. You are not under law but under grace. There is no condemnation of those who believe in Christ Jesus. "They quote the Word of God partially or from one angle. Read Romans 8:1-2. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death". False preachers just quote 1st verse partially and don't proceed to the succeeding verses.
If you are a man or a woman who is like this man who has defiled the garments after crucifying Christ afresh and who has since received a burden of the sins that easily beset you and iniquities, you are exhorted to look into the Bible in your hands and to follow what is written therein so as to reach the Celestial City, taking the help of Evangelist and other characters like Hopeful, Faithful, etc.