A Journey Through Interpreter's House in Pilgrim's Progress: Part 4
Passion and Patience
In this post, we are continuing to journey through the House of the Interpreter in the Pilgrim’s Progress. This is the third scene in the Interpreter’s House. We previously considered the Portrait of a Minister (2 Parts) and the Dusty Parlor. In the next post, we will consider the Inextinguishable Blaze.
In the third scene of the Interpreter's House, Interpreter shows to Christian two children—one named Passion, the other named Patience. The lesson for Christian moves beyond merely considering the virtue of patience contrasted with the vice of passion. Christian is being taught the value of trusting in God, believing his Word, turning his back to this world, and hoping in the eternal life that is his in Christ Jesus alone.
We read,
I saw, moreover, in my dream, that the Interpreter took him by the hand, and had him into a little room, where sat two little children, each one in his chair. The name of the elder was Passion, and the name of the other Patience. Passion seemed to be much discontented; but Patience was very quiet. Then Christian asked, What is the reason of the discontent of Passion? The Interpreter answered, The Governor of them would have him stay for his best things till the beginning of the next year; but he will have all now; but patience is willing to wait.
Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a bag of treasure, and poured it down at his feet, the which he took up and rejoiced therein, and withal laughed Patience to scorn. But I beheld but a while, and he had lavished all away, and had nothing left him but rags.
CHRISTIAN. Then said Christian to the Interpreter, Expound this matter more fully to me.
INTERPRETER. So He said, These two lads are figures: Passion, of the men of this world; and Patience, of the men of that which is to come; for, as here thou seest, Passion will have all now this year, that is to say, in this world; so are the men of this world: they must have all their good things now, they cannot stay till next year, that is, until the next world, for their portion of good. That proverb, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," is of more authority with them than are all the Divine testimonies of the good of the world to come. But as thou sawest that he had quickly lavished all away, and had presently left him nothing but rags; so will it be with all such men at the end of this world.
CHRISTIAN. Then said Christian, Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom, and that upon many accounts. First, Because he stays for the best things. Second, And also because he will have the glory of his, when the other has nothing but rags.
INTERPRETER. Nay, you may add another, to wit, the glory of the next world will never wear out; but these are suddenly gone. Therefore Passion had not so much reason to laugh at Patience, because he had his good things first, as Patience will have to laugh at Passion, because he had his best things last; for first must give place to last, because last must have his time to come; but last gives place to nothing; for there is not another to succeed. He, therefore, that hath his portion first, must needs have a time to spend it; but he that hath his portion last, must have it lastingly; therefore it is said of Dives, "Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.’
CHRISTIAN. Then I perceive it is not best to covet things that are now, but to wait for things to come.
INTERPRETER. You say the truth: "For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." But though this be so, yet since things present, and our fleshly appetite, are such near neighbours one to another; and again, because things to come, and carnal sense, are such strangers one to another; therefore it is that the first of these so suddenly fall into amity, and that distance is so continued between the second.
For many of us, as we read this story, we see two distinct and different characters. But for some of us, we see ourselves in each of them. For I, personally, have lived the life of Passion, and by God’s grace and mercy alone, I have now come to know the peace and hope of Patience. I lived a life that was full of self-indulgence, replete with self-gratification, fueled by hedonistic and carnal desires, and absent of considering the eternal consequences and repercussions of my life.
While the world champions and celebrates this extreme self-autonomy, and offers it as the ultimate expression of liberation, I found it to be shallow, empty, and purposeless. I found myself to be enslaved to the world, to the devil, and to my own sinful flesh. I was lonely and miserable; I was dead in my trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Everything that this world offered to satisfy my fleshly passions was in fact being used against me to blind me to the truth and bind me to torment.
The most liberating experience of my life was when God opened my heart to the truth of the Gospel, and the scales from my eyes were lifted to see the truth of Christ, and God gifted me the faith necessary to repent of my sin and confess Christ as Lord and Savior. In that moment I was liberated from my bondage and freed to serve Christ and carry out my created purpose to glorify God and enjoy him forever. True liberation is experienced as carnal passions are put to death and sanctifying patience takes its place. In this scene, the mocked and ridiculed Patience is the truly liberated character, while Passion remains gripped in his bondage and slavery.
The Character of Passion
As we survey this story, Bunyan does an excellent job of revealing to us several aspects of the unregenerated, passion-fueled person.
1.) They are Discontented
Even though Passion is seated alongside Patience, Passion is discontented. He is restless and agitated, he is anxious and unsatisfied. This is the plight of the unconverted person. They are never content, never fulfilled, never satisfied. They are always longing for fulfillment, yet it remains so far out of their reach. They are constantly pursuing and grasping for the next temporal fulfillment in the things of the world and as soon as the excitement and pleasure of that thing wears off they are forced to move on to the next thing that they perceive will bring some sort of fulfillment to their lives.
In many ways they are like the addict looking for the next fix. While it may not be the numbing effects of an opiate, their desire for the carnal things of this world are no different. They are trying to numb the reality that they are living their lives in rebellion to their Creator. They are never content, they never have peace, and they never experience patience. Long-suffering must always be avoided. Silence and solitude are wickedly painful. The desire of the flesh must be restlessly entertained and fulfilled.
2.) They Reject the Authority of God
Christian asked, “What is the reason of the discontent of Passion?” It should be noted that the restless agitation of the unconverted person is noticeable to everyone watching. Their lack of fulfillment, lack of joy, constant pursuit of worldly pleasures, and consistent bouncing from one carnal fixation to the next is easily seen by those who are patiently resting in the grace of God found in Christ. It's gut-wrenching to see the pain that sin and the rejection of God causes in the lives of those we love.
Interpreter answers Christian’s question, “The Governor of them would have him stay for his best things till the beginning of the next year, but he will have it all now; but patience is willing to wait.” It's not just that Passion desires to have all of his carnal desires fulfilled now that causes his impatience. He is a rebel who lives in abject rejection of the supreme authority of God.
The Governor, who is an allegorical representation of God in this picture, is withholding from Passion the things of this world as a means of giving something far better to him in the world to come. The Governor is withholding from Passion sinful carnal temporal pleasures so that he can give to him the ‘best things’ in eternity.
But Passion will not have it. He rejects the authority of God and rejects the goodness of God. Passion is like the hedonist of our own day. Being blinded, he has determined within himself that the greatest moral good for him is whatever will make him feel pleasure in the moment. All that he can see is the restraining hand of God infringing on his temporal desire to feed his carnality.
Like Eve in the Garden, he denies the goodness of God, he denies the consequences of indulging in his sinful desires. As Eve looked at the tree, she determined within her heart that the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise. (Genesis 3:6) So she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband who passively stood by, and in this act, they chose to pleasure themselves over obedience and worship to their Creator God. This is the constant posture of the child of Adam.
The person represented by Passion is like the Israelites in Numbers 11,
1 And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (Numbers 11:1-6)
The people of Israel complain to God because their carnal lusts and desires are not being fulfilled. Like Passion, they want their treasure now, and cannot be bothered to wait in patient obedience on the Lord. The Lord responds to them in anger and sends fire down from heaven which leads to them begging Moses to intercede for them.
What’s fascinating, is that as soon as the fire from heaven relents, many of the Israelites fueled with strong cravings for instant gratification begin crying out and complaining again, “Oh that we had meat to eat.” Not only that they begin dreaming of Egypt. They begin longing for slavery, for Pharaoh's whip, and for his taskmaster's burden.
This is the insanity of sin, “I would rather be enslaved and have my fleshly desires fulfilled than be liberated and patient.” The unregenerate person filled with carnal passion chooses sin over God, temporal pleasure over patient obedience, and hell over heaven.
A.W. Pink in a sermon titled, “The Cross and Self,” put it this way, "The language of the unsaved is, "We will not have this Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). The attitude of the Christian is, "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil 1:21)—to honor, please, and serve Him."
3.) They Reject the Word of God
Being rebels against God, they cannot stand to hear the One of supreme authority speak. The rejection of God’s authority is seen in their rejection of his Word.
Bunyan writes, “That proverb, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,’ is of more authority with them than are all the Divine testimonies of the good of the world to come.”
Bunyan is letting us know that the philosophy of the unregenerate person is ‘I want all pleasures now and I am unwilling to wait for eternal pleasures.’ This hedonistic philosophy is derived from the world through an outright rejection of the Word of God. For worldly ideologies are of more authority to the unregenerate than are all of the Divine testimonies and promises found in the Scriptures.
These are people with itching ears who search out for themselves those who will scratch their itch. They desire the soothing balm of mind-numbing echo chambers over the inspired Word of the One True God. They cannot stand to be shown from the Scriptures the truth of who they are and who God is.
The Psalmist writes,
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)
This is the heart of the patient regenerate person. They love the Word of God, they believe it, they trust and hope in the testimonies and promises contained in it, and they desire the Word of God and the God of the Word more than anything this world can offer. The patient faithful person has submitted themselves to the authority of the Word and their lives are governed by the Word. Therefore, they are calm, they are at peace, they are eagerly awaiting their eternal inheritance “that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:4)
4.) They are Idolaters
The Apostle Paul writes,
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-32)
This is Passion and those whom he allegorically represents. They have rejected God, they have suppressed the truth of God, they have chosen to worship the creature over the Creator, and in doing so have become fools. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1) It is the fool who refuses to worship God in favor of worshipping themselves.
In everything Passion does he is worshipping himself. He is driven by self-love and self-worship. He is the idol of his own heart. The Scottish divine, Alexander Whyte, writes of the sin of Passion, “it is out of self-love that all our other evil passions spring. . . . The whole fall and ruin and misery of our present human nature lies in this, that in every human being self-love has taken, in addition to its own place, the place of the love of God and of the love of man also. . . . All that God is doing with us and for us in providence and in grace, in the world and in the church, - it is all to cure us of this deadly disease of self-love.”
Dr. Barry Honer writes of Passion, “His walk is by sight rather than faith, by feeling rather than future promise, by substance rather than spirit, by time rather than eternity, by the words of men rather than the Word of God.” This is the plight of the idolater. They have become dumb, blind, and deaf to the things of God.
Speaking of the detrimental effects of idolatry the Psalmist writes,
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:4-8)
And so, when the bag of treasure is dropped at the feet of Passion, he rejoices in the temporal pleasure, unable to see the danger of his sin and rejection of God, he immediately squanders it and is left with nothing but rags.
5.) They Mock the Faith of Others
When Passion receives his treasure, he rejoices and then immediately laughed Patience to scorn. He mocks and scorns the Christians who patiently wait on the good and eternal promises of God.
Passion is like the rich man in Luke 16:19-20 who feasted sumptuously every day in scorn of the poor beggar named Lazarus at his gate. You’ll recall both men died. The poor man went to heaven and the rich man went to hell.
We read,
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ (Luke 16:22-26)
Here the unbeliever is warned that the treasures of this world will be of no benefit in hell. And the believer is reminded that even though we may suffer in this life as we await the promises of God, there awaits for us an eternal and unfading treasure in the heavens that far surpasses anything this dying world can offer.
6.) They are Coveters
Coveting is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5, Ephesians 5:5) We have already made the point that the passion-filled unregenerate person is an idolater, however, we must note that Christian comes to perceive, “it is not best to covet things that are now, but to wait for things to come.”
Passion is guilty of violating the 10th Commandment, “You shall not covet.” To covet is to scream in the face of God that what he has given to you is not good enough. That you need more. It is to reject God in favor of the worldly things that you do not have. It is to desire the world more than it is to desire God.
Consider the Westminster Larger Catechism:
Q. 147. What are the duties required in the tenth commandment?
A. The duties required in the tenth commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.Q. 148. What are the sins forbidden in the tenth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the tenth commandment are, discontentment with our own estate; envying, and grieving at the good of our neighbor, together with all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.
Passion has no contentment with his own condition. He is filled with discontentment concerning his own estate, envying and grieving over what he does not have. This coveting in his heart leads to rebellion in his actions.
The Character of Patience
We will consider the character of Patience briefly because he is simply contrasted with Passion. We could simply say Patience is the opposite of Passion. Patience is regenerate and Passion is unregenerate. Let us consider what are the marks of the regenerated patient person.
1.) They are Content
“Passion seemed to be much discontented; but Patience was very quiet.” The reason for Patience's contentment is his confidence in the promise of God that “the glory of the next world will never wear out; but these are suddenly gone.”
The regenerated person is not enamored with worldly treasures, they are not living their best life now, and they are not fueled by fulfilling their carnal desires. Rather, they trust in the Lord, they put to death the deeds of the flesh and strive to live by the Spirit. In doing so, they live out the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy,
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:-10)
2.) They are Subject to the Authority of God
Patience does not belong to this world, for his citizenship is in heaven, and therefore his Lord and Master is the King of that Celestial Kingdom. He finds great pleasure in obeying his Governor’s commands.
The regenerate person rejoices in the Law of God and finds it to be good and gracious. They love Jesus and therefore obey his commands. (John 14:15)
3.) They Accept the Word of God
The Governor has told Patience and Passion to wait for the best things to come. Passion rejects the Word, Patience receives and accepts the Word.
This is a true mark of the regenerated person. They are those who find themselves subjected to the authority of the Word of God and their lives are governed by the Word of God.
4.) They are not Driven by the Desire for Temporal Pleasures
Christian sees that Patience has the best wisdom because, “he will have the glory of his, when the other has nothing but rags.”
The regenerated person lives out the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, their heart, mind, affections, and focus are on heavenly things. They have turned their backs on the lusts of this world and living with their gaze to the heavens, beholding the glory of the Lord.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
The regenerated person knows that Passion’s mockery is only temporary. They know this life is fleeting and this world is plunging towards ruin, so they prefer the deferred eternal treasure and they store it up in the heavens.
And it must be noted, Patience is not merely waiting for the treasure of heaven in some joyless plight. He has been reconciled to his God, he has been filled with the Holy Spirit, he is rejoicing always.
5.) They are Children of the World to Come
Patience’s hope is the hope of the redeemed and regenerated, it is the hope the Apostle Paul writes of in Philippians 3:20-4:1,
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
They know they are pilgrims in a foreign land headed towards the Celestial City and so they live with their eyes towards the City of God and not the City of Man.
6.) They have a Superior Inheritance Awaiting Them
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ( 1 Peter 1:3-5)
The regenerated heart knows that there is nothing in this world, no matter how brightly it glistens, that will compare to the Beatific Vision that awaits them in the heavens. So they patiently await that vastly superior treasure that God has promised.
We learn a lot from these two children in Interpreter's House. Let us examine ourselves and let us be found contently and patiently waiting on the eternal treasure that God has surely promised to us on that Day of the Lord.
Grace to you,
Chase