14. Pliable Arrives Home

Now I [Bunyan] saw in my dream that by this time, Pliable had arrived back at his house. So, his neighbors came to visit him, and some of them called him wise on account of his return to his home; some called him a fool for endangering himself with Christian’s company. But others mocked his cowardliness, saying, “Surely since you commenced your adventure, I would not have been so fainthearted as to give in for a few difficulties.” So Pliable sat cringing in their midst. But at last he regained his confidence so that his neighbors then turned their attention toward deriding poor Christian behind his back. However, that is enough concerning Pliable.

John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress

1. What does it say about the neighbors of Pliable, that they called him wise for returning home?
2. What about the ones who called him a fool for going in the first place?
3. What about the ones who call him a coward for leaving after just a few difficulties?
4. Does Matthew 13:20-21 make sense as we look at Pliable?
5. Is it surprising that Pliable and the other neighbors start mocking and scorning Christian even though he isn’t even present?

Matthew 13:19-23 – “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Which soil are you? Are you a “Pliable” or “Obstinate,” or are you a pilgrim named Christian?