Pilgrims

Pilgrimage is a biblical concept that’s as old as Adam – when he got booted from the garden, or at least Cain, who became a wanderer on the earth as he wandered East to the land of Nod (Genesis 4:14-16).

Abraham was a pilgrim, as was the entire Hebrew nation in the wilderness. King David and his family were pilgrims (Psalm 39:12), along with those exiled to Babylon, the faithful prophets and believers of the Old Testament (Hebrews 11:13), the church in Pontus (1 Peter 1:1), all those called to take up their cross and follow Jesus, and every child of Abraham.

With its origins in scripture, the concept of pilgrimage can be found throughout the world.  From our journey toward the sinless and perfected Heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, to Aboriginal walkabouts and monkish retreats, and, as a later development and by imitation, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, pilgrimage holds a significant place in human culture. Why?

Part of it has to do with holding the things of this world lightly.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

Peter’s words are grounded in the words of Jesus who calls every Christian to sacrificial living.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

Light loads also make the journey easier (Matthew 11:29-30).

But there’s another aspect to our life as pilgrims and it has to do with the transformation and sanctification of the soul.

Being a pilgrim doesn’t just get you from A to B. It doesn’t just get you to the Heavenly City. It also prepares you for the Heavenly City.

Being a pilgrim and taking the journey changes who you are. It transforms.

We see depictions of this in cultures where boys become men by taking a journey or retreat with the elders of their community. They leave home as boys, and return as men.

There’s a labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral in France. It’s a deliberate depiction of the Christian life as a pilgrimage.

The centre represents man made whole, Polaris, the North star, the Heavenly City, but in order to reach the centre, you have to visit every quarter of the circle. And it’s the journey itself that makes you fit for life at the centre.

We see a curious parallel to this spiritual part of our lives in our own physical bodies. Medical science has noticed a curious thing that happens when people travel to other cultures and countries. When, out of necessity, we are made to adjust our behaviour to fit the surrounding culture, new genes with new potential are switched on in our bodies to accommodate the change.

Think of it as a new room in the house suddenly being illuminated when the light is switched on. The room was always there, but now, with the lights on, our physical and mental potential increases. Who we are is being quite literally transformed to varying degrees as a result of the journey.

Perhaps you’ve experienced something like this. Maybe it was a new job, a new neighbourhood, getting married, having your first child, or simply the experience of driving out of town.

A week of being bogged down with life’s cares suddenly begins to lift as you drive away. The head begins to clear, and difficult decisions now seem easier to make – just by going for a walk.

This is by design. We are pilgrims on a path set by God. A path that not only gets us somewhere but changes us along the way.

This is why, as believers, we have no need to fear change and no need to fear our circumstances. The journey may include dark days and sacrifice, but it’s not meaningless. It’s not pointless busy work until we die. It’s our discipleship in Christ.

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem… Jesus himself drew near and went with them…

…and they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened… (Luke 24:13-35)

Walking close to Jesus, walking by faith, walking in the light, walking according to His commandments, isn’t so we can slip through the back door of heaven before it shuts. The journey changes who we are; it sanctifies our hearts as we travel along the road with Him. It prepares us for paradise.

Live the adventure set before you. Love the journey, knowing that Christ works in you according to His good pleasure and your ultimate joy.