“A man who strays from the path of understanding

     comes to rest in the company of the dead.”

 

Recently, my family read a kids version of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan as retold by Gary D. Schmidt & illustrated by Barry Moser.  It helped my kids to better understand the ‘path’ and why anyone would stray from it.  First, we spoke of the “Path of Understanding” as that of the discernment between right and wrong.  When I asked my kids what they thought could be a reason why someone would stray from it, we talked it over and flushed out a few: “Distractions”, “disobedience”, and “following the crowd”.  

 

I then described how a rock rolls down the ravine and eventually “comes to rest” when it is done.  Often times our momentum needs to run its course, like the rolling rock, before we can come to our senses and realize we are lost.  The many times I’ve misled our family on road trips comes to mind.  The “company of the dead”, we discussed was no place they wanted to be and reminded us of those who dwell at Folly’s House.

 

When I asked my kids “Where is Jesus?”  They spoke about how Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life” as in John 14:6.  We then unpacked the judgment of the Proverb.  Once you stray, sorry, you are with the dead.  Then I asked, “How does Jesus make the ‘one who strayed’ into a new creation?”  Repentance, grace, and forgiveness was the response.  Matthew 18:12-14 tells us how there is rejoicing when the sheep who was lost is found.  The Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-32 brought this proverb to its fulfillment by telling the journey of a son who went astray and finally returned to his father, who was filled with joy to receive him.