Good Friday Devotion: Hopeful's Story

I prefer Bunyan's full-length version, but some cutting and a few word substitutions were needed to make this work for our family's Good Friday worship. The part of Christian can be read by different people, each one asking a few questions.

"Interview with a Sinner"--adapted from The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan

Light a candle and open with prayer.

CHRISTIAN: Then Christian began and said, I will ask you a question. How came you to think at first of so doing as you do now?

HOPEFUL: Do you mean, how came I at first to think of the good of my soul?

CHRISTIAN: Yes, that is my meaning.

HOPEFUL: I continued a great while in the delight of the treasures and riches of the world. I delighted much in revelling, drinking, swearing, lying, uncleanness, Sabbath-breaking, and what not, that destroy the soul. Sin was yet very sweet to my flesh, and I was loath to leave it. But the hours in which convictions were upon me were such troublesome and such heart-affrighting hours that I could not bear, no not so much as the remembrance of them, upon my heart.

CHRISTIAN: Then, as it seems, sometimes you got rid of your trouble.

HOPEFUL: Yes, but it would come into my mind again, and then I should be as bad, nay, worse, than I was before.

CHRISTIAN: Why, what was it that brought your sins to mind again?

HOPEFUL: Many things; as, If I did but meet a good man in the streets; or, If I have heard anything read in the Bible; or, If mine head did begin to ache; or, If I were told that some of my neighbours were sick; or, If I heard the bell toll for some that were dead; or, If I thought of dying myself; or, If I heard that sudden death happened to others; But especially, when I thought that I myself must come to judgment.

CHRISTIAN: And could you at any time, with ease, get off the guilt of sin, when by any of these ways it came upon you?

HOPEFUL: No, not I, for then they got faster hold of my conscience; and then, if I did but think of going back to sin, (though my mind was turned against it), it would be double torment to me. So I fled from not only my sins, but sinful company too; and betook me to religious duties, as prayer, reading, weeping for sin, speaking truth to my neighbours, and other things, too much here to relate.

CHRISTIAN: And did you think yourself well then?

HOPEFUL: Yes, for a while; but at the last, my trouble came tumbling upon me again.

CHRISTIAN: How came that about, since you were now reformed?

HOPEFUL: Sayings such as these: "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." And many more such like. I began to reason with myself thus: If a man runs a hundred pounds into the shopkeeper's debt, and after that shall pay for all that he shall fetch; yet, if this old debt stands still in the book uncrossed, for that the shopkeeper may sue him, and cast him into prison till he shall pay the debt.

CHRISTIAN: Well, and how did you apply this to yourself?

HOPEFUL: Why; I thought thus with myself. I have, by my sins, run a great way into God's book, and my reforming will not pay off that score; therefore I should think still, even with all my present amendments, how shall I be freed from that debt I owe from my former transgressions? Another thing that hath troubled me, even since I tried to improve my ways, is, that if I look closely at the best of what I do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of that I do; so that now I think I have committed sin enough in one duty to send me to hell, even if my former life had been faultless.

CHRISTIAN: And what did you do then?

HOPEFUL: Faithful told me, that unless I could obtain the righteousness of a man that never had sinned, neither mine own, nor all the righteousness of the world could save me.

CHRISTIAN: And did you think he spake true?

HOPEFUL: Had he told me so when I was pleased and satisfied with my own improvement, I would have called him fool for his pains; but now, since I see mine own infirmity, and the sin that clings even to my best performance, I have been forced to be of his opinion.

CHRISTIAN: But did you think, when at first he suggested it to you, that there was such a man to be found, of whom it might justly be said that he never committed sin?

HOPEFUL: I must confess the words at first sounded strangely, but after a little more talk and company with him, I had full conviction about it.

CHRISTIAN: And did you ask him what man this was, and how you must be justified by him?

HOPEFUL: Yes, and he told me it was the Lord Jesus, that dwelleth on the right hand of the Most High. And thus, said he, you must be justified by him, even by trusting to what he hath done by himself, in the days of his flesh, and suffered when he did hang on the tree.

CHRISTIAN: And what did you do then?

HOPEFUL: I made my objections against my believing, for that I thought he was not willing to save me.

CHRISTIAN: And what said Faithful to you then?

HOPEFUL: He bid me go to him and see. Then I said it was presumption; but he said, No, for I was invited to come. I told him that I knew not what to say when I came. And he bid me say to this effect: God be merciful to me a sinner, and make me to know and believe in Jesus Christ; for I see, that if his righteousness had not been, or I have not faith in that righteousness, I am utterly cast away. Lord, I have heard that thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Saviour of the world; and moreover, that thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am a sinner indeed); Lord, take therefore this opportunity and magnify thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

CHRISTIAN: And did you do as you were bidden?

HOPEFUL: Yes; over, and over, and over.

CHRISTIAN: And did the Father reveal his Son to you?

HOPEFUL: Not at the first, nor second, nor third, nor fourth, nor fifth; no, nor at the sixth time neither.

CHRISTIAN: What did you do then?

HOPEFUL: What! why I could not tell what to do.

CHRISTIAN: Had you not thoughts of leaving off praying?

HOPEFUL: Yes; an hundred times twice told.

CHRISTIAN: And what was the reason you did not?

HOPEFUL: I believed that that was true which had been told me, that without the righteousness of this Christ, all the world could not save me; and therefore, thought I with myself, if I leave off I die, and I can but die at the throne of grace. And withal, this came into my mind, "Though it tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not tarry." So I continued praying until the Father showed me his Son.

CHRISTIAN: And how was he revealed unto you?

HOPEFUL: One day I was very sad, I think sadder than at any one time in my life, and this sadness was through a fresh sight of the greatness and vileness of my sins. And then suddenly, I thought I saw the Lord Jesus Christ look down from heaven upon me, and saying, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." But I replied, Lord, I am a great, a very great sinner. And I heard him say, "And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."

READER 1: "He is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

READER 2: "He died for our sins, and rose again for our justification."

READER 3: "He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

HOPEFUL: I understood then that I must look for righteousness in his person, and for satisfaction for my sins by his blood; that what he did in obedience to his Father's law, and in submitting to the penalty thereof, was not for himself, but for anyone that will accept it for his salvation, and be thankful. And now was my heart full of joy, mine eyes full of tears, and mine affections running over with love to the name, people, and ways of Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIAN: This was a revelation of Christ to your soul indeed; but tell me particularly what effect this had upon your spirit.

HOPEFUL: It made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name of the Lord Jesus; yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord Jesus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER 1: O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

READER 2: Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.

READER 3: How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

READER 4: My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

READER 5: What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

Closing Hymn: "And Can It Be"

Blow out the candle.