By: Obed Pineda
If you enjoy jogging or hiking on a trail at a park, you may have noticed wooden posts or some sort of decorative stone marker with a number on it. These indicators are called mileposts and (as the name suggests) their purpose is to notify the hiker of the distance he has traveled. This system was first adopted by the road builders of the ancient Roman Empire due to enormity of the road networks that ran all across the empire. These simple, yet efficient, intervals helped the commuter take note of the progress he had made on his journey, and how much further he still had left to reach his point of destination as well. These posts were originally made out of stone (such as granite or marble) and were in the form of an obelisk with an inscription of a dedication to the ruling Cesar of the period when it was built or the distance to a nearby city. Therefore, these stone reference points eventually became widely known as milestones. Apart from providing information about distance, this fascinating system served a secondary and valuable purpose. Milestones were also installed by the ancient road builders to provide direction to the traveler that would either reassure him he was on the right path leading to his desired location or they indicated the opposite, thus advising him to reroute his journey. Knowing then the original (and still current) purpose for these literal milestones, it becomes abundantly clear how, and why, today this is better recognized as a term that speaks about a significant, important, and memorable accomplishment that has been achieved. The indelible impact ancient Roman society has had on the modern world is undoubtedly remarkable. Today, milestones are more frequently associated with celebratory time markers reached in a person’s life. Examples of these are like when a young person becomes 18 or 21, and the adult reaches the ages of 30, 50, or perhaps even 100. A married couple that remains married for 25, 50, or more years, is lauded for reaching such a momentous milestones together. Verily, there are a plethora of ways that milestones can be achieved in life, whether it be naturally through age, or through endurance, diligently working to meet a set goal. One thing is certain; these monumental events that transpire in our lives should serve the same purpose that the literal mileposts have always served on the roads. When these precious moments are attained, one should look back and reflect upon the path that brought him this far, but must consider the road still left to travel as well. Irrefutably, this was the motive behind Jehovah God instituting the Passover feast on the night Israel would be liberated from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12:1-28), and for Christ to institute the Lord’s Supper on the night He was to be arrested (Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:14-20, Acts 20:7, 1st Corinthians 11:23-29). The similarity between both of these momentous occasions should not be unperceived especially when the Holy Spirit, through the quill of Paul, exhorts “purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1st Corinthians 5:7, emphasis added). The inspired apostle alludes to the commandment given by Jehovah concerning the unleavened bread that the Israelites were to eat for seven days. Moses was instructed to inform the Israelites that “on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, emphasis added). Although it is true that the lesson of this practice was to teach that God had cleansed them from their spiritual impurities, it was also to signify a new beginning. The same is true with Christ and His memorial feast, for observe that, “as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28, emphasis added). Therefore, in both of these milestones, God was revealing to mankind His saving grace and the opportunity to a new life; a new beginning. The apostle Paul boldly announced that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2nd Corinthians 5:17, emphasis added). The old, sinful man that was buried in the watery grave of baptism (Romans 6:3-7) is the old leaven that Paul urges us to purge out; the same leaven God commanded Israel to remove from their homes on the first day of the feast. Ergo, it is undeniable that in the New Testament age that we currently live in, putting on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) is an enormous milestone that marks the end of one personal era, ushering in the beginning of a new one. Yet, it is imperative to not forget that the purpose of milestones is not only to update on the distance traveled, and left to travel, but also to provide verification of the direction being traveled on. When the Lord signaled the Passover feast as Israel’s New Year, He also declared to them that “this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:14, emphasis added). On this day, the children of Israel were to make memory of how Jehovah God freed them with a mighty hand from the chains of Egypt, and gave them the promised land (Exodus 12:26-28). The Lord was teaching His chosen people that they were to look back, yearly, from where their journey began, to where they had arrived, and how much further they still needed to go. The purpose of this feast was to so that Israel could learn to be humble, grateful, and motivated. Humble because they would always remember that they were once slaves. Grateful because God had liberated them from the bondage and given them a land of milk and honey. Motivated because they were not to become complacent with the terrestrial land they conquered, rather strive to enter into the eternal, celestial one as well. This precious lesson undeniably echoes Paul’s declaration to the Philippians as he pressed forward to attain the “prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). Milestones are worthy of being celebrated, but their true value appears when they are used judiciously as a moment to self-reflect on the past, be grateful for the present, and diligently build upon them the confidence to continue to grow and improve. Therefore, as I reflect on the blessing that was granted to this humble servant to serve Christ and His kingdom five years ago today, and the road we have traveled together thus far, I am humbled to express my genuine gratitude first to Him for this mercy, and to you for your confidence in me. Looking ahead at the remaining path before us, let us continue until we arrive and gain entrance into that heavenly city prepared in eternity by Him (Hebrews 11:13-16).