him, and of his words. He knows that the day is coming, when all things shall be made plain. It is by keeping that day in mind that we shall be able to choose wisely here; and the Lord Jesus, knowing the weakness of the faith of those who stood around him, encouraged them by the assurance, that some of themselves should see his religion established with power. He was now despised; and it was true they should see him rejected, condemned, and put to death; but they should also see him rise again, and some among them should live to see his kingdom grow stronger and stronger, till it was spread abroad among the nations. This seems to be the meaning of the words of Jesus when He said MATTHEW xvi. 28. "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Or, as Mark writes, "till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." The words "the kingdom of God," and "the kingdom of heaven," as we have already seen, are often used by our Lord, to express the rule and power of the Christian religion over the heart and life, changing men into the subjects of the great king-even of God. There seems to be little doubt that it was in this meaning our Lord declared, that some of those who now heard him should live to see the kingdom of God come with power. All the apostles-except Judas the traitor-did live to see their Lord rise from the grave, and set up the kingdom ;* which, though even in this our day it remains unseen, because "faith is still the evidence of things not seen," yet has power to change all things, and to bring all men under his dominion. The Church of Christ is his kingdom, and the whole earth shall be brought beneath its rule. *Acts i. 3-10. HYMN. Jesus! and shall it ever be ? A mortal man ashamed of thee ! Ashamed of Jesus! sooner far Let evening blush to own a star; Ashamed of Jesus! just as soon Let midnight be ashamed of noon; Ashamed of Jesus! that dear friend, On whom my hopes of heaven depend ! XI. MATT. XVII. MARK IX. LUKE IX. We have read Peter's confession in the name of all the apostles, that whatever other men might think of Jesus, they believed him to be "the Christ, the Son of the living God." We have also read the solemn blessing bestowed upon Peter, and the promise given, that he and the truth he confessed, should be upheld through the shock of every trial, even as a rock amid the raging sea remains firm unto the end. We have seen that notwithstanding Peter's early faith that Jesus was the Son of God, he yet started back in fear and dislike, from the plan by which man was to be saved-the sufferings and death of the Messiah. We have read the rebuke given LUKE IX. 29. MATTHEW XVII. 2, 3. LUKE Ix. 31, 32. 43 by Christ, and his warning to all, that they must deny themselves if they would follow him; that they must bear with patience whatever suffering God sends them, looking to a glorious end, when Christ should "come in his own glory, and in his Father's, with the holy angels." Let us keep all this in mind while we farther read: "It was at the end of six days after these things, that Jesus called unto him Peter, and James, and John." These three their Lord chose from out of the twelve, to be more entirely with himself. When He had raised from death the little daughter of Jairus, it was these three only, whom, "with the father and mother of the damsel," he had taken with him into the chamber where she lay dead. We shall find as the history of Jesus goes on to its end, that it is still these three he keeps with him in his hour of greatest suffering. Let us follow them now in thought as they climbed with their Lord one of the highest mountains near the shores of the sea of Galilee. From earliest times it has been believed that this mountain was mount Tabor, the highest of them all. Why did Jesus thus lead Peter, and James, and John, up into a high mountain apart by themselves? The Saviour knelt to pray; but his three disciples were heavy with sleep; yet they might well be wakeful. They were now to see what man's eye had never seen. A strange light shone around, and LUKE ix. 29. "As Jesus prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering." MATTHEW xvii. 2, 3. "He was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias, talking with him.” LUKE ix. 31, 32. "Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him." Was it the brightness of the light that awoke them from their sleep? We know not; but "when they awoke," they, not one, but all the three, saw his glory. They saw and knew Moses and Elias. Ages and ages had passed since these men had been upon the earth; but now they stood once more upon it. Moses, the giver of God's laws to Israel, and Elias, the greatest of the prophets. Shining in the bright light of heaven, they spake with Jesus concerning the death He was to die at Jerusalem. The three apostles, roused up from their sleep, beheld this glorious vision. Then Peter spake aloud MATTHEW iv. 4. "And said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: (not knowing what he said, Luke ix. 33. But the forms of Moses and Elias were already departing.) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them : دو LUKE ix. 34, 35. "And they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." MATTHEW xvii. 6. "And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were sore afraid.” LUKE ix. 26. "And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone." MATTHEW Xvii. 7, 8. "And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lift up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." Thus does the word of God describe this solemn scene. The secrets of heaven were for a moment opened up to man. In the glorious light of eternity the three apostles saw Moses, whose body had been buried on the top of Pisgah, in the land of Moab, more than a thousand years before! * They saw Elias, who had been taken up alive into heaven, and had been there, body and soul, nine hundred years! In that glorious light they saw them both; and, shining as the sun, their own beloved Lord, the Saviour-through whom alone Moses and Elias, and every son of Adam, could ever enter the kingdom of heaven. They saw that the spirits in glory took interest in the affairs of earth-in the carrying out of God's plan for the salvation of men-for they heard them speak with Jesus, not only of his decease, but that He should accomplish at Jerusalem the sacrifice by which the world should be saved. Yes, they knew the place and the manner of his death, and the very sufferings, from the thought of which Peter had shrunk back in fear and dislike, these glorified saints had come down to speak of with their Lord, and a voice from the bright cloud into which they entered as they departed, affirmed the truth of Peter's confession, that Jesus was the Son of God: "This is my beloved Son, hear him." When the voice was past, Jesus was found alone, but the three apostles had fallen upon their faces, for they were sore afraid. Not for a moment did the Lord forget them-" He came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid." Surely we should not pass from this solemn scene without dwelling for a moment on its glories. Peter was so transported with holy wonder and delight, that he knew not the words he was saying, but his meaning clearly was-"O that this might last-that thou, my Lord and Master, wouldst remain thus glorious-that Moses and Elias would abide with thee, and that we might be with thee here." * Moses died 1451 years before Christ. |