Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-05-17
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
MAYIs.
Lesson Text: The TransflguFatiop,'
Luke TX, 2s-36- Golden Text
Luke H., S5-Commentary
ON the Lesson.

ON the Lesson.
%. And it came to pass about an eight
days after these sayings These sayings evi-
IDENTITY refer To what is recorded in this chap
ter from verses Is to 81 including the testi-
mony of Peter concerning Christ, Christ's
own testimony concerning His approaching
sufferings and death and resurrection. and
that those who follow Him must be content
10 suffer with Him; but that there is future
glory awaiting all such which will more than
recompense for all the suffering and that
some of them would not die till they had
seen the glory of that kingdom. He also tes-
titled that it any preferred their life in this
world they would lose the world to come, but
if willing 20 renounce this world for His sake
they would receive and forever enjoy the
glory of the kingdom of God
"He took Peter and John and James, and
went up into mountain to pray These are
the three whom lie took with Him to see
Jarius's daughter raised TO life and the same
three He took nearest 10 Him in the garden
of Gethsemane. He saw fit to elect these to
be with Him on these occasions He elected
twelve out of all His followers whom
He might qualify for special service He
has an elect nation through whom He yet
purposes to make Himself known to the
world, He is now gathering am elect church
out of oil nations which shall reign with Him
as priest-kings when through His elect Israel
He will subdue the world unto Himself
Election, when understood. is glorious.
90 "And as He prayed, the fashion of His
countenance was altered and His raiment
was white and glistening" Matthew and
Mark say that He was TRANSPORTED: Matthew
says that His face did shine as the sun; Marx
says that His raiment became shining, ex
cee1ing white as snow, as no fuller on earth
can white Them Matthew says His raiment
was white as the light. Here was for brief
season the outshining of that glory which
was hidden in that mortal body during His
humiliation reminding US of the Garden of
Eden when man made in the image of God
was clothed with light as with garment;
and pointing us forward TO the resur
rection and the time of the King
dom, when we shall be like Him. for
we shall see Him as He is; and the righteous
shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom
Of their Father H. John iii, q Matt. xiii, 43;
Dan. xii, 81.
80. 'And, behold, there talked with Him
Two men. which were Moses and Elias
Moses, the servant of the Lord died on
Mount Nebo 1880 years before this and the
Lord buried him in valley in the land of
Moab (Deut. xxxiy), II was about 800 years
Since Elijah was translated without dying
I'll XII. liz and vet here are both alive and
well, and il Jude tx, refers to the resurrec-
ton of Moses's body, then both stood here n
their immortal bodies. Blessed be God for
the life eternal and for the assurance that if
we are in Christ we shall be alive and well
1000 years hence, 1000 years hence, yes to all
eternity, in increasing fellowship with Him
81. who appeared in glory, and spake of
His decease which He should accomplish at
jerusalem This verse and the next are
peculiar to Luke Matthew and Mark, simply
saying that Moses and Elijah talked with
Jesus, and emitting all reference to the dis
ciples being heavy with sleep. Let us draw
near and listen to the subject of their con-
versation. for it must be the most important
of all events that they speak of. They do
not speak of the great Roman empire, nor of
the worlds progress; they do not even speak
of the condition OF Israel nor of the birth or
baptism of Jesus, but of His death which is
soon to take place at Jerusale II. That death
of which He had Himself been speak
ing to the disciples only a week be
fore; The suiferings of which He spake
after His resurrection as being fore
told by the prophets Bu. xiv, 25 ~, A.
Az Moses and Elijah, had already enjoyed
hundreds of years of rest and bliss by virtue
of these sufferings about to be accomplished.
Every redeemed soul from Abel down had
been redeemed, not by blood of animals slain
as sacrifices, but by this blood soon to be
she'd the precious blood of Christ as of a
Lamb without blemish and without spot
All Scripture may be summed up under two
heads, ''The sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that shall follow Il Pet. l., III. Tho
great event of the past is His death and res
erection. The great event of the future is
His coming in power and glory
80. "But Peter and they that were with
Him were heavy with sleep" Here in the
presence of His glory they are so drowsy that
they can hardly keep awake; and in Gethse
name, in the presence of His agony, they
actually sleep, and yet these three were the
most highly favored of the twelve. The man
of sorrows could not find sympathy enough
even in His most intimate friends to keep
them awake either in the prese nee OF His suf-
ferings or His glory.
And when they were awake they saw
His glory, and the two men that stood with
Him" he was gracious unto them and SUI
fered them not to lose all.
49, And it came to pass as they departed
from Him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master it
is good for us to be here; and let us make
three tabernacles; 4 not knowing
what he saidn Had he been wide awake
and heard the conversation between Jesus,
Moses and Elijah he would probably have
talked more wisely and have known what he
was talking about.
a. "While He thus spake there came a
cloud and overshadowed them. and they
feared as they entered into the cloud All
through the wilderness ''the Lord went be
fore them in a pillar of cloud When the
tent of the congregation, and the glory OF the
Lord filed the Tabernacle" and when the
Temple was dedicated the house was filled
with a cloud and with the glory of the Lord
lex xiii, 81. XII, "a; II. Chr. v, ID, al In
the vision of Isaiah wi, 4) the house was
filled with smoke, and Ezekiel d., A. saw a
great cloud and fire Unfolding itself, and @
brightness about it. At His ascension a
cloud received Him, and when He comes
again it will be i'll the clouds of heaven
CActs j., Q; Matt. XVI, Ga. So also when tue
risen and translated saints meet Him in the
air, it shall be in the clouds Il. TIL. iv., 10.
35. "And there came a voice out of the
Him. Matthew adds, '.in whom am well
pleased" The r. V. says, This is my Son,
my chosen; hear We Him" At His baptism
the voice from Heaven said, This is my be-
loved Son, in whom l am well pleased.
Matt ill.,, II; Mark l., II, Luke iii, o.
On third occasion when Jesus prayed. "Fa-
Their, glorify Thy name" the voice from
Heaven said, 81 have both glorfed it aud
will glorify it again" John xii. 2sI So that
we have three distinct testimonies from the
Father concerning His Son.
SO "And when the voice was past, Jesus
was found alone" Matthew says that when
the disciples heard the voice they fell on their
face and were sore afraid; but Jesus came
and touched them and said, Arise and be
eyes they saw no man save Jesus only. Not
even Moses or Elijah may be put on a level
with Jesus. There is no salvation in either
of them. Moses and the prophets wrote of
Him, but He is the end of the law for right
eousness to every one that belevetb, and in
Him in His first and second comings is the
fulfiilment of all prophecy. To Jesus only
must we look for salvation; to Jesus only
for grace to help in every time of need.
Jesus only is to be our patience, our wisdom.
our strength.
And they kept it close. and told no man
in those days any of those things which they
had seen" Matthew and Mark say that He
charged them to tell the vision to no man till
the Son of Man should be risen from the
dead To those who would not receive Him
He would give no such tokens of His glory as
this; these revelations were only for those
who had accepted Him, and only for few
even of such.-LeSSon Helper.