The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-16
Sunday School Lesson for ADril IL.
The TRANSPORTATION.
Matt. XVII, 10.
BY J. e. GILBERT D. d., IL. D.,
Secretary OF American Society of Religious Education.

Jesus thus displaces the prophets and be-
comes the head of the new covenant, The
cloud and the voice terrified the apostles
who fell on their faces lYerse o., an act
of reverence among orientalists CGen.
xviii 81. Men conscious of Divine pres
cnce are generally filled with fear Judges
V, p, a most natural and becoming emo
tion prov 1, y. But Jesus came and
touched the apostles Cverse y. as lie
touched John (Rcv. i, 10, many years
after, and said: Arise, be not afraid"
Then, lifting up their eyes they saw Jesus
only and lie was IN ordinary apparel.
Moses and Elias were gone. The glory
had departed. The four stood face to
face again In no wise different from what
they had been, pain men in the heights OF
Hermon, ready to descend to the valley
and resume their work,
PROFOUND SECRET.-As they came
down the mountain Jesus charged the
apostles not to mention the vision until
after the resurrection (verse %. And
Mark tells us that they kept 1t close. In
their after ministry they did record 1t in
the Gospels and in the epstles QI Pet. t.
1919. Why this silence? Why should
not the other nine know? And what re-
lation was there between the transhgur-
alton and the resurrection? There IS
proper order Of truth. One doctrine pre-
pares for another. A large part of the
skepticlsm and bewildcrmcnt common
among men is due to their effort to grasp
things out of their order. our Saviour
recognized an inability to consider some
things which He therefore withheld John
xvi. 12-13), expecting that afterward they
would know. The significance of this
mountain scene could not appear until
certain great doctrines were accepted. And
then the world must be ready for the
truth and teachers must be competent to
set it forth. When Jesus come cut Of
the sepulchre. the apostles will be able to
correlate this teaching and the church
qualified to accept it, Let a man preach
out of a fun heart what men need not
what they will abuse. Truth has its day
| then it's advocates may speak.
CLOSING THOUGHTS The transfg-
uration of Jesus sheds light upon almost
every doctrine of religion. The unity of
the dispensations appears-Moses, Elias
Jesus. being the representatives. The
superior dignity and glory of Christ is es-
| pecially emphasized, rot alone in the
visitation of the lawgiver and the pro-
| phet but in the words spoken from
| heaven. The reality of "a future life, or
| the existence of souls after death is
! plainly shown in the appearance of two
who died many centuries before. The
| event Is made the basis OF teaching con-
cerning mans body QI Cor. iv, 6; l Cor.
| XIV, 81; Phil. Iii, 4-5 But the chief use
| to be made of the passage is to exalt
| Christ, the being of two worlds, able to
| speak in both, and to pass from one TO
the other. Here is exhibited His glorious
person, His Divine Sonshp, His heavenly
| association, His atoning DEATH His in
| comparable authority. This was doubt
/ less the chief purpose in inviting these
three witnesses. The lesson finds its
! climax on it's earthly side in the words
mo man save Jesus only" and on the
! heavenly side in the word, "This is my
| beloved SON." Other men pass away-He
abides. Other men are but men-He is
| the son of God