The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-01
CHRIsT's TRANSPORTATION.
Divine Mystery of Event Discussed by
DIR. StansheId.

4 DAsAh0 Va DAsCuSeCu Wy
DR.. stansheId.
THE TRANSPORTATION Of Christ" was the
| subject Of the sermon at the Meridian
street NJ. E. Church yesterday morning.
DR.. Joshua Stansield, in beginning his
! discourse, said: "A great deal of mystery
has been thrown around the transfigura-
ton. We are told sometimes that silence
best becomes u.s. Continuing he said:
'As to the genuineness of the event there
is left no ground for doubt in the minds of
any In three gospels, the record Is spe-
| cific and clear; while John, in his gospel
and epistles. has no uncertain references
to 1t. Mark and Matthew, and Luke, too,
| are exact in their remembrance of the
time as well as the place. 1t was six or eight
days after warm and extended discus
sion as to who Jesus reall was, and what
| manner of person the Messiah should be-
SO that as to the fact of the TRANSPORTATION
| there is positively no room for debate; 1t
becomes us. therefore. to inquire rather
| markable phenomenon. There have GER
tainly some ingenious interpretations been
given, some of which have furnished
| healthful injunctions. For instance, we
| have been told that this was a divine mani
hesitation for the encouragement and the
| strengthening OF the faith of Jesus, up to
| the period of joyful endurance of the
| awful sufferings and death to which He
| was going. He had assembled the mountain
1 u
presumed to be touching the scenes through
| which He must pass, and the Sufferings
| He must endure. and as He meditated and
prayed, there appeared unto Him Moses
and Elias the tive great ones of Gods
| church who had never seen DEATH and
they spoke with Him as to the decease He
should accomplish at Jerusalem In pa
renthesis. We may say it is really
perplexing to know just what com
| to One who was facing it, But, to proceed :
These showed Him. 1t is supposed. how
that in heaven itself it was fully pur-
sufferings and death should be for the
worlds saving. All beautiful in it's way,
| and as a kind of scriptural support to a
certain system of theology; but hardly the
| Interpretation to clear up very palpable
difficulties and to command the assent of
all. To some of us, such Interpretation
divine partially where 1t should be least
needed, for why should Jesus, the most
perfect man, have such special manifesto
| tons and strengthening, and thousands of
His faithful followers never know such
help?
TAUGHT MEN MUST SUFFER.
"Antecedent to the former query. it is
| difficult to suppose that He who had heard
the voice of the Father at the Jordan and
had so frequently in His public ministry
| declared himself and the purpose of His
| life amongst men, namely, that He came
to seek and to save the lost that, as the
| Good Shepherd He would lay down His
life for the sheep; and had indeed in earn
! est conversation with His disciples taught
them that the Son Of Man must suffer many
things, and he rejected of the elders and
the chief priests and the scribes and be
| killed; and after three days rise again,
! we say, 1t is difficult to suppose that He
| needed such moral bolstering and support
| as this Interpretation suggests.
| These and many other wise and other
wise interpretations OF the sublime and
| unique occurrence have been offered but
| would 1t not be well to look carefully to
the whole setting and context of this re-
| markable event, and state frankly and
| clearly some things which the transfgura-
! ton of our Lord does set forth and also
some 1t does not And first, II is not so
| stated, neither is there, we think, valid
grounds to reason that this manifestation
was for himself; rather, it should be care
fully noted that He was TRANSPORTED be-
| fore them And why before them? Both
| Mark and Matthew and Luke are specific
in connecting the TRANSPORTATION incident
with some important confessions and dis
closures six or eight days before. The
scene we are all familiar with, for 1t is
a most important part of the gospel rec
ords. Jesus, with his disciples, is now on
His way to Jerusalem The days of His
teaching are drawing to a close; He has
shown marked attention to the Twelve
for In His public utterances they were pres
ent, and in private He has explained MANY
things to them. And now they are to visit
the towns of Cesarea Philippi and on the
way there Jesus asked them. Whom do
Some say John the Baptist; some Elias
and others one of the prophets. Such was
perhaps somewhat general Jewish i'm
preston. But said Jesus, whom do We
say that ann And Peter answered. aThou
art the Christ And then you know how
upon such ringing confession and the Mas
ter said He would build His church. But
Jesus then evidently went on to tell them
things about himself as the Messiah the
Christ which shocked their sense of pro-
priety and right. He told them how that
He must suffer at the hands of enemies
and die shamefully and be buried; and
their whole religious and moral sense re-
voted ana Peter said: Nay: nay, be it
far from Thee, Lord, this shall not be sent
to Thee.
BLINDNESS OF APOSTLES.
And so they did not understand Him
They said thou art the Christ, but they
did not apprehend the meaning ond the
mission of Gods Christ II was the He.
brew Christ they still hoped for and held
to- hence Jesus finally answers Peters out
burst, almost with passion, Get thee be-
hind me Satan. for thou savorest not OF
the things that be of God, but of menr
What transpired In the interview is not
reported. but each of the writer's affirm
that after six or eight days Jesus took with
him into the mountains, Peter and James
anu JOnIl, anu IN tnelr presence. and we
believe, for their sake. there transpired the
wonderful scenes We are considering. He
was TRANSPORTED before them With the
circumstances thus clearly before us and
with the reason for Christ's taking with
him the favored and representative three
one begins 10 understand the why of this
marvellous disclosure 1t was most nroh.
ably to disabuse the minds of his Jewish
disciples OF their erroneous conception con.
corning Him, the Christ.
Now just TO what extent there was oh
! jective reality in these marvellous phenom.
ena OF the transformation, one Is iIInra.
| pared TO say. Personally l accent this
record given in the three synoptic pos.
! pels, but / am fully convinced that tbs
| phenomena was pre-eminently and Intense
| ly subjective. and rightly So for thar We
what was needed. Read between the lines
| of this very accurate record of these mar
/ velous incidents and you will find noucl
| that probably said in those interyen
ing six days and now on this great nigh,
in the mountains beginning to take forn,
After that passionate outburst of our
Lord unto Peter. how much the Maste,
must have tried TO make clear 10 His fol.
| lowers the real character and mission n,
himself and His church you readily beeir
to feel. But. how strong the prejudice n,
centuries of Jewish teaching and thought
As the strenuous conversation proceeds
! interspersed by prayer by Jesus with then
and for them. Moses and Elias erandes,
| opponents OF the law and the prophets an.
pear; here they come into the great dis.
cussion TO why Christ should suffer tc
world and reign by the majesty and Nigh,
| % Ito -