The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-07-19

Il =
near ye Him" Matt. I7:5.
IlME.--Summer, A. d. 20.
PLACE.--Mount Hermon.
EAPOSETION. - i. Jesus, Moses
and Elijah, Ia. This experience was
not granted to Peter and James s,n1
John for their own blessing ALONE
but that they might become channels,
of blessings to others we have strik-
ing proof that it made a profound
impression upon their minds John
1914; Pet. ILL, 18); it qualified
them to be more efficient witnesses
for Christ Jesus went up into the
mountain to pray Luke 9:28) and
took them along as companions, as in
Mark 5:37; Matt. 26:37, So. He was
TRANSPORTED before them" the lat
ter part of the Greek word transla-
ted TRANSPORTED" has the same root
as the word translated form in
Phil. 2:6, z. There also we see
TRANSPORTATION, Jesus taking off the
form or figure" of God and taking
on the form and figure of SER
want. Here we have the reverse pro-
cess-the figure" of a servant being
| changed into the glorious appearance
of the Son of God. If things had
been allowed to take their course.
Jesus would have been glorified right
then and there with the glory which
He had with the Father before the
world was John 15:7). But things
are not allowed to take their course.
The work of redemption was not vet
accomplished Not only the incarna-
ton, sbut also the cruciixion, was nee
essary for our salvation (Heb. 1922;
Eph. I'D; so He who had already
turned His back upon the divine
glory and been made in the likeness
of men (Phil. 2:6, y again turned
His back upon it and descends from
that mountain to die on Calvary (v.
12). Not until upon the cross OF
Calvary He can utter the triumphant
cry, 1T is finished" will He consent
to resume the glory that He laid
aside to redeem us q Cor. 8:9),
Having finished that atoning work,
He will not be TRANSPORTED alone,
but in due time we shall be trans
figured together with Him (Phil. 1921,
R. "; Col. 8, a, r. W. There is
for us an anticipatory transfgura-
ton in the life that now is (Rom.
1873, the Greek word for ''trans-
formed is the same as translated
TRANSPORTED" in v. u. The details
of the TRANSPORTATION should be
noted, His face did shine as the
sun" His garments became white az
light" in Mark His garments be-
came, clustering exceeding white, sc
as no fuller on earth could whiten
them" in Luke THE fashion of His
countenance was altered and His
raiment became white and dazzling"
This all gives us some idea of how
He and we will appear in the resur.
rection glory. The highest splendor
of earth seems dim indeed compared
with this. 1t all occurred as "he
prayed" (Luke 1920. Nothing,
even in the life that now is trans
figures like prayer AS the disciples
gazed upon their glorified Lord, they
beheld two others talking with Him,
Moses and Elijah, the two great rep
resentatiyes of the law and the proph-
cts. Moses had died (Deut. 34:5,
81, and the theory of non-existence
or non-conscious existence of the
holy dead until their resurrection at
the second coming of Christ goes to
pieces on this rock. 1t was no mere
ly subjective vision that the three saw
q Pet 1:16-18) The word trans
lated vision" in v. 9 means thing
SEEN" just as it does etmologically.
1t is translated s'sight" in Acts IT.:
81. The three disciples were not
dreaming, but fully awake" duke
9:32, r. w. Moses and Elijah "ap-
peared in glory" (Luke 9:32). Moses
longing to enter the promised land
once denied him is now satisfied, at
last he is there The disciples evil
IDENTIFY recognized Moses and Elijah.
whom they had never seen in the
flesh, and that ought to settle the
question whether we will recognize
in glory those whom we have known
on earth. The one subject that en-
gagged the attention of Moses and Eli.
jah and Jesus on this wonderful oc~
casion with His "decease' (Luke 81
21), the atoning death is subject Of
great interest to the heavenly world
(cf. Pet. 1:10-12).
III. Jesus Only, 5-S. God now de-
scends upon the mount - cloud
overshadows the disciples; fear falls
upon them in that awful presence.
God speaks (cf. Luke $3.50. Who
can measure the depth of Gods joy
in that Son who again turns His
back on the glory and chooses the
cross. God passed by Moses and Eli
jah, great as they were, and points
out Jesus as the one Son and says,
IIcdI yC IT'LL. OS6tI dWdtLS
the one who will not hear Him (Acts
1929, 20; Heb. 1920.
III. At the Foot of the Mountain,
1920. 1t was well that Peters sug-
gestion that they remain in the noun
tain was not followed, there is work
to do in the valley. The disciples get
into difficulty as soon as Jesus was abb
sent Tvs. 1870 They were in
great extremity, but Jesus comes on
the scene at this moment of their
defeat and distress (cf. Mark OLA,
15). The moment he sees the Lord,
the father of the demoniac boy for
sakes the disciples and runs and
kneels to Him. The boy sorely need
ed mercy. The devil had tried to do
his worst with him. (v. Is; CT. Mark
9:17, is; Luke 9:39). The condi-
ton Of this boy gives us a hint as to-
what the condition of this world will
be when the devil has unrestricted
charge of affairs. The disciples could
not cast out the evil spirit because of
their little faith Tvs. 10, 20: CT Mark
1928, 29). But this man did not
miss the. desired blessing because of
the failure of Christ's disciples, and
we do not need to miss the blessing
because Of the ehurch's failure in
faith and prayer; we can do what he
did, go right to the Lord.