THE incidents in the life of our Lord recorded by the evangelists are but few, and even of these, both miracles and words given in the first three gospels are not unfrequently the same. The incidents are selected by divine wisdom from a multitude of gracious works, and arranged in each gospel for a definite purpose. Of what Jesus said and did, the half is not told, and what is told is not half apprehended by our hearts, John, who wrote last, tells us miracles, and gives us also many words which the other three do not. The work entrusted to him opens out to us an altogether new line of blessing, the knowledge of which is ours by the record he gives. There we are taught of Jesus as the Son of God.
When the beloved disciple says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written,” he more than expresses the unutterable fullness which dwells in the Lord; he seems to indicate, that while God has told us as much as He deems well, yet there are exhaustless treasures, which in His perfect wisdom, man shall not have displayed to him in this world. There will be no fifth gospel placed in our hands on earth. The great unwritten book of the Lord’s ways and words on earth, will be ours to study in eternity.
It was, perhaps, about two or three years after the voice from heaven had been heard, to which we sought to listen in our last issue, that another voice from heaven was spoken concerning Him. Having taught His disciples of His rejection, and His death, and His rising again, and also of the value of a man’s soul, the Lord took three of the twelve, Peter, James, and John, up into a high mountain apart by themselves, and they became the eye-witnesses of His transfiguration.
The glory of this scene pertains to Jesus as Son of Man.
As Son of Man He entered into human weakness, and became the dependent One.
As Son of Man He was rejected, and put to death. It is His title in connection with humanity.
From Luke’s record we should consider that it was by night that this honor and glory of the Lord was seen. The three disciples were heavy with sleep—not actually sleeping, but oppressed by drowsiness; Jesus was praying.
The great incidents of the Lord’s life below are introduced by Luke’s showing us our Lord in prayer. On the occasion before us, with reverence we may assume that the things pertaining to the kingdom were at least part of the subject of His prayer, the Spirit of God by each of the three evangelists speaking distinctly of the coming glory and kingdom of the Lord before the account of the transfiguration is given. Some six or eight days before this prayer, He had promised that some should see the kingdom of God come in power, and now the hour was come. “And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered.” The disciples were not fully awake to the light that began to shine from His countenance, they saw not clearly the increasing radiance of His face. How like to ourselves, who are His disciples? When Jesus is the object, are not the eyes of our hearts too often heavy with sleep? How slowly do we take in the brightness of His personal glory?
“And His raiment became white-glistering.” He who was possessed of no earthly store, who knew what hunger was, and whose garments betokened His lowly earthly companionship, He who was the carpenter’s son, was now robed in such shining raiment, in garments of such snow-whiteness, that no fuller on earth could whiten like them. Mighty princes and kings—Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as was the Son of Man in that hour upon the holy mount.
“His face did shine as the sun;” such is His personal glory, supreme and beyond all others. “His raiment was white as the light;” His lowly circumstances were changed, and, instead of them, the glory of His robes, which no human hand could ever fashion, betokened His regal honor. The King was there; the kingdom had come in power, and for a moment its glories shone upon this earth.
Would not you, dear reader, joyfully have seen this His glory—seen the “fashion of the countenance” of the Son of Man “altered,” till it shone upon that high mountain as the sun? Was it this brightness which at length roused the three disciples? “When they were (fully) awake they saw His glory.” Those three Galileans—those three fishermen—beheld then in the Son of Man that which no mortal eye had ever seen before, but that which we who love Him shall yet see, and seeing, see forever.
Following the glory, we read of communion with the Lord.
There was something deeper than the gaze of those three disciples. “Behold, there talked with Him two men.” They had communion with Him as He was; they conversed with Him. They, too, appeared in glory. It is not the purpose of God, neither is it the will of Jesus, that the Son of Man should shine alone. There were three men shining with brightness, but Jesus was the sun, the two were speaking with Him. What holy familiarity in heavenly circumstances have we here! What a prospect for each and all of the many sons whom He is bringing to glory! To be glorified together, and at home in glory to be “talking with Jesus.”
Following the communion of the glorified persons with Jesus, we are told that the death of the Lord was the theme of their conversation: they “spake of His decease, which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.” These two men, Moses and Elias, the great law-giver and the great prophet, being in glory, had an all-absorbing subject for their conversation, even His decease—His, the then radiant Son of Man. How these men, as they spake of the Lord’s sufferings, must have looked into His countenance, and, with overflowing hearts, have told Him how they loved Him! We remember His words: “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets” —(Luke 24:26, 2726Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:26‑27).) And now Moses and Elias, who had written and spoken of Him, were talking with Him, and conversing about that death so shortly to be accomplished.
In the glory, by-and-bye, when all His own shall see Him face to face, there will be many conversations respecting His death, which He accomplished at Jerusalem, and many myriads then shall sing together, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.” How does your heart at this hour deport itself before the Lord in view of His decease? Have you ever talked with Him concerning it? It is of all others the subject upon which His own hold communion with Him.
On this earth we learn first His death; then communion with Himself. Glory awaits us. But, whether here or there, it is our joy to talk with Him. (To be continued.)