102 THE TRANSFIGURATION. Before entering upon the argumentative part of the epistle, in which the error of the Galatians, in adhering to the Jewish ordinances, is exposed, it may not be unprofitable to consider the prophetic vision of the transfiguration, the object of which was to contrast the transitory nature of the Mosaic dispensation with the everlasting kingdom of the Lord Jesus. The Lord appeared in the form of a servant; but upon one occasion he manifested His glory to three of his Apostles. A few days before the vision, Jesus put the question, "Whom say men that I am?" and again, "But whom say ye that I am?" and Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Son of God." It is a maxim in the kingdom of Christ, that whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and this is exemplified in the transfiguration. Peter had professed his faith in Jesus as the Son of God; and, six days afterwards, his faith received a strong confirmation, by his being an eye-witness of Christ's majesty. Peter, James, and John, were upon this, as upon other occasions, particularly distinguished by their Lord. He led them up into a high mountain, and, while engaged in prayer, he was "transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light; and behold there appeared Moses and Elias talking with him." Moses was the mediator of the old covenant, and was distinguished above all other prophets.1 Next to him was Elias, who was noted, not only on account of his zeal for God, but also for having been translated without tasting death. Only he and Enoch were thus favoured. Enoch was the seventh from Adam; and by his translation, it was intimated to those who lived before the giving of the law, that, not only the spirits, but the bodies of the saints should inherit eternal life. The lesson was repeated under the law by the translation of Elias. Something more, however, was communicated in the translation of those eminent servants of God. "Behold," says the Apostle, "I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; (for the trumpet shall sound), and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." This was the mystery,—the hidden meaning of their translation. They entered into glory without tasting death; and this was an intimation of the change which shall take place on the saints who are alive at the coming of the Lord. These two illustrious prophets appeared in glory, talking with Jesus" of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." They appeared in glory. This has been considered as descriptive of the glory of the heavenly state; but this does not correspond with the object of the vision. It was intended to exhibit the connexion of the old and new covenants, and to show that the former was introductory to the latter. The law made nothing perfect; it was a figure or parable for the time then present. At the time of the 1 Numb. xii. 6–9. 2 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52. transfiguration, the glory still remained on the face of Moses, and the vail was still "untaken away;" while "the glory that excelleth" was not yet made manifest. The Lord, while on earth, commanded respect to be paid to the Scribes and Pharisees, because they sat in Moses' seat,1 administering his law, which was still in force; and, therefore, the lawgiver and the most zealous defender of the law appeared in glory. The subject of conversation was the approaching death of Jesus,- -an event to which they had borne witness during their abode on earth. Moses wrote of him. Christ is the end of the law. All its glory proceeds from Him. Its pomp and splendour, and varied services, although calculated to gratify the carnal mind, appear utterly unworthy of Divine wisdom, unless viewed in connexion with the manifestation of the Son of God. Hence, when they had answered their end, the Holy Spirit speaks of them with contempt, as "weak and beggarly elements." Great was their glory when viewed in connexion with Him who was to come. They were the patterns of heavenly things. As the spirit animates the human body, imparting to it all the beauty and energy which it possesses, so did Christ animate the body of Moses,—the Jewish economy. Separated from Him, it was a dead carcase, emitting noxious vapours, spreading contagion and death through the Jewish nation, which “could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished."7 Elias was one of those to whom the Lord referred, when he said, "Verily, I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye 1 Matt. xxiii. 2. 4 Rom. x. 4. 5 2 Cor. iii. 17. 6 Jude 9. 72 Cor. iii, 13. hear, and have not heard them." We cannot ascertain the extent of the knowledge of the way of salvation possessed by the people of God previous to the coming of Jesus; but from the beginning they were taught to look for a suffering yet triumphant Saviour; and we cannot doubt that Elias, as well as Moses, knew that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead. 2 1 The scene was too much for the disciples. They were unable to bear the splendour of the majesty of Jesus. They were heavy with sleep. The same effect was produced upon Daniel by a vision ; but, like Daniel, they were strengthened, and they saw the glory of their Master and "the two men that stood with him."* Peter expressed his satisfaction. He now beheld Jesus, not without form and comeliness, but as the only-begotten of the Father, receiving the homage of the most illustrious prophets who had been raised up in Israel. He supposed the time was now come when the mists with which the Sun of Righteousness was obscured had vanished before His splendour; and he proposed to make three tents, that the Lord, attended by Moses and Elias, might manifest himself to Israel. The Jews boasted they were Moses' disciples, while they knew not whence Jesus was; how great, then, would be the triumph of the Apostles, since Moses and Elias had returned from the invisible world, to testify that Jesus was the Christ, and to assist in the administration of his glorious kingdom! The Evangelist tells us that Peter made this proposal, The glory of Moses and Elias is not mentioned when they are spoken of in connexion with Jesus. They had "no glory, by reason of the 'glory that excelleth."" The disciples saw Christ's glory, and the two men (not the glory of the men) that stood with him, (Luke ix. 32.) 1 Gen. iii, 15. 2 Acts xxvi. 22, 23, 3 Dan, x. 8, 9. 2 "not knowing what he said." This does not mean, that, from the confusion of his mind, he said he knew not what. It refers to his ignorance of the Scriptures. He did not know that the kingdom of Christ was not of this world; that it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead, previously to His entering into His glory. He did not know that, in promising a new covenant, God had made the first old, and that, consequently, it must vanish away. He did not know, that, when the Son assumed the government of his own house, the faithful servant must withdraw. This proposal was as preposterous as that the morning star should continne to shine when the sun arose in his strength.* Moses and Elias had long borne witness to the Lord Jesus; and their testimony was about to be verified. The vision now before the disciples was designed to show that the shadows were about to flee away, the darkness to pass, and the true light to shine forth. "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them." This cloud had repeatedly been seen in Israel. It was the symbol of the Divine presence. The disciples feared, as they entered into the cloud, from which there came a voice, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him." "And when the *The Ebionites, a heretical sect which sprung up in the second century, fell into the same error as Peter, only they did not know, as Peter did, that Jesus was the Son of God. They maintained, that the authority of Christ and Moses was equal, and that the legal rites were of perpetual obligation. Thus they endeavoured to detain Moses upon earth, and to prevent his glory being obscured by the glory of the Sun of Righteousness. By denying the Son, they proved that they had not the Father, (1 John ii. 23); and, therefore, did not know Him whom they called their God, (John viii. 19, and 54, 55.) 1 Luke ix. 33. 2 Luke xxiv. 26. 3 Heb. viii. 13. 4 Heb. iii. 5. 6. 5 Exod. xvi. 7-10, and Numb. xvi. 19. |