Luke ix. 29 — 32. And as he prayed, the fashion of his counte- nance teas altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him tivo men, which were Moses and Elias : who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter, and they that ivere with him, were heavy with sleep : and when they zvere awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
THEY, who were the immediate followers of our Lord, beheld him, for the most part, " a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;" but, lest they should "be offended in him," and be tempted to forsake him, he sometimes spake to them of " that glory which he had with the Father before the world was," and which he should resume as soon as ever the scenes of his present humiliation should be closed. On one occasion he condescended to give to three of them an ocular demonstration of his glory. The particulars are related in the passage before us ; in opening which we shall consider,
I. The time and manner of his transfiguration —
Our Lord was at this time engaged in prayer —
[God has on many occasions signally manifested his regard to prayer. It was at the beginning of Daniel's supplications that an angel was sent to reveal to him the period fixed for the Messiah's advent8. The reason that God assigned for sending Ananias to open the eyes of Saul was, " Behold, he prayethV Thus Jesus was at this time engaged in prayer. He had retired to a mountain for that very purpose : and this was the season which God chose for distinguishing him in this most signal manner. It is worthy of remark, that every time that God was pleased to bear testimony to his Son by an audible voice from heaven, it was either in, or immediately after prayer0. And if toe cultivated more holy intimacy with God, he would more frequently vouchsafe to us also the special tokens of his love.]
a Dan. ix. 20 — 23. b Acts ix. 11.
c Luke iii. 21, 22. and John xii. 28.
1508. j THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST. 385
" While he was praying," his form was visibly and wonderfully changed —
[In his transfiguration, as it is called, the Godhead dis- played itself through the veil of his human nature, his coun- tenance shone like the meridian sun ; and his very garments were so irradiated by the lustre of the indwelling Deity, that they were white and dazzling like the light, yea, " so white as no fuller on earth could whiten themd." He had hitherto appeared only " in the form of a servant ;" but now he ap- peared in his own proper form as God ; at least, so far as his divine nature could be rendered visible to mortal eyes. Nor was this transfiguration intended as a mere ostentatious dis- play of his glory : it was necessary perhaps for his support as man; that, when he should come into the scenes of his deepest humiliation, he might not faint. It was also well calculated to prepare his Disciples for that awful view of him, which they were afterwards to have, when they should see him in the garden, prostrate on the ground, bathed in a bloody sweat, and supplicating " with strong crying and tears" the removal of the cup which his Father had put into his hand.]
The history further informs us respecting, II. His conversation with his attendants —
Moses and Elijah were sent from heaven to attend upon him —
[The body of Moses probably had been preserved, as that of Elijah had been translated to heaven, without suffering the total change which is usually effected by death. They were on this occasion arrayed " in glory," somewhat like to their divine Master, though, of course, they were but as twinkling stars in comparison of the meridian sun. And there was a peculiar propriety that these should be selected to wait upon him, not only because they had been faithful and highly honoured ser- vants of God, the one being the giver, and the other the restorer, of the law, but because they fitly represented the law and the prophets ; and, in bearing testimony to him, resigned, as it were, their authority into his hands.]