e

7 And Jesus came and touched f them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

c c.3.17. Mar 1.11. Lu.3.22. 2Pe.1.17. d Is.42.1, 21. e De. 18.15,19. Ac.3.22,23. He.1.1,2; 1.1-3. J Da.10.10,18. Re.1.17.

only to keep these glorious personages there, not knowing what he said" (Luke). Mark: "For he wist not what to say, for they were sore afraid."

5. A bright cloud overshadowedspread over them, all light and glorious. A cloud of glory was God's symbol of His presence in former times. Ex. 24. 16, 17. "Upon the mercy seat," Levit. 16. 2. Such a cloud was the shechinah which abode in the temple. 1 Kings 8. 10, 11.- -TA voice. Of Jehovah, which formerly spoke out of the cloud that symbolized His presence.- -¶ Hear Him. The same had been declared at Christ's baptism. (3. 17.) (See also John 12. 28.) This gave another attestation of Christ's divine glory and authority, and placed Him before Moses and the prophets. See 2 Peter 1. 17, 18. They needed this confirmation of their faith, and this reiteration of Divine testimony to His mediatorial person and work, in order to be strengthened for the events of His death.- -T Hear Him. This is to attend upon His instructions and obey Him. The same word in Hebrew, means to hear and to obey. If we disobey this command, refusing to acknowledge, receive and follow Christ, we must perish.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

11 And Jesus answered and

g Mal.4.5,6. c.11.14.

made them afraid. Men should fear the voice of God, because they are sinners and lost, and to Christ Jesus they must attend if they would live. Adam was afraid of God's voice as soon as he had sinned, but not before. And if God should now so utter His will, as He did at Sinai, men would tremble as they did there, where even Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and quake," and the multitude begged that God's voice be not spoken to them any more, lest they die (Heb. 12. 19-21).

9. Tell the vision. A vision is a supernatural exhibition to the sight— "the things which they had seen." Luke. They were not to tell it until He had risen, for then it would be understood, and not till then could it have its full force, but would be only abused to the hindrance of His work. Mark says, they kept this saying with themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead should mean. (Mark 9. 10.) Luke says, they kept it close, and told no man "in those days."

said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer h of them.

13 Then the disciples under

h c.16.21.

scribes were writers and teachers of the law, and familiar with the Old Testament scriptures, they were quoted as good authority. They held, however, that the prophet Elijah would personally re-appear.

11. Elias truly shall first come. That is, this is true as it was prophesied.

stood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my i Mar.9.14,&c. Lu.9.37,&c.

He is gradually bringing them into the light.

OBSERVE, (1) Christ manifests Himself and His work to His people, as their case demands, and as their training will bear. (2.) The thrice reiterated testimony from the Father is that in Christ and not in the sinner God is well pleased. Hence Christ is all in all to us-His vica

12. Elias is come already, i. e., John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1. 17), and who was the one prophesied as to come in the character of Elijah of old. So Christ had declared, ch. 11. 14, that John was the Elijah mentioned by Malachi.- - Knew him not, did not recognize or acknowledge him.- Whatsoever they listed, or chose. They had treated John according to their inclinations, reckless of his character and office. They had imprisoned and beheaded him, Matt. 14. 10, "as it is written of him." Mark. -¶Likewise. What is more amazing, He Himself, their Lord, should share of the people a similar treatment! So He afterward did! (See Mark 9. 12. Isa. 53d ch.)

13. That He spake unto them of John the Baptist. Their question was fairly answered. Christ passed through

all these scenes in order to establish them in the faith, and we see how

His finished work. (3.) How fearful yet delightful is the presence of God in Christ! how ample is Christ's revealing of Himself in His word and works, yet how slow are we at best, to understand or believe the glorious reality!

76. THE HEALING OF A Demoniac, whom the disciples could not heal. -Region of Cesarea Philippi.

Matt.

17.14-21

9. 14-29 9.37-43 14. To the multitude. It is to be remembered that only three of the twelve had gone up into the mount of transfiguration with Christ. The rest had remained below where they were now found, "the next day," Luke 9. 37, surrounded by a crowd of people, and by scribes questioning with them, as we learn from Mark 9. 15. They ran to Him amazed to Jesus see Him, and saluted Him. asked them why they questioned thus with the disciples, involving them probably in disputes and puzzling queries.

15. My son. An "only child" (Luke) possessed with a devil, "hath a dumb spirit." Mark. So that he was lunatic or crazy, and sore vexed—in a

son; for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation! how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to

me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him :

rage, mad, furious. Mark adds: "wheresoever he taketh him he teareth him, and he foameth and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away." Luke also adds other symptoms, as that the devil tore him, bruised him, &c., "hardly departed from him."

16. To thy disciples. Their failure during Christ's absence, doubtless gave the scribes ground to gainsay and reproach them and their Master. This accounts for Christ's rebuke, not of the man but of His disciples.

17. O faithless! Addressing the multitude He asked how much longer He must give them evidence of His Messiahship which yet the scribes were disputing, and which all were so slow fully to believe. So with Philip (John 14. 9). So Moses was shocked at the weak Israelites when he came down from the mount. the account in Mark for fuller particulars.

See

18. Rebuked the devil. As He had full authority over these emissaries of the pit, He displayed it signally here, as another proof of His Divinity. The other Evangelists state more particularly. The man had come with a doubt, "If Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us." Christ had challenged his faith, "all things are possible to him that believeth," and so He had helped the delivery in that difficult birth. "Lord

and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth

j He.3.19. k c.21.21. Mar.11.23. Lu.17.6, 1Cor.

13.2.

I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” Only he who truly believes (though in the smallest measure) conceives aught of the unbelief of his heart. 19. To Jesus apart. The disciples who had been baffled in an effort to cast out this evil spirit, came now to Christ apart, or in private, to inquire the cause of their failure. Mark says, "when He was come into the house." And they sought a private interview because they were abashed and would have a familiar explanation of the case, as it might even involve some secrets of His plan.

20. Because of your unbelief. This faith here alluded to is the faith of miracles. It was something more than a common belief in Christ, and was peculiar to the Apostles' age. It was a faith for such miraculous works as they were commissioned to perform. If they had this in the small

est

degree, or in the proverbial phrase, “as a grain of mustard-seed,” they should accomplish the most difficult things, or proverbially, should remove mountains.

21. This kind of difficulties expressed by the term mountains, or this kind of evil spirits, so malignant, departs not, removes not, but by prayer and fasting. The most special religi ous exercises were needed for so special a purpose.

OBSERVE: Great degrees of devo

a

and when thou hast opened up; his mouth, thou shalt find piece of money; that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

pays, under a protest, for expediency's sake (1 Cor. 8. 13); and lest a scandal should be put upon the temnple service and upon Himself among the people, He would pay what He was not bound to, of right.- - Go to the sea of Galilee, near by.--TA piece of money, a stater, a Roman coin, equal to a shekel, enough, of course, for the tax of two. The miracle consisted in His so ordering all the circumstances as to show a power over all things equal to that of creation itself. If He could make one of the numberless fish in the sea come first to Peter's hook, with a piece of money in its mouth, and just such a piece of money, He could as well have created the money and the fish for the purpose.

OBSERVE, (1.) Christ meets the law's demands for Himself and for His people. He pays for Himself and for Peter, "for me and for thee." Christ would put Himself in the disciples' place, to pay the law's price for them. He came under the same yoke with men, that men might enter into the same freedom as His. My father and your Father, my God and your God." John 20. 17. (2.) Christ confirms His gracious words by His gracious works. He protests His rightful exemption from the ceremonial tax, as much by the mode of His furnishing the money, as by His express declaration. In the miracle He proves Himself the Divine Being whom He claimed to be in words. (3.) We see how God's

1. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven. This may have arisen from the preference just shown, at the transfiguration, for Peter, James and John (see Luke 7. 46), and from Christ's àllusion to His royalty in the tribute. They were thinking of the kingdom as one of earthly kind, and were now speculating about its preferments and offices. But it is a kingdom that "cometh not with observation" (Luke 17. 20), and one which is not meat and drink, but righteousness (Rom. 14. 17). It appears from Mark and Luke, that they had disputed about it among themselves on the way to Capernaum, and that Christ had perceived the thoughts of their hearts, and questioned them, so as to elicit this distinct query from themselves. They often started such inquiries.

2, 3. A little child. He taught them by this symbol, for such was the method of teaching in the East.—¶ Be converted-changed, turned from such tempers, in such a thorough way as to become, instead of aspirants, like little children. It is the lowly, dependent, simple disposition of a little