MATTHEW 17
Rem It speaks of the Son of Man coming but there is a period of six days and then He is seen in this form. Peter seems to want to start to build up things here.
CAC Why should Luke say, “About eight days”?
Ques It is more the resurrection side in Luke. This, I thought, was more connected with what the Lord is inaugurating. Elias is before Moses in Mark; here Moses is before Elias; why is that?
CAC I do not know.
Rem I was wondering whether the Lord could give us a manifestation while we are down here?
CAC That is comforting. Had you in mind that the three tabernacles were there without requiring any to be built?
Ques Where do we get the three tabernacles?
CAC Peter, James and John. Were they three not intended to enshrine the glory of this blessed One? Peter did not drop the tabernacle idea altogether, did he?
Rem Moses could not enter the tabernacle. This is the antitype, the glory of Christ brought out by the Father here.
CAC Are not Moses and Elias brought in here as adding something to His glory?
Rem He was transfigured before them so there would be a reflex of His glory in them which they would ever carry.
CAC And the greatest personages of the Old Testament are brought in as having a place in relation to Him. It was wonderful instruction for the disciples.
[p. 135] Rem They are being trained in the ministry. So Moses and Elias are brought in as forerunners of Jesus. They are talking with Him, so this would be very establishing to them in regard of the glory of the Lord and His place in administration.
CAC Is it not most important to see that what is dispensational is brought in in connection with the Son of God, but showing that He is greater than all that is dispensational? So sonship can hardly be called dispensational.
Rem This chapter comes between chapters 16 and 18 which are assembly chapters.
CAC It is part of the divine glory; all God’s dispensations bring out part of His glory in some way, but everything has to yield up its glory to the Son.
Rem It would correct the tendency to track back to anything brought in by Moses and Elias (circumcision, for instance) that was different from what the Lord brought in. Christ was supreme. They would understand the prophets more than they ever had.
CAC So according to chapter 5 He is not come to destroy the law but to give the fulness of it.
Rem Peter says that they were “eyewitnesses of his majesty”, 2 Peter 1:16.
CAC Well, the effulgence of God shining out in a Man is the most wonderful and glorious thing there could be; there is nothing greater than that in the universe of God. “His face shone as the sun” (verse 2), the effulgence of God shining out in a Man! So that the resurrection and ascension of Christ has not added one bit to the glory of His Person. Whatever He takes up as Man in the way of what is moral and official, would that not answer to His garments? The effulgence of God in a Man is supreme; but along with that we get these offices and positions the Lord will fill which are in a certain sense subordinate, but they are all “white as the light”. They are all connected with [p. 136] His Person but are not exactly His Person. My garments are not me, really. But His countenance shining as the sun is His Person; there is no element of darkness at all. If we look at the histories of these great servants, Moses and Elias, we can see dark spots, but in all the service rendered by the Son there is nothing of darkness at all, but all is suitable to go along with the effulgence of God in a Man.
Rem Hebrews 1 goes with this.
CAC Yes, I think so, and all that was yet future was brought into this moment.
Ques Does this come into the spiritual experience of the believer? Is it normal christian experience?
CAC God would bring us to know Christ as absolutely supreme in His universe; we come to God’s thought.
Ques The greatest thing here is His personal glory as the Son. Is that what we want to reach?
Ques The greatest thought of sonship is expressed in Christ, is it not? There could be nothing greater than that.
CAC And it is seen here in its completeness because He is seen here as glorified.
Ques How does it bear on the words in John 17: 5, “The glory which I had along with thee before the world was”? Is that not the place He takes in manhood — the glory of the Son?
CAC Well, this is to be considered. We never share that glory, but sonship we do share. We come to that in John 17: 22. The Father has given to the Son to have this glory of sonship, but then He shares it with those the Father has given to Him. He could not pass on the glory He had before the world was. Well, the two things come together in the Lord: the effulgence of God in a Man, that is one side; but there is the glory of sonship as seen in a Man, that is the other, which corresponds with it, and so also the shining out in the same blessed Person of sonship which ministers to the satisfaction of the effulgence. What [p. 137] shines out in man must correspond with the effulgence; and into that side we can come. The Lord says at the end of this chapter (Matthew 17) “For me and thee”, and “Then are the sons free” — not ‘the Son free’, as we should think, that is, He puts Peter along with Himself. There is that glorious part of the effulgence of God, that which is beyond us. If it shines forth in the Son it is beyond the measure of the creature.
Rem Hence it is “as the sun”. We cannot bear it in its glory.
Ques Why is it “white as the light” here, and “as snow” in Mark?
CAC Does Mark not stress the purity of the kingdom? And then there is a whiteness about His garments “such as fuller on earth could not whiten them” (Mark 9: 3). There is the thought of this ineffable purity.
Rem The effect was that they were terrified.
CAC Does that not shew that there must be an entirely new order of man?
Ques Would the three be potentially the kind of men to enter into this? Jesus went to them and spoke to them and touched them; and “they saw no one but Jesus alone”.
CAC And it is really by the touch of His Spirit, is it not? Yes, evidently they needed adjustment.
Ques Do you not think that a moment comes in assembly history when we might give the Father an opportunity for calling attention to Him?
CAC What Mr. P said is very important as to whether there is not a hint in this of a supreme privilege that might be ours. It is important to see that we are not equal to anything save as supported by the Priest. I think sometimes we are apt to think the Spirit is sufficient. In Revelation 1 it was not that John had not the Spirit but that was not sufficient, there must be the personal touch of the Lord Himself in priestly character. Our meetings would take on [p. 138] a different character if we were more dependent upon the Lord. So the Father would make us conscious that we need the touch of the Priest. We want not only the Spirit but a sort of personal contact with Himself as Priest. We come in lowly dependence and we get the personal touch of the Priest, the sympathetic touch. He makes us know that He knows all our weakness and He can make us equal to the greatest things in the universe.
Ques Why were they not to tell the vision? (verse 9).
CAC Because it belonged to the time that was then future. It was a momentary glimpse of a future order of things not intended to be testified of then. It was a vision which belonged in its character and power subsequent to His rising from the dead, that is, our time. So it was fitting for them to be silent about it until it was the subject of testimony. The vision did not belong to the Lord’s humiliation; it belonged to His glory. So the two things were not to be mixed. The testimony of humiliation is one thing and the testimony of glory another, and it is important to distinguish them practically. The privileges of the assembly are not to be spoken of to everybody. Paul had an experience which in a certain sense corresponded with the Mount, but he kept it for the moment it was needed. Sometimes it is a test of spirituality to hold things in reserve, as Mary of Bethany did. In the assembly we need more exercise as to what is suited at the moment; sometimes things are not in tune with the present headship of Christ. Not only is suitability needed but timeliness, especially in the service of the assembly. There should be sensitiveness to know when a thing is suitable. Paul went to the third heaven; it was his own secret. The Lord says to the overcomer, “I will give to him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he that receives it” (Revelation 2: 17), and I think it is a mark of spirituality to keep it to yourself until the right moment [p. 139] comes to bring it out. The Lord credits Mary with having kept what she had gathered for the day of His burial.
The state of the company has to be taken into account; it is important to act in the assembly under the headship of Christ, and that needs great sensitiveness. All the prophets come with something in their hearts, but may find it is not the time to utter it. We have much to learn of the spiritual order and we are all learning — slowly. It is not how much we can say but we have to consider in speaking to christians how much they can receive.
In the portion we have read faith is important; intelligence and spiritual power do not suffice. The disciples had power and in a certain sense the Spirit, that is, as seen in figure (see chapter 10) what is anticipative of the Spirit; but they could not use the power they had. “Often he falls into the fire and often into the water” (verse 15). We go to extremes; it is a thing that often happens.
Ques Why cannot we deal with it?
CAC It is very humbling to think we cannot. They had not the faith to use the power they had. It is an important matter because, I suppose, the Spirit in His operations never takes us beyond our faith. The Lord answers their question; it is want of faith. It is comforting that the Lord comes in even where there is no faith. The last chapter of Mark was written to show there was not faith anywhere, and then the Lord had to come in and take all in hand Himself — the whole gospel. But He likes to encourage faith, and it puts honour on Him and on His servants.
Ques How do we get this faith?
CAC It is a question of maintaining in the soul the sense of Him with whom we have to deal. They had had a wonderful education in being with Him, showing that past experience does not suffice to keep up faith; we need a living sense of having to do with divine Persons. There may [p. 140] be things which call for special exercise and special refusal of nature; the Lord does not suggest it will be easy. Faith means we are able to bring God into the matter and that settles any matter however difficult and hopeless it seems. Faith brings divine Persons in and then the whole matter is settled immediately — it must be! Faith must be maintained. Paul said to the Thessalonians that their faith increased exceedingly; that is the thing — not decreasing.
Rem They needed to remember what was resident in Him.
CAC Yes, that is important because it is maintaining in the soul what was in Him.
Rem “I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”, Galatians 2: 20. Does it come in here?
CAC Yes, it is the life “in flesh” with its trials and difficulties; it is every moment the life is to be lived. We little take in how available He is in the love in which He gave Himself. He is available to faith in every difficulty to be brought into it, and then the whole difficulty is solved. We sometimes say we have not enough faith; it would be more honest to say that we had not any! A person may have very small faith but it is in a great God! Everything is accomplished if God is brought in; there are no difficulties or impossibilities if God is brought in.
Rem There is a difference between faith and confidence.
CAC As to circumstances here it is a question of confidence in God. The Hebrews were exhorted not to cast away their confidence under severe testing. It is most important to see that faith is not a thing you can work up; it is really giving place to God and to the Lord in the heart so that He comes into the place of all the fears and misgivings, and the thing is settled. When God is brought into the heart the thing is settled. It is important that we should [p. 141] bear in mind that very serious exercise is called upon on our part. Mr Stoney once asked a believer whether he had spent a night of prayer over something he much desired. When the reply was in the negative he said, ‘Well, you do not want it very badly then’.