HEAVEN REFLECTED IN THE KINGDOM
[p. 450] HEAVEN REFLECTED IN THE KINGDOM
JT In reading these scriptures one’s thought was that the Lord might help us to see the bearing of this chapter on our conduct in the kingdom of heaven. It will be observed that the Lord’s face shone as the sun in this account of the transfiguration, and that would teach us how to reflect heaven in our relations with one another as in the kingdom of heaven. The sun in the physical system suggests supremacy in what is beneficial to man, whatever may be the conditions on earth. The sun rises and sets majestically, and it is only as we take account of this idea that we can shine in the kingdom of heaven and reflect the character of that kingdom. There are several features in the chapter that bear on chapter 18 in that respect. There is the Lord’s face shining as the sun, then emphasis laid on faith after He comes down from the mount, then sonship — sons are free. These features laid hold of by us, among others, of course, in the chapter, elevate us morally, and by that elevation we are content to be little here, of no account, like a little child; and then we shall not mislead or give offence, and we shall know how to deal with every one. The final touch as to that is in the Lord’s answer to Peter as to forgiveness. He wanted to know how often he had to forgive, and the Lord’s answer shows the character of forgiveness which should mark the kingdom of heaven That is the outline I had before me. One thing may be noted in regard of that; I think He uses Peter as a model for us for assembly education.
HES What is the difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God?
JT The kingdom of heaven conveys what is in [p. 451] heaven for good; the rule and influence of that on earth; it suggests the sphere of good. The heavenly bodies made and set on the fourth day of creation in the firmament are presented as provided of God beneficently — the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light and stars to rule the night. The fourth day furnishes us with what is absolutely indispensable to us if there is to be any life on earth. I think Matthew connects us with that; in the Lord’s face there is the reminder of it. And then Moses and Elias appearing makes it a scene which would impress the disciples as extremely significant. All this was intended to affect them as in the scene below. The kingdom of God refers more to what is connected with the Spirit here. (See Matthew 12: 28.) When the Lord was here the kingdom of God was present; Luke 17: 21.
Ques Would Stephen be an example?
JT Quite; his face shone as it had been the face of an angel, but there you have a further thought. The angels are a family in heaven. The sun, moon and stars are a constant reminder to us of the goodness of God, and supremely so; for whatever happens on earth there they are. It is as possessed with such forces of good that we can overcome evil with good.
Rem We are to shine as lights in the world, as we read in Philippians.
Ques Tell us how to get into the shining of the sun so that we can bring it down.
JT Well, it says the Lord takes with Him Peter, James and John and brings them up into a high mountain apart. I think you get a knowledge of the Lord by following. Divine things do not go begging. The Lord looks for appreciation. He selected these three men; He is sovereign, but He takes account of the desires men have. If the Lord acts sovereignly in regard to the choice of Peter, Peter has to conform with that and justify that [p. 452] selection. The Lord knew he would! He was first among the apostles; the Lord knew what was there, and there can be no doubt with these three men, Peter, James and John, that there was desire to enter into what was presented to them. If you desire a thing you will get it. The Lord knows the desires of men.
RW The cross and glory go together.
HES God chose David sovereignly, but he was a man after God’s heart.
JT There are three hearts in the opening of Samuel. Hannah wanted a son and she got him; the people wanted a king and got him; God desired a king after His own heart and chose David. God’s operations are in relation to hearts, in relation to what is underneath; the operations of God have in view that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed. The cross brought exposure of hearts. Samuel is sent to Jesse and looks on Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him”, 1 Samuel 16: 6, but he was not looking at the heart. The divine ideal is not to look on the outward appearance. The Lord had not chosen him, and then Samuel says, as the others pass before him, “The Lord has not chosen this”. 1 Samuel 16: 10. God knew what was in David’s heart, and which subsequent history brought out. Peter says later, “Lord, thou knowest all things” John 21: 17; he got on to this line; he saw that the Lord knew hearts. Whatever pretence we may put up, what is inside must come out.
HS In regard of these three disciples, why do we hear more of Peter and John than of James?
JT James suffered martyrdom early; Herod killed him with the sword; Acts 12: 1,2. The Lord appeared individually to the James who, I think, wrote the epistle; 1 Corinthians 15: 7. The Lord had His own reason for taking up these three; we know what Peter was and we know what John was. It is a [p. 453] question of hearts. In Proverbs 23:26 it says,. “My son, give me thine heart”, and the apostle says, “God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts” 2 Corinthians 4:6; not in our heads. Intelligence must come in, but the substance is in our hearts.
Ques What does the mountain top suggest?
JT Matthew deals with mountains more than the other evangelists, suggesting, I think, moral elevation. In chapter 5 we have the Lord going up, and coming down He meets a leper. That corresponds with Isaiah 6. The Lord is seen there high and lifted up, and the prophet realises then his uncleanness. When Jesus came down from the mountain in Matthew there were crowds; many of them would doubtless refer to the “beatitudes”, but there was one there who was a leper, and what comes out in the Lord is the expression of all the good of heaven, not only the throne, and the law and power to enforce that law, but all the wealth of heaven expressed in grace down here. The law is most essential, but how am I to use it for good? I take it that chapter 17 enables me to take up chapters 5, 6 and 7 and express them for good to man. It is as we are with Him, as these three disciples were with Him, that we can express the good of the kingdom of heaven. When His face shone as the sun it was for them, not that He needed it.
Rem Not that He needed to be more glorious.
JT He was transfigured “before them”; it was for them.
Rem You were speaking of the heart, Paul was changed from being a hard man.
JT Quite so, even the countenance has to be changed! What one sees the need of in brethren having to do with one another is that of being with Christ; you can then afford to be little for the sake of others. “Heap coals of fire upon his head”, Proverbs 25:22, that will bring a brother down when nothing else will.
[p. 454] The spirit of a little child is that you are simple and transparent, you do not desire to retain anything for yourself; you are on your guard too not to offend a little one. It is one thing to condescend, and another to descend. The Lord’s supremacy in judgment is seen in Revelation; His head and His hair were white, He is girt about the breasts with a golden girdle, and His feet are like unto fine brass, all showing that judgment was in view; but in Matthew 17 it is His supremacy in good that is evident. This is the thing to be impressed with, and to carry the sense of it into the scene of need. The test was that there was a case they could not help, and then the Lord points out that this kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting. You may come down with the light, but there is no power without going down and becoming lowly. Prayer is the power, it brings God in, and fasting shuts out the flesh. There are very few then who can fast continually; one has to practise it, and the Lord helps one.
Ques Will you say a word as to the two going up to the temple in Acts 3?
JT The difference between the gospels and the Acts is that in the gospels the disciples were learners and in the Acts they were finished graduates, so to speak. In Acts 3 there are Peter and John, two of those here; they had completed the educational course and could say, “Look on us”. Acts 3: 4. All through the gospels Peter is the learner and asks questions. We learn by asking questions. One question he asked was how many times he had to forgive his brother; but in Acts God can bring him forward as one who has learned. He takes the lame man by the right hand; he knew how to do it, and now in the man we see a product of Peter’s work.
I would particularly commend to all Peter as seen in Matthew; he is the model learner, positively and negatively. In chapter 17 the Lord comes down and [p. 455] Peter is again put to the test as to what his apprehension of the Lord was, as to whether He was a divine Person really — the Son. “Doth not your master pay tribute?” Matthew 17: 24. We never know what may be thrust upon us, and we may deny the truth, so the thing is to have the truth as essentially in our being. Peter missed it; he says, “Yes”. He had the truth presented to him, but it was not really in his soul, and in view of that he must undergo all this training. He thought the Lord was like every one else. His soul was not yet in the good of what he had seen on the holy mount. Every young believer ought to take up Peter. You can learn better at school, and Peter is at school here, and we are all at school. Peter had to be rebuked in chapter 16. The Lord recognised him as material for the assembly, and yet alongside His remark as to being blessed in chapter 16, He has to say, “Get thee behind me, Satan” Matthew 16: 23.
This chapter is unique, you get things mentioned here that are found nowhere else. Peter had not got things he had seen on the mountain worked out; if he had he would have said, My Master is not like any one else, but he was for the moment beneath the light, speaking as if the Lord were like anybody else, but he has to learn not only that the Lord is the Son and free, but that the sons also are free. The Lord was really the creator and had the rights of creation, all was His, so He could command the fish of the sea. At the end of chapter 16 the Lord says, “There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom”. Matthew 16: 28. So they saw and heard that He was the Son of God, but they also saw that He was the Son of man.
Ques Do these things head up in your forgiving your brother?
JT That is what I was leading up to; that the effect of them was to be seen here. Peter was a fisherman, and the Lord gives him a lesson in that [p. 456] with which he was most familiar; he knew what a hook meant. If the Lord had told him to use a net he might have caught a hundred, and would have had to pick out one, but here it is one hook and one fish; it was the concrete evidence that the Lord knew the fish of the sea severally. This is beyond men, it was a miracle. It would remind Peter that the Lord knows every man, woman and child on the earth, for the Lord had said He would make Peter a fisher of men. The feature of this incident is to bring out sonship, not only in Himself, but for us — the sons. They belong to the royal family, “Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children or of strangers?” Matthew 17: 25. In Matthew the Lord was born King and this suggests that we are children of the King. Later Peter says, we “were eyewitnesses of his majesty”, and speaks of the voice from the excellent glory 2 Peter 1: 16,17. If any one went then and asked him the same question, how different the answer would be! It makes a great difference when we see the brethren in this light — their place of sons. The effect of it would be seen in the attitude we take up. The Lord calls the saints to this, He loves to have a model to take up; the saints are within His call as the little child is; Jesus “called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them”. Matthew 18: 2. There is nothing to be afraid of in a little child; inwardly it is so simple and inoffensive, but it has a great place in heaven, and I should dread offending such. “Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh”. Matthew 18: 7.
FAP When Peter asks the question in the next chapter, does he come out like a little child?
JT Well, he is at school, and what marks a learner is that he hears and asks questions. The Lord Himself sets us the example of that in the temple. The sun is not concerned about what is below; it shines. That is the idea of its supremacy: “He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good”. Matthew 5: 45. The Lord is not here dealing with confession of sins, He is dealing with the supremacy of what is good; you maintain your relations with heaven no matter what happens — like David, who said, “Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?” 2 Samuel 9:1. You want to be like God.