the truth was, that as yet they understood Moses and Elias better than
they did Christ. They had heard and read of Moses and Elijah all their
lives—they were acquainted with all their actions and words—they knew
thoroughly what great and noble men the Spirit of God had made them, but
they did _not_ understand Christ in like manner. They did not yet _feel_
that God had given Him the Spirit without measure—they did not understand
that He was not only to be a lawgiver and a prophet, but a sacrifice for
sin, the conqueror of death and hell, who was to lead captivity captive,
and receive inestimable gifts for men. Much less did they think that
Moses and Elijah were but His servants—that all _their_ spirit and
_their_ power had been given by Him. But this also they were taught a
moment afterwards; for a bright cloud overshadowed them, hiding from them
the glory of God the Father, whom no man hath seen or can see, who dwells
in the light which no man can approach unto; and out of that cloud, a
voice saying, “This is my beloved Son; hear ye Him;” and then, hiding
their faces in fear and wonder, they fell to the ground; and when they
looked up, the vision and the voice had alike passed away, and they saw
no man but Christ alone. Was not that enough for them? Must not the
meaning of the vision have been plain to them? They surely understood
from it that Moses and Elijah were, as they had ever believed them to be,
great and good, true messengers of the living God; but that their message
and their work was done—that Christ, whom they had looked for, was
come—that all the types of the law were realised, and all the prophecies
fulfilled, and that henceforward Christ, and Christ alone, was to be
their Prophet and their Lawgiver. Was not this plainly the meaning of
the Divine voice? For when they wished to build three tabernacles, and
to honour Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, as separate from
Christ—that moment the heavenly voice warned them: ‘_This—this_ is my
beloved Son—hear ye _Him_, and Him only, henceforward.’ And Moses and
Elijah, their work being done, forthwith vanished away, leaving Christ
alone to fulfil the Law and the prophets, and all other wisdom and
righteousness that ever was or shall be. This is another lesson which
Christ’s transfiguration was meant to teach and us, that Christ alone is
to be henceforward our guide; that no philosophies or doctrines of any
sort which are not founded on a true faith in Jesus Christ, and His life
and death, are worth listening to; that God has manifested forth His
beloved Son, and that Him, and Him only, we are to hear. I do not mean
to say that Christ came into the world to put down human learning. I do
not mean that we are to despise human learning, as so many are apt to do
nowadays; for Christ came into the world not to destroy human learning,
but to fulfil it—to sanctify it—to make human learning true, and strong,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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