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LESSON IV.—SABBATH, JULY 22, 1899

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 4, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 27.

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LESSON IV.—SABBATH, JULY 22, 1899.

PETER'S CONFESSION; THE TRANSFIGURATION.

Cæsarea Philippi, and Mount Hermon, A.D. 30.
13 "Now WHEN Jesus came into the parts of Cæsarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that the 14 Son of man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? And Simon 16 Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the 17 living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And 18 I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail 19 against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth 20 shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged He the disciples that they should tell no man that He was the Christ.
21 "From that time began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and 22 the third day be raised up. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord; this 23 shall never be unto Thee. But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art a stumbling-block unto Me; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of 24 men. Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, 25 and follow Me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it. 26 For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in ex27 change for his life? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then shall He render 28 unto every man according to his deeds. Verily I say unto you, There be some of them that stand here, which shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom."
1 "And after six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a 2 high mountain apart; and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became 3 white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them 4 Moses and Elijah talking with Him. And Peter answered, and said unto Jesus, Lord, It is good for us to be here; If Thou wilt, I will make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and 5 one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While He was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in 6 whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise, and be not 8 afraid. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only."
9 "And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the 10 Son of man be risen from the dead. And His disciples asked 11 Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? And He answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, 12 and shall restore all things; but I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they listed. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer 13 of them. Then understood the disciples that He spake unto them of John the Baptist."
32 "Now Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory, and the two men that stood with Him."

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.
  1. Upon arrival in the country of Cæsarea Philippi what question did Jesus ask His disciples? Matt. 16:13. Note 1.
  2. What reply did they make? Verse 14. (Luke 9:7-9.)
  3. Upon asking for their faith regarding Him, who answered for them? What answer did He make? Verses 15, 16. (John 6:68, 69.)
  4. Repeat the words that Christ then used to Peter, as spokesman for the twelve. Verses 17-19. Note 2. (Ps. 15:14; Eph. 2:20; John 20:21-23; Acts 3:1-8; 5:1-10.)
  5. Having established the foundation of His work for all time, what revelation did Jesus then make to His disciples? Verse 21. (Mark 3:31.)
  6. How did Peter receive this prediction? Verse 22.
  7. What does the Saviour's reply show was the cause of Peter's direct contradiction? Verse 23. (2 Sam. 19:22.)
  8. What necessary decision did Jesus then announce as a prerequisite to His service? Verses 24-26. (Matt. 18:2-4; Ps. 131:2.)
  9. What motive was added, as an incentive to such devotion? Verse 27. (Mark 8:38; Jer. 32:19.)
  10. State the promise then given to some of those present. Verse 28. (Mark 9:1.)
  11. What did Jesus shortly after do to fulfil this promise? Matt. 17:1, 2. Note 3. (Luke 9:28, 29.)
  12. Who there talked with Christ? What was the burden of the conversation? Verse 3. (Luke 9:30.)
  13. In what condition were the disciples at the beginning of this interview? Luke 9:32. (Dan. 8:18.)
  14. Upon being aroused, what involuntary expression escaped Peter? Matt. 17:4. (Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33.)
  15. What demonstration accompanied this unstudied utterance? Verse 5. (1 Peter 1:17, 18.)
  16. How did this display of glory affect the disciples? Verse 6. (Ex. 34:17.)
  17. Having partially recovered from their fright, what did the disciples then see? Verses 7, 8. (Dan. 10:18, 19.)
  18. While coming down the mountain, what charge did Jesus give the disciples? Verse 9. (Luke 9:36.)
  19. What indicated that the disciples did not really yet understand what they had witnessed and heard? V. 10. (Mal. 4:5.)
  20. How did the Saviour answer this query? Verses 11-13. Note 4. (Matt. 17:13, 14.)
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," chapters 45, 46. "Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 2, chapter 26.

NOTES.

1. Cæsarea Philippi.—The town bearing this name lay to the northeast of the plain of El Huleh. It was close to the territory of Dan, and nearly due east from Tyre. The town had been formerly known as Baal-Gad, so named from the Caananite god of fortune. It was rebuilt by the tetrarch Philip, three years before the birth of Christ, and named Cæsarea, in the honor of Augustus, the reigning emperor; hence its name. It was called Panium by Josephus, but is now known as Banias.
2. Upon this Rock.—It is upon the rock of this revelation that the church of Christ is built. When guided by the Spirit of God, His representatives will do and speak as led by that power, and so their loosing and binding is sanctioned in heaven. See side texts. When Peter said by the Spirit to the lame man at the gate of the temple, "Rise up and walk," the result was the same as tho the words were uttered direct from heaven.
3. Taketh with Him.—Only three were permitted to see this wonderful sight—those who constituted the innermost circle of the Lord's followers. The same trio were the only ones admitted into the death chamber of the little maid (Luke 8:51), and were also the exclusive companions of the Lord during His passion in the garden. Just why this was we do not fully know, but one thing is taught by the example—that, while the Lord's work recognizes no favorites, in a low sense, there are some whom He permits to enter deeper into the mysteries of His doings than others. This being so, all should trust God's wisdom and justice, and know that God reigns over His work and people in the earth.
4. Elijah indeed cometh.—The very fact that Peter included Elias (Elijah) in the number to dwell in one of the three tabernacles he suggested to have made, shows that he still believed that that prophet was yet to come and live with the Messiah on the earth forever. He, therefore, could not understand the statement that Christ was to die and be raised again. This only illustrates how tenaciously one clings to his old, preconceived ideas, in spite of the plain teaching of the Word of God.