"And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea
Philippi:" that is, into the country and towns round about Caesarea
Philippi, a town some miles to the north of the Sea of Galilee. The
name of this city had been Paneus; but Philip, governor of that part
of the country, repaired and beautified its houses and other
buildings, and added more, so making quite a new and large city, which
he called Caesarea, in honour of Tiberius Caesar, who became Emperor of
Rome about fourteen years after the birth of Jesus Christ. There was
another town called Caesarea, on the Mediterranean Sea; and to
distinguish between the two, that which Philip had beautified was
called Caesarea Philippi. Like most of the flourishing cities mentioned
in the Bible, Caesarea Philippi has been completely destroyed; and
amongst its ruins there is a little village, consisting of twenty
miserable huts, inhabited by Mahometans, for the Holy Land now belongs
to the Turks, who are not Christians.
This little village is called Paneas or Baniass. The walls of the
great city can be distinctly traced. Whilst they were on this journey,
Jesus "asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man,
am?" They told Him that some thought Him John the Baptist; others,
that He was Elias; others, that He was Jeremias, or some other of the
old prophets, risen again from the dead. Jesus then put the still more
important question, "But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
The Apostles were thoroughly convinced by all that they had seen and
heard, that Jesus was indeed the expected Messiah. No doubt they had
often talked over the matter together, and now, in the name of all the
rest, Peter, always first and foremost when anything was to be done,
declared most positively and unhesitatingly their belief in Jesus, as
being at once God and Man. Jesus then pronounced Peter to be blessed
in having such faith. Then He told him, that the fact of His being the
true Messiah was the rock upon which His Church was to be built: that
is, that it was only by depending and resting upon this truth that men
could become his followers, and form a Church. Jesus also told Peter,
that He would give unto him the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
power to unbind or unloose. By which He seems to have meant, that
Peter would have power to open the way for the Gentiles to join the
Church of Christ; and that he should have power to declare how far the
Laws of Moses must be kept or dispensed with; that is, what things
were lawful or unlawful.
After the disciples had declared, through the mouth of Peter, their
firm belief that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, He began to speak to
them of His sufferings and death; but the Apostles could not easily
give up the idea held by the Jews in general, that the Messiah was to
establish a kingdom upon earth; and Peter therefore expressed his
belief, that such terrible things could not happen to the Lord. For
this, Peter was severely blamed by Jesus, who told him, that by
objecting to the way appointed by God for the salvation of man, He was
in reality doing Satan's work, and was an "offence" or hindrance in
his Master's way.
At this same time Jesus taught those around Him the duty of
self-denial; the necessity of giving up everything we most value, and
bearing any pain or trouble, rather than do the least thing contrary
to the Will of God. He said, "If any man will come after me," to be my
disciple, "let him deny himself" the indulgence of his own will, "and
take up his cross daily"; bearing cheerfully all those daily troubles
and anxieties which may be called crosses, and "follow me"; follow in
all things my example, for I came not to please myself, but to do the
Will of God. Jesus also impressed upon them the fact, that the soul
was of infinitely more value than the perishing body, and that our
first object must be to secure the salvation of our souls, at any
cost, for "what" (said He) "shall it profit a man, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
About a week after this, what is called the "Transfiguration" took
place. St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke all give an account of this
event: the place where it occurred was probably Mount Tabor, which
lies a little to the S.W. of the Lake of Galilee: into this mountain
Jesus went up, taking with Him Peter, and James, and John his brother.
The brief account of the Transfiguration is, that whilst Jesus was
praying in the Mount, the disciples fell asleep: suddenly, when they
awoke, they saw a wonderful and glorious sight--"Jesus was
transfigured before them": that is, His appearance was entirely
changed; "his face did shine as the sun," and "his raiment became
shining," "exceeding white," and "glistening." Nor was He alone; for
"behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias;
who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should
accomplish in Jerusalem." All that the three disciples now heard,
should have convinced them that Jesus must indeed die, and that His
death would give the very strongest proof of his being really the Son
of God, the promised Messiah. The disciples would further learn, that
everything which Moses and the prophets (represented by Elijah) had
taught, was intended to prepare the Jews to believe in Jesus, and
follow Him.
Peter, dazzled and confused at the wonderful scene before him,
exclaimed, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt let us
make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one
for Elias." Peter seems to have had an idea, that Moses and Elijah had
returned to remain on earth; and that if three tents were set up, they
might abide with Jesus in the Mount, where he and the other disciples
might be constantly with them. But as we read, "He wist not what to
say, for they were sore afraid." Whilst Peter yet spake, an answer
came; "a bright cloud overshadowed them," "and they feared as they
entered into the cloud;" "and behold a voice out of the cloud, which
said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."
And when the disciples heard it, knowing it to be the voice of God,
"they were sore afraid, and fell on their face." "And when the voice
was past, Jesus, was found alone;" "and he came and touched the
disciples, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had
lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only." Moses and
Elias had disappeared; whilst the voice of God had plainly declared,
that as the people of God had hitherto obeyed Moses and the prophets,
they were in future to look to Jesus only, the Messiah of Whom Moses
and the prophets did write. The old dispensation of the Law had passed
away; but the new dispensation of the Gospel had taken its place, and
would last for ever.
That the Law of Moses, even as regarded ceremonial observances, should
ever be abolished or done away with, was what the Jews could not or
would not believe. Even many years after the Resurrection of Jesus, we
read, that many thousand Jews who believed in Christ were also zealous
for the Law, that it should still be observed. It was not, therefore,
at this time suitable to speak to the Jews in general of the abolition
of the Law of Moses; and therefore as Jesus came down from the
mountain with His disciples, He "charged them, saying, Tell the vision
to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead." "And they
kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which
they had seen:" "questioning one with another what the rising from the
dead should mean." It was at this time, that in answer to a question
from His disciples, whose thoughts were naturally full of what they
had just seen, Jesus told them that the Elias spoken of by the
prophets, as coming to prepare the way before Him, was not Elijah
himself, as many supposed, but John the Baptist, who had already been
put to death; and that the Son of man must in like manner suffer
death.
When Jesus was come down from the mount, He found the disciples, who
had not accompanied Him, surrounded by a great crowd, and the Scribes
questioning, or disputing with them. A man, whose only child was
possessed of an evil spirit, had brought him to the disciples, begging
them to cast out the devil; "but they could not." This failure of the
Apostles gave the Scribes an opportunity of trying to persuade the
people, that the power of Jesus was not so great as His disciples
taught; and most likely what they said made the poor father doubt the
power of Jesus, in whose name he had expected the Apostles to heal his
son. When Jesus heard all that had passed, He lamented the perverse
want of faith, which prevented men from believing in Him. Then He said
to the man, "Bring thy son hither." Even whilst He was coming, the
Devil gave a proof of his power over this poor child; and still more
to convince all who stood round, that the boy really was possessed by
a devil, and could not be cured by any human means, Jesus asked his
father some questions on the subject: He then told the poor man, that
if he could really and truly believe, there was nothing too difficult
for God to do. The father did believe; but fearing that his faith was
weak, and that he had sinned in allowing the Scribes to raise a doubt
in his mind, he "cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help
thou mine unbelief!" This was enough, and "the child was cured from
that very hour."