In the raising of Lazarus, dramatic as it was, there was a gesture on our Lord’s part which was immensely significant: before calling Lazarus out of the tomb, Jesus lifted up his eyes and addressed his Father (John 11:41). The Lord did not take anything for granted.
Contrast with Moses
We remember Moses, great servant of the LORD God though he was, in company with his brother Aaron, when he called out: “Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?” (Num. 20:10). For the moment, Moses forgot his dependence upon his God and rashly elevated Aaron and himself. There was never any form of self-elevation on the part of our Lord. He was always conscious of his dependence upon his Father.
On an occasion earlier than the raising of Lazarus, he had fed the 5,000. This is a notable miracle recorded by all four evangelists. Matthew informs us that as he took the meager provision of five loaves and two fishes, he looked up to heaven (Matt. 14:19; Mk. 6:41; Lk. 9:16). While John does not mention the raising of the Lord’s eyes to heaven, he does say that the Lord gave thanks (John 6:11), and this was an acknowledgment, as in our own case, of the source of the provision which was made. In all these instances the miracle in itself, utterly beyond human power, was a warrant of the Father’s response to His Son.
Looking to heaven
Other occasions when our Lord looked up to heaven are many. There is the account of the healing of one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech (Mk. 7:34). Another occasion is in John’s introduction to the beautiful and moving prayer recorded in chapter 17: “These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee” (Jn. 17:1). This prayer has many lovely features; one which runs throughout is the Lord’s repeated declaration that the apostles were the Father’s gift to him. “I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gayest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gayest them to me; and they have kept thy word” (v. 6). Especially in retrospect, the apostles must have found this prayer very moving, with its repeated recognition that they were in their Master’s eyes a gift from his Father. This he did knowing they would leave him in his great hour of need (Jn. 16:32). Such a thought must be an encouragement to us, realizing as we must how easily we can show ourselves unworthy of our Lord.
The Lord’s action in looking up to heaven reminds us of the psalm: “Unto thee I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens” (Psa. 123:1; 121:1-2). Our lord would be thoroughly familiar with these words and acted constantly in the spirit of them. We do well to ask ourselves how often, and how consciously, do we look up to heaven? Do we need to be reminded of the unique privilege we enjoy in the Lord Jesus? “For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Ideally our thoughts should constantly turn to our Lord, so that we “seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). This can be an effective way of purging our minds of what is unclean and unworthy and of developing the mind of Christ.
The transfiguration
We turn now to the consideration of another incident in the gospels, earlier than the raising of Lazarus, but belonging to the final part of the Lord’s ministry. In this the Father’s response to His Son, and His pleasure with him, are very evident. We refer to the transfiguration.
The event is recorded in the first three gospels. There is a linkage in each of the records which might have escaped our notice but which is deeply significant. We note that the “Caesarea Philippi” incident took place in the far north of the land before the Lord steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:51). It was there that the Lord interrogated his apostles as to what ideas of his mission were current in Jewish society. After being told, he questioned them as to what were their own convictions. He elicited from Peter the brief but eloquent reply: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). On the basis of this declaration of faith, the Lord proceeded in clear and unambiguous terms to foretell what would happen to him at the hands of the Jewish leaders (Matt. 16:21). As we know full well, this was repugnant to Peter, for reasons which are very understandable; he was roundly rebuked by the Lord (Matt. 16:23; Mk. 8:33).
It is all too easy to dwell on the thoughts of the apostles, and their reaction to the Lord’s pronouncement about his shameful death, and not to enter into Christ’s own feelings. Does not Luke give us some insight? He tells us that before Jesus questioned his followers, he was praying alone (Lk. 9:18).
Why should he be thus engaged in solitary prayer? Now, for the first time (1), in unambiguous terms, the Lord announced his forthcoming death. Gethsemane, as we have reminded ourselves more than once, tells us of the anguish experienced by the Lord at the contemplation of what awaited him. Some of this he must have felt as he thought, not merely of his own feelings, but of the reactions of the apostles when they would be told that they were going to Jerusalem for their master to be put to death.
The Father’s response
If his followers were incapable of entering into the feelings of their Lord and sharing his anguish, the Father knew full well the trial to which His Son was being subjected. Moreover, and this is surely remarkable, Jesus was well aware how his Father would respond to his own declaration of his sacrificial death. Where is the evidence for this bold statement? First, we note that following on the declaration at Caesarea Philippi, the Lord told his followers they were to deny themselves, and take up the cross (Matt. 16:24). This was a crucial decision that every disciple must make: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds” (v. 27). But what guarantee would be given that such a great claim was justified? This would be provided by an earnest of his royal power: “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” (v. 28; Mk. 9:1; Lk. 9:27).
What follows upon this declaration? Matthew informs us that after six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John and he was transfigured in their presence (17:1-2). Mark also records that after six days the Lord took his three apostles and the transfiguration took place. As for Luke, while he confirms the essential details of the episode, he informs us more approximately that the interval was “about eight days.” What is outstanding in all three accounts is that we are told nothing about the interval separating the Caesarea episode and the transfiguration. Surely we are thus intended to see the connection between the death of our Lord and his glorification. Peter, who initially failed so miserably to appreciate this vital connection came later to understand it perfectly. Thus, in his first letter, he talks about “the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them” (I Pet. 1:11). The association of ideas is also admirably brought out later: “The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow elder, and a witness of the suffering of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (5:1).
A remarkable event
The transfiguration was in every way a remarkable phenomenon; Peter could never forget it: he testifies, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (II Pet. 1:16-17).
Every aspect of the Lord’s transfiguration is worthy of our attention. One detail, recorded typically only by Luke, mentions that the Lord was praying when he was transfigured (Lk. 9:29). Prayer is a two-way process; God does not always respond, sometimes because of our inadequacy. Where there is total harmony between the one who prays and the Almighty, the response can be immediate. We think of Daniel who was told by the angel Gabriel that he had been dispatched as soon as Daniel had started his prayer (Dan. 9:23). In the case of our Lord, as he prayed, his face became radiant, his venture was white and dazzling. The raiment had no intrinsic property in itself. It was the radiance from the Lord’s body which shone through. Could there be any more resounding endorsement of a member of the human race than this? Here indeed was God’s beloved Son, His holy one (Acts 2:27; Psa. 16:10), the one in whom the Father was well pleased and to whom men were called upon to listen (Matt. 17:5; Mk. 9:7; Lk. 9:35). This was proclaimed initially to Peter, James and John, that they might bear witness to this unique experience and that others might learn from them.
Encouragement to the Lord
The knowledge of the Father’s pleasure with him must have been a source of enormous encouragement to the Lord Jesus, especially as Moses and Elijah were there to converse with him and to talk about his forthcoming decease — a parallel to the exodus Moses experienced (Lk. 9:31). They had their own glory (Lk. 9:30-31), but it was eclipsed by the transcendent glory of the Lord Jesus (cf. II Cor. 3:7-11). Moses had not been able to enter the land, because of his failing. This privilege had been reserved for Joshua (Jesus). Now, through the anti-typical Joshua, Moses finds himself in the land of promise. This episode, so extraordinary and wonderful, was but a preview of the kingdom, an earnest of the glory yet to be revealed.
The transfiguration was the Father’s response to the obedience of His Son. A more enduring expression of God’s pleasure was yet to be revealed, in the Son’s resurrection and ascension to heaven. With a consideration of this subject, we hope to conclude the present series.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One