THE KING’S BUSINESS
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rest He sought ; He lived continually in a crowd (Matt. 4:24/25 ; 8:1; 12:15; 13:2; 14:14; 15:30, 31)., There is nothing more wearisome than a crowd, unless the heart is full of love. But when we grow so tired of the crowd, let Us remember how the Master’s life was spent. When he saw the great crowd gathering from whom He had sought escape for His disciples and Him self, we are told “He welcomed them” (v. 11, R. V.). Oh, wonderful love! His own need sinks out of sight as He beholds theirs; the desire and need of rest is utterly for gotten, and the whole day is spent in teach ing and healing. Jesus was always inter ested jn and solicitous, about the multitude, they were never to Him “the common herd,” or “the rabble,” they were “Sheep not hav ing a shepherd,” and He made Himself Shepherd to the shepherdless. --If Jesus were really the head of the church today, the church would not seek the boulevards where the few rich live, to the neglect of the alleys where the many poor swarm. We have already taken up the details of the miracle, and will not go into them again here, Monday, November 29. Luke 9 :18-27. Here, again -we have à picture of our Lord in prayer. Matthew also gives us a picture of this conversation with the dis ciples (Matt. 16:13 ff.), but he does not tell us that Jesus was praying. This glimpse of our Lord’s prayer life we owe entirely to Luke. Peter makes his great confession, the account of which is more fully given in Matthew. And now, knowing that the dis ciples were ripe to receive the announce ment, Jésus tells them how “He must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” Having told them of His own rejection and suffering, He tells them if any man expects to come after Him, he must be ready to follow Him in the three great essentials: (1) “Deny himself.” That is, renounce self, utterly re fuse to take self into account in any pur pose or plan. (2) "Take up his cross daily.”
That is, meet each -day without flinching, the shame and suffering-that lie in the path of absolute loyalty to God. (3) “Follow Me.” That is, walk in the steps in which Jesus Himself must walk. Everyone must make his choice between sharing the suffer ings of the Lord and being ashamed of the Lord. If we choose to go around the cross that is involved in open and loyal confes sion of Christ, then in that day of future condemnation, when the Son of Man is manifest inJHis glory, He will be ashamed of us. Tuesday, November 30. Luke 9 :28-30. The Lord does not grant the same experi ences to all men. Only three of the twelve Apostles saw “th e . kingdom eome with power” in the transfiguration of Christ (cf. v. 27; Mark 9:1). While there is the same Lord, there are “differences of administra tion” (1 Cor. 12:5), but these experiences were not granted to Peter, James and John for their own blessing alone. They were given to them that they might become chan nels of blessings to others. We have strik ing proof that the experience here recorded made a profound impression upon their minds. They refer to it in their writings (John 1:14; 2 Peter 1:17, 18). It qualified them to be more efficient witnesses for Christ. JeSus went .up into the mountain for a specific purpose, to pray, and took them along as companions, as in Mark 5 :37, and Matthew 26:37, 38. It was night, Jesus’ favorite time for prayer (Luke 6 :12; 21:37; 22:39). Little did those dull disciples who went up in the mountain at night to pray with the Master, know what was to occu* before daybreak. Indeed, so. far were they from such anticipations, that just as in Gethsemane, they soon fell asleep (v. 32), while the Son, of Man prayed. “As He prayed the fashion of His countenance was altered.” The fashion of many a man’s countenance is altered as he prays, but in this case there is more than that, the divine glory that ever resided in our Lord begins to shine through the veil of flesh, His very “raiment was white and glistering.” This
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