The Transfiguration of the Lord
28Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. 34While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became dazzling bright, such as no one on earth could brighten them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean.
1Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
(Note: The Transfiguration of the Lord commemorates an event in the life of Jesus as recorded by the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It is not recorded in John’s Gospel. It is also referred to in the Second Letter of Peter, which is used as an alternate weekday reading or as the Second Reading on a Sunday. One each of the three Gospel versions is read according to the Liturgical cycle of Years A, B, and C. The three versions are very similar, so this single reflection is given to cover all three years.)
Commentary on Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 or 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9 (Year A); Mark 9:2-10 (Year B); Luke 9:28-36 (Year C)
In all three Synoptic Gospels the story of the Transfiguration occurs in the same context, and that context is significant. Today’s verses are in the middle of the Gospel account and things have been building up to a climax. A previous reading describes how, as the disciples spend more time with Jesus, as they hear what he is saying and see what he is doing, they must have been asking, “Who is this Rabbi to whom we have attached ourselves; who is this Jesus?” Strangely, the answer comes from their own mouths.
One day, when Jesus was with them, he asked them:
Who do people say that the Son of Man is? (Matt 16:13)
Jesus was using this strange title of himself. Based on what they must have been hearing from people around them, they said there were various speculative answers—John the Baptist (resurrected from the dead), Elijah (ditto) or some other of the prophets.
Jesus then pressed them further:
But who do you say that I am? (Luke 9:20)
It is then that Peter speaks up:
You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. (Matt 16:16)
It was a peak moment in their relationship with Jesus, and an exciting one. How their imaginations must have begun to work on what it meant to be so closely associated with the Messiah, the King who would be the Saviour and Liberator of Israel! What glories and privileges awaited them as his disciples!
But almost immediately, Jesus begins to speak in a very different way. For the first time (it will happen three times altogether), he tells them what his future is going to be. And it must have come as a terrible shock. Jesus told them he was going to suffer greatly, be rejected by the leaders of their own people, be killed and then rise again after three days. They could not believe their ears. How could this happen to the Messiah? How could their own leaders do such a thing? And what would it mean for the dazzling future they saw dangling before their eyes?
The impetuous Peter immediately stepped forward. He cried:
God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.
(Matt 16:22)
He can hardly have expected the reaction of Jesus:
Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. (Mark 8:33)
And while they are recovering from this, Jesus continues by saying that not only will he himself suffer, but if they want to be his disciples, they will have to be ready to walk the same road:
If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
It is after this depressing situation of disillusionment and incomprehension that today’s reading describing the Transfiguration takes place. We are told that six days later (eight days in Luke) Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John up a high mountain by themselves. The identity of the mountain is not given and it is not important. In the Scriptures, mountains are holy places and special things always happen there—we think for instance of Mount Sinai (Moses), Mount Carmel (Elijah), the Sermon on the Mountain, the Feeding of the 5,000, and Calvary (Golgotha), a hill outside Jerusalem.
There before them, Jesus is suddenly transformed and is dazzlingly bright. They can hardly look on him. Suddenly there appear with him Moses and Elijah. They represent the whole Jewish tradition of the Law and the Prophets. They are seen talking with Jesus. The message is clear. They fully endorse what Jesus is doing and saying and the future he has foretold about himself.
Peter becomes utterly confused. He suggests the building of three shelters—one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. As Mark comments:
He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
(Mark 9:6)
But that was not all. Just then, a cloud came down and covered them. This was not just a change in the weather. To the biblical mind it spoke of only one thing—the presence of Yahweh himself. And then out of the cloud came a voice; it could only be the voice of One Being:
This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him! (Matt 17:5)
Here now is the supreme endorsement of the Son by his Father. “Listen to him!” Yes, listen, even when he says things that you don’t like, things that you do not yet understand. It is a confirmation of all that has gone on before—the real identity of who Jesus is and the reliability of everything that he says will happen to him and what is expected of them.
It is a special moment of encouragement which will help carry them through the difficult days ahead. They already have the answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?” But now they have to learn the answer to a more important question, “What kind of Messiah is Jesus going to be?” They will not fully accept that until after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus when they will boldly continue his mission and not hesitate to carry their cross in doing so.
Let us follow in their footsteps. That is where true happiness and fulfilment lie.
The First Reading (from the Book of Daniel) records a vision that Daniel had of God in glory and it echoes the scene that is described in the Gospel:
…an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
The alternate First Reading (or the Second Reading in some countries) is from the Second Letter of Peter in which he says he and his companions are not dispensing clever myths, but rather he claims to be a first-hand witness of the glory that was behind Jesus. Referring to the Transfiguration experience, he says they had been “eyewitnesses of his majesty”. He and his companions heard the words of confirmation coming from God in his glory:
This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him! (Luke 9:35)
Peter says that they heard:
…this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Hence, the message that he and his companions are now proclaiming is “completely reliable” and we should take it very seriously. Because, he says in a lovely phrase, this message is:
…a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
