Our Sunday gospel today is about the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mt. Tabor. You can read this story in Luke 9:28b-36.
[Jesus] took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. 29 While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying.
34 While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son: listen to him.” 36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.”
The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us first of all that heaven is a very glorious place … that the face of Jesus and his clothing became dazzling white. As we learned in John 14:6, our Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I have read many articles about “near death” experiences where a person almost dies… or dies, but later returns back to life. Apparently, the commonality among these “near death” experiences is that there is a dazzling light that attracts a soul to go from the darkness. Many theologians believe that the light is our Lord Jesus Christ himself. But then, the only way we can find out whether this is true or not is when we die!
I’m sure that you must be wondering what the point of this whole exercise. If you recall, earlier Jesus told his Apostles that, he would suffer and be killed and then raised back to life, but not to tell anyone. Jesus told this to Simon Peter after his confession to Jesus in Matthew 16:13-19 when he told Jesus that he was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
Now that Simon Peter finally got it right, that his Master was indeed the Son of God, Jesus tells him in that he would be killed. This is why the response of Simon Peter to this revelation of our Lord written in Matthew 16:22-23 was, “God forbid that such thing would happen to you.” In reply, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
What a beautiful exchange between our Lord and Master and his lowly disciple. Just imagine a few verses before that, our Lord Jesus Christ gave Simon Peter the keys of his Church, then a few verses later, Jesus calls Simon Peter a Satan? The true meaning of Satan is one who opposes and the declaration of Simon that God forbid that this would happen to Jesus was in fact an obstacle to God’s salvation plan, which is why Jesus rebuked him.
It is for this reason that Jesus brought Simon Peter, James and John to Mt. Tabor to witness his glory with Moses and Elijah standing beside him. Best of all, they all heard the voice of God the Father who said, “This is my chosen Son: listen to him.” No doubt, the three Apostles were stunned at what they saw and heard in the mountain.
Some theologians say that Moses and Elijah represented the Law and the Prophets… but that God’s commanding voice saying, “This is my chosen Son, Listen to him” is a way of saying that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ fulfills the law and the prophecies of the Old Testament. The Old Testament being focused on the Passover would now be replaced by the institution of the Holy Eucharist during the Last Supper. In the Passover, the Jews ate the unblemished lamb, yet they still died. Jesus is the Lamb of God who when you eat his body and drink his blood, you will have eternal life.
What the Apostles also saw during the Transfiguration was a glimpse of heaven… and the after life. Moses already died hundreds of years before and the same goes for Elijah, yet they saw Moses and Elijah conversing with Jesus Christ. I do not know of any Bible account that clearly proves that there is life after death! The last time the Jews saw Moses was when he climbed Mt. Nebo to die. But if you didn’t know, the most revered Jew of all is Moses, yet there is no tomb or grave for this holiest of men?
Now that Holy Week is fast approaching, we must seek the sacrament of reconciliation so when our sins are forgiven and our souls cleanse, we too can become as dazzling white like our Lord Jesus during the Transfiguration so we can be pleasing to the eyes of God.
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