The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus

It is the Second Sunday of Lent and today’s gospel brings us to one very important event in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ as he was “transfigured” in a high mountain, which Biblical scholars have identified as Mt. Tabor. This is a gospel that all four evangelists wrote about, which tells us that this event is of great importance. You can read it in Luke 9: 28-36.

“28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, [a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

“32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

“34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.”

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The transfiguration of Jesus happens after the confession of Peter when the Lord, asked him: “But who you do you think I am?” Peter replied: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” The transfiguration scene provides a dramatic confirmation of Peter’s confession and a foretaste of the glory to be experienced when God’s kingdom is fully present. It was God’s way of preparing the three disciples for what Jesus would be like when he enters the Kingdom of Heaven.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah only attests to Jesus’ identity. The two are commonly interpreted as embodying “the Law and the Prophets,” which is no doubt a very important factor in Judaism. The risen Jesus himself will later assert that Moses and the prophets point toward him (Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). Luke tells us in the Transfiguration scene that Moses and Elijah “were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

The emphasis of the Transfiguration was to identify who Jesus was in God’s kingdom. The change in the appearance of his face is reminiscent of Moses’ face becoming radiant upon experiencing the presence of God in Exodus 34:29-35. But the description of the change in Jesus’ clothes distinguishes him from Moses. Significantly, Jesus’ clothes become “dazzling white,” words that Luke uses to describe the appearance of angelic figures in Luke 24:4 and Acts 1:10. Jesus’ transformed appearance is thus not merely because he is experiencing God’s glory (like Moses) but rather because he is the very source of divine glory himself.

The most important happening in Mt. Tabor was the voice of God that seemed to emanate from the Shekinah Glory cloud that declared: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” Let me point out that in the New Testament, the voice of God was heard only twice. The first was during the Baptism of Jesus that God proudly declared in Matt. 3: 13-17: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” God’s voice was clearly addressed to Jesus himself as God’s way of acknowledging his son.

But the voice of God in Mt. Tabor was addressed to the disciples: “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” So to the disciples of our Lord, they knew that God was really with his only beloved son Jesus on his sacred mission to go to Jerusalem. What they did not know that in Jerusalem, Jesus would be arrested, tortured, and crucified, and then three days later he would resurrect from the dead, something he already told his disciples, which is why God himself told them “listen to him.”