“Transfigure” comes from the Latin
word, “transfiguratio,” meaning to change or transform the outward appearance
of something. The term, “transfiguration,”
is typically used in a positive, spiritual sense, referring to physical glorification
or exaltation. Transfiguration is a religious
revelation, in which the divine blessing bestowed upon an individual is
momentarily revealed in a brilliant, white flash. It is transformative in that we momentarily
see the individual as they are truly are in their divine nature.
The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ
is described in three of the Gospels, Matthew 17: 1-9; Mark 9: 2-10; and Luke
9: 28-36. It is also referenced in 2
Peter 1: 16-18. This weekend, our
scriptural basis will be Mark’s description of the Transfiguration:
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 white, such as no one on earth could bleach 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 make three dwellings,
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.
Of course, we, 21st century Christians, have the
advantage of looking back over history knowing that Jesus will be crucified,
buried, and then will be resurrected from the dead three days later. At this particular point in Jesus’ life and
ministry among them, the disciples did not have the benefit of foresight into
how Jesus’ time on Earth would conclude.
So, in the story, they appear ignorant and say foolish things.
For
example, when they reach the mountain summit, Jesus becomes transfigured into a
dazzling white brilliance. The disciples
see Jesus talking with the Hebrew prophets Moses and Elijah from the Old
Testament (or Hebrew Scriptures). Within
the Jewish faith, Moses and Elijah were two of the three historical figures
believed to be already living eternally, in the presence of Almighty God. (Enoch was the third person; see Genesis 5.) That is, the disciples believed that Moses
and Elijah were already living in Heaven in the Glory and Presence of God.
When
the disciples see Jesus transfigured and talking with Moses and Elijah, they
are flabbergasted—and, terrified! Peter
doesn’t really know what to think or do.
So, he says, “Rabbi…let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.” Perhaps
Peter was caught up in the awesome wonder of the moment. Yet, when we step back and look at what’s
happening, this was a ridiculous suggestion.
Think about it. Why would Moses
and Elijah ever want live in an earthly dwelling, when they were already eternally
living in the presence of God and all God’s glory?
Then,
out of the cloud, the disciples hear the voice of God the Creator, saying, “This
is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!” In
this moment of Transfiguration, God confirms what the disciples have already
begun to believe and affirm—that this Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the
long-awaited Messiah promised by God.
Still,
there is a distinct hint that the disciples can’t fully comprehend what they
are seeing, hearing, and experiencing. As they walk down
the mountain, Jesus orders them to tell no one about what they’ve seen on the
mountain, until after he has risen from the dead. Mark records that the disciples followed
Jesus’ instructions, but that they questioned among themselves what Jesus meant
by “rising from the dead.” This suggests
that they “just don’t get it” because Jesus had already begun preparing the
disciples for what would happen in the previous chapter, Mark tells us that
Jesus “began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering,
and be rejected [and] killed, and [then] after three days rise again.”
As
Christians living in the 21st century, we might well ask what relevance Christ’s
Transfiguration has for our contemporary lives and faith. Afterall, we have other, significantly more
powerful evidence through his Resurrection that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-promised
Messiah. So, what’s the point of
rehashing this one Transfiguration story that briefly previews what we know comes
afterwards?
It
seems to me that there are three major insights:
First,
the three disciples remind me of myself on my spiritual journey. Throughout this story the disciples are
ignorant and they foolish. They “just
don’t get it.” They remind me of myself
a great deal. There are many times when I fail as a disciple of Christ--times when my faith is weak; when I am ignorant and do foolish things; times when I "just don't get it." Seeing that the disciples
are working hard to “get it” makes it easier for me to identify with them and
it encourages me to continue asking questions, struggling with my doubts and—in
the process—growing in my faith.
Second,
hearing again the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration reminds me that God is
present in our world today, just as during the time when Jesus walked the
Earth. Although the historic opportunity
to see Christ’s Transfiguration was only given to Peter, James, and John, it
alerts us to other possibilities in which the Divine may be discerned in a
flash of revelation. Despite their
ignorance and foolishness in the moment, I believe that the three disciples
perceived the Transfiguration with the eyes of faith. Which raises the question, “How can we
perceive the brilliant revelation of God in the world around us, with our eyes
of faith?” Can we perceive the brilliant
radiance of God in a beautiful sunset? Or,
in the firm squeeze of an infant, as it firmly grabs our finger? Or, in the acts of kindness which others
bestow upon us?
Finally,
we see that in order to redeem the world, Jesus had to descend from the glory
of the Transfiguration to endure the suffering of the Cross. As one biblical scholar has written, “Christians
frequently think of the divinity of Jesus in terms of heavenly glory …We tend
to think that Jesus is most clearly Son of God in glory, not in suffering. This passage challenges us to revise our
understanding of how God’s presence comes to the world. The command to silence reminds Christians
that glory and suffering cannot be separated.”[i]
If we are to live in the glorious
presence as Moses, Elijah, and Enoch, then we must follow Jesus in his
suffering, before we can follow Jesus in his glory. As he tells his disciples in Mark 8, “If any
want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross
and follow me. For those who want to
save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and
for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
This self-sacrifice is what we will begin to observe this week, with Ash
Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
Come, join us this Sunday, February 15th, as we explore the
implications of Christ’s Transfiguration for our own life and faith. Our church is located at the corner of
Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.
Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. Also, consider joining us for a special Ash
Wednesday Service on February 18th, beginning with pancakes at 5:30 pm.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because
God loves us all.
[i]
Pheme Perkins, The Gospel of Mark: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections
in The New Interpreter’s Bible, volume
8 in the 12 volume series, 2003.
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