Transfiguration

Transfiguration icon - Anonymous

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

Now as they came down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. And they asked him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Then he answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that he must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

- Mark 9:2-13

I love this passage, the great Transfiguration. What we see in this passage is the Holy Light, that which is given from above. It confers upon us - and the disciples Peter, James and John - the knowledge of the Messiah, the Christ. Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, a title we discussed in yesterday's commentary. It is a great paradox, because in yesterday's reading Jesus revealed that he was to suffer. So, in a sense, the two passages taken together reveal the fullness of Christ - at least a little more than they already know and understand - to the disciples.

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. My study bible notes that "the transfigured radiance of Christ is His uncreated glory, a saving revelation at the heart of the Christian experience (2 Peter 1:16-18). The Transfiguration assures the disciples that the Messiah, who is to suffer, is also the Lord of Glory. Only his third-day Resurrection is a greater sign of his divinity than is his Transfiguration."

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. My study bible points out that Peter recognizes Elijah and Moses: they are in a "space," if you will, that does not require introductions, but where there is "knowing," revelation, it is understood. Peter's suggestion that they build tabernacles (or booths or tents) for each of them is reasonable: The Feast of Tabernacles was the feast of the coming kingdom. This revelation is, perhaps for Peter, a sign that the kingdom has revealed itself in its final fullness. At any rate, we're given a picture of Peter, who's just made his confession in yesterday's reading - and then rebuked Christ for saying that the Son of Man will suffer, and hence been upbraided for it - who is clearly awe-stricken. This truly awesome sight, we are told, has struck the apostles with terror. Can we possibly put ourselves in Peter's shoes at this moment, given what has just transpired in yesterday's reading, and then the revelation on the mountaintop today? Moses and Elijah, my study bible notes, represent the Law and the Prophets. This is a "place" - an experience - where time does not apply; it is a clear indication of the communion of saints, the reality that teaches us about the kingdom of heaven and its servants. This timeless reality is always with us.

And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. My study bible notes that a cloud is sometimes the sign of a theophany, the presence of God the Father. It says in a note, "This revelation is for the benefit of the disciples, that their faith should be firm. For they are called to believe not only in Christ but in what is to come, the eternal Kingdom. The Greek verb for hear is in the present imperative form, meaning 'listen always.' " As with Jesus' baptism the voice of the Father communicates Itself, and reveals Jesus' identity as Christ.

Now as they came down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. There is still so much that the disciples still do not understand! It is being revealed to them, bit by bit, just as the blind man at Bethsaida received his sight bit by bit. Jesus' identity as Christ or Messiah is something that he wishes revealed only after his Resurrection - in this way, it will be revealed just what this Messiah, the Christ, is about. Remember there are many interpretations and understandings and expectations in Jesus' time about this Messiah. But Jesus is to fulfill this promise in his full Personhood, and in his own way - just as he is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in his own way, and not as any one of us might expect.

And they asked him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Then he answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that he must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him." Here again is another affirmation of the great role of John the Baptist in this drama of revelation and teaching. John the Forerunner has come before, announcing the imminence of the coming Kingdom in "the One who is to come." John is the one who came in the spirit of Elijah, according to prophecy. The cloud, the light, the voice of the Father - all are signs of theophany which tie us in again to Jesus' baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. In this sense, Jesus once again affirms for his apostles how his life and revelation is tied inextricably to the Law and the Prophets, for John is the last of the great prophets. At the same time, Jesus' mission is shared by John in his suffering; without the human beings who served their roles in this drama, the revelation would not be complete. All is tied together in this communion of saints, and the reality of this Kingdom which continues today for us.

Yesterday, I had a strange experience in my prayer. Some hurtful things I've endured in my own life continue to hurt, and I feel, at times, a pain in my heart when I think of them. This pain, I feel, is an indication of sorrow at how things could be, and because they are not so. In my prayer, I felt that somehow this pain helps me to share in love for Christ. That doesn't seem to make much sense: why would an all-beneficent and loving God offer us to share in love by pain? Well, in today's reading, we also understand those who shared in this love, in this kingdom of love, by pain and suffering. It's not that God wills us to suffer, but that those who suffer because they offer love also share in that pain through love. The saints suffer because they see where God "is not" in the world, all the places that need (and even reject) healing. I think each one of us feels this to some extent, and that each one of us is capable of linking in love in the same way. It is not suffering, per se, that teaches us love. Rather, it is a suffering for what could be, and what is not, and in offering that thing -- that love, that kingdom -- that could be, a better way, "the better part." So today, I will ask you to think about your own life. In what way do you suffer for what "could be, and is not?" And how do you take that then back to Christ, to Love, and offer yourself as a servant, and carry on with what He teaches you?

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7,8

- For Fr. Vazken at the In His Shoes ministry, who always teaches about Love, and those who work with him.