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Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.
- Luke 9:28-36
Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."
Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. To understand how the verses read in sequence, we need to go back to Monday's reading, in which Peter confessed that Jesus was Messiah or Christ. This was immediately followed by Jesus' warnings about what was to come in Jerusalem: His suffering at the hands of the leadership, and His death and Resurrection. He taught them, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God." Commentators consider this last sentence to refer to the events of the Transfiguration, which is given to us in today's reading.
As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. We may often read about a "mountaintop" experience, and this is perhaps the most distinctive and powerful "mountaintop" experience during His ministry; certainly it would be so for the disciples who are with Him, Peter, John, and James. These disciples repeated form His inner circle, for particularly great or difficult events. The word translated as "decease" is literally exodus in the Greek, His departure from this world, His death. My study bible says that "Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, for Christ is glorified through His death (John 12:23). . . . The term exodus reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover and is the true exodus from enslavement to salvation." It is a teaching to the disciples, directly after Jesus reveals what is to happen in Jerusalem, that His death will not be in the hands of others, but comes as a "voluntary offering of love" (as my study bible puts it), "for no arresting soldier could withstand such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53)." Moses represents the law and all those who have died, while Elijah represents the prophets -- and, as one who did not experience death, all those who live in Christ. My study bible says, "Their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament." Moses and Elijah also manifest the communion of the saints: both are immediately recognizable and talk with Christ.
But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said. We get a picture here, through Peter, of the experience of the disciples. Imagine this vision as one comes out of a deep sleep. Peter's words do have a sort of logic to them; the feast of Tabernacles or Booths was the feast of the coming kingdom, commemorating the "exodus" of the Jews as they wandered in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, and lived in tents (called tabernacles or booths). At the feast, these booths were symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.
While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. The cloud is once again a reminder of the times during the Exodus of the ancient Jews, and its presence that went before the Israelites in the wilderness -- the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present. This also shapes Peter's perception that the Kingdom has come.
And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" What makes this event so powerful for the Church is just this: it is a manifestation of the Trinity. Christ is transfigured, the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Jesus' divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of the dazzling light surrounding Christ. From the Greek, this is called an epiphany ("showing" or "appearance") or, more accurately, Theophany (manifestation of God).
When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. As abruptly as it happened, they are alone again. This time, the divine secret will stay a secret until it is time for its unveiling.
Immediately after Peter's confession that Jesus is Christ, Jesus reveals what is to come: His suffering, death, and rising again after three days. We can hardly know what the disciples made of all of this information. But certainly commentators throughout the centuries of the Church have viewed this incident of the Transfiguration as a kind of affirmation of the divinity of Christ to these disciples, particularly in light of what is to happen. It tells that that this death will be voluntary, a sacrifice on Christ's part, an offering of love, as my study bible tells us. That these three did keep this secret until it was time to tell of it also says something very powerful indeed. So much of what Christ tries to keep secret is revealed anyway. Here is such an extraordinary, beyond-remarkable event that these three disciples, who form Jesus' "inner circle" do manage to keep it hidden until it is time to reveal it. This is the realm of the mystical, the time when time ceases (Moses and Elijah are together with Christ), when space doesn't matter (they all converse with one another), where we are in the realm of the Kingdom and the divine reality (everybody recognizes Moses and Elijah). It is a defining "mountaintop" experience where our normal boundaries are suspended, and God is revealed. Perhaps nothing elevates the whole of human nature so much as this episode we read about today. It's one thing to focus on the divinity of Christ, the revelation of Jesus and His place midst the Trinity, His dialogue with Moses and Elijah. But what of these disciples, who are taken along for this experience, to whom it is also revealed and shown? What does that tell us about our own capabilities, and how God elevates us and our nature to "be with Him?" To my mind, this is an extraordinary grace, a revelation not only to the disciples of just who Jesus is (and so, coloring and filling in all doubts about His death on the Cross as voluntary), but also a grace of God so fully extended to we human beings, that we, too, are a part of this secret and may share in it and view it. We, too, are capable of receiving this great mystery and experiencing it on this mountaintop. It is a kind of extraordinary reaching by God to elevate us to Him. Jesus has come from above and will return -- but He has come to take all of us with Him. In all of the Eastern Church, in the whole arc of the great Councils of the early centuries of entire Church, there is perhaps no greater nor more basic theological statement than this one: "God became man so that man could become a god." In other words, Christ condescends to us as a human being so that He elevates us to be both "with Him" and "like Him." (In a very real way, we "get there" by being "like Him" in this world.) Let us consider then the fact that it is human beings who share in and to whom is revealed this experience, this great mystery, this phenomenon of the communion of saints on this mountaintop. Peter, James, and John, none of whom was particularly learned but all capable of faith, are brought along for this glimpse of the greatness of God, the reality of the Kingdom come into the world. And they, as great apostles, take us along with them in the communion of saints, in the reality of this Kingdom, in the good news of the Gospel. Can we really appreciate what it does for us and for our lives?
