This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!

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 was Ascension Day.  We read that, after Jesus' suffering and death on the Cross, and Resurrection, the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.   Today the lectionary resumes from Monday's reading, in which Peter confessed his faith that Jesus was the Christ (see But who do you say that I am?)

 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.   The events in today's reading constitute what is known as the Transfiguration.  The two men, Moses and Elijah, speak to Jesus of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  The word translated as decease is exodus in the Greek, which literally means "departure."  My study bible tells us that Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, because Christ, according to His own words, 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 into salvation.  This revelation of the events of the Transfiguration also tells us that His death on the Cross was not simply imposed on Him by outside forces, but rather that it was a voluntary offering of love.  My study bible suggests that no arresting soldier could withstand such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53).  An Orthodox festal hymn of Transfiguration declares, "Your disciples beheld Your glory as far as they could bear it, so that when they saw You crucified, they would understand that Your suffering was voluntary."  There is another parallel to the Exodus story here, in Peter's declaration that they should make tabernacles (or tents) for Christ, Moses, and Elijah.  During the years of Israel's exodus, the people dwelt in tents or tabernacles, impermanent structures.  The Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) commemorates this time, and is the feast of the coming Kingdom.  In Christ, this Kingdom is revealed and dwells among us and within us.

What is Christ's glory?  The Transfiguration tells us that while He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  It's a holy light that was revealed to these disciples through Jesus' clothing which reflected an impossible brightness.  Mark tells us that His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them (Mark 9:3).  These brilliant and dazzling visions are images of glory.  But when Jesus speaks of His own glorification, He speaks of the hour of the Cross.  A strange paradox for human understanding, and yet it is the divine understanding of glory that we seek.  And in this understanding and definition, that hour of Christ's glory is the hour of His sacrifice for love and for the kingdom of God to be manifest and available for human beings, so that we may be a part of it even as we live in this world.  That is what such a sacrifice is all about, and true glory means the depth and weight of significance, value, and immeasurable greatness.  This is the full meaning of the sacramental life to which He calls us when He says that we, too, should take up our crosses daily and follow Him.  Glory is something essential to think about, because in this understanding of glory is also all that is good and true and beautiful.   To think about glory asks us to redefine our lives and our understanding of greatness as that which is found in the true beauty of love and mercy, as it may radiate through human beings who wish to participate in this glory of Christ's life and Kingdom.