As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening

Transfiguration icon by Theophanes the Greek, late 14th century

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 as Jesus was alone praying, His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then He said to them all, "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."

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.   The number eight mentioned here, is significant spiritually, and particularly in light of the fact that it is the Transfiguration that is going to take place before these three disciples who form Jesus' inner circle.  Eight is the number of the Resurrection.  It signifies eternity, as we say the new day of Resurrection is the eighth day.   Previous to the Resurrection, worship for the Jews was on the Sabbath, which was the seventh day, Saturday.  The new Sabbath is the Lord's Day, the eighth day, Sunday.  To be up on the mountain is frequently a place of divine revelation in Scripture.

As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  The whole character of this experience is the great light that transforms or "transfigures" everything.  It is a revelation of the divinity of Jesus.  My study bible tells us that because God is light (1 John 1:5), all the elements that reflect a light inexplicable by worldly standards demonstrate that Jesus is God.  In some icons, this light is shown with a blue hue, depicting an ineffable color, showing its spiritual origin.  We note that the appearance of His face was altered; this is a revelation of a transcendent truth, something more than what the purely worldly can reveal.

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.  Moses and Elijah represent all of the spiritual history that has led to this time of the Messiah, the Christ.  Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and, as he did not experience death (see 2 Kings 2:9-12).  My study bible says that their presence shows that the law and the prophets, all the living and the dead, bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament.  Importantly, Christ speaks to Moses and Elijah of His decease which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.  In the Greek, the word translated as decease is "exodus."  This incident foreshadows the Resurrection, the time of glory when as the Messiah He will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.

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.  The disciples, after struggling from sleep, saw His glory.  Let us remember another moment when Peter and those with were heavy with sleep:  in the garden at Gethsemane, Jesus' time of great agony, when He also asked these to watch with Him (Matthew 26:36-46).  Peter's seemingly disconnected remark is coming from his understanding that he's witness to what prefigures the coming of the Kingdom.  Tabernacles (or tents) were built for the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, or the Feast of the Coming Kingdom) which commemorates Israel's time of wandering in the wilderness toward the Promised Land, worshiping in the tabernacle and living in impermanent dwellings.

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 very presence of the Kingdom of God is indicated as well in the cloud, such as overshadowed the tabernacle of Moses and led the Israelites is a visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.   The voice of God the Father proclaiming His beloved Son and that all should Hear Him!   The present tense used here:  This is My beloved Son, is a further indication of the eternal quality of this experience and of the Kingdom, and that Christ is Son before all ages.  The glory radiating around them in the presence of the holy light  is Christ's by nature, God's energy. 

God's energies are revealed to Peter, James, and John.  That is, these divine energies that are extraordinarily present in Christ.  This moment will give them strength for what is to come, as the text continually reminds us.  Indeed, this moment is tied to Jesus' suffering on the Cross, which He calls His "hour of glory" (John 12:23).  Although it is here that His glory is evident to the disciples, as the divine light is radiant around them and through all of the elements present, even Jesus' clothing, it is the time of the Cross that Jesus calls His glorification.  But we have this moment with us, one of divine revelation, to teach us about Christ -- who He is, what He is, the nature of His divinity.  What are God's energies?  Perhaps we are to understand that this radiant extraordinary light is always present, but we are not equipped to perceive it.  Certainly we are to know, and confess in faith that Christ has always been the Beloved Son of God, begotten before all ages.  He does not become Son because of His ministry and mission.  Rather, the truth is the opposite:  this ministry and mission as one of us, His suffering and death as one of us, comes because He is the Son.  It comes because the world is so beloved of God that Christ was sent to us (John 3:16).   A hallmark of the nature of God shared among the Trinity is surely love (1 John 4:8).   In this is perhaps the greatest truth about Jesus' time among us, the accomplishment of His "decease" which He calls His hour of glory, as His sacrifice is a supreme act of love in order that we may have the eternal life He can give us.  His mission as human being into our world isn't simply to reveal His glory to us as God.  Rather, it's just the opposite:  His glory is revealed in His love for us, in the sacrifice and suffering He voluntarily makes out of love for us.  This is what our faith offers us.  It surely offers us all of the glory and grandeur and power and otherworldliness associated with the divine everywhere.  But it offers us one thing deeper, truer, grander:  it offers us love as the ultimate character of God -- a love which is guaranteed to be always extraordinarily present, which has been present before all ages and always will be.  This is a love so pure that it will experience even death for those upon whom it is bestowed, even if they should refuse that love.  Christ is true to His own nature, and His hour of glory reveals the fullness of that nature.  He offers to share His nature with us, if we "follow Him."   Let us consider the fullness of what that might look like, and the holiness of the saints.  Its learning curve has an eternal horizon, and grace and truth is its cup.  The Transfiguration is titled "Metamorphosis" in Greek.  Let us remember that this radiant example is for all of us to understand about ourselves.  Our lives are not meant to be stagnant; we exchange one reality for another.  This glory is reflected in our cross we take up daily, as He has said (see yesterday's reading, above).  It is the way to grow in the fullness of His likeness.