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

 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 the final passage in Matthew's Gospel, in commemoration of Ascension Day in the West (which will be celebrated on June 6th in the Eastern Orthodox Church).  After Christ's appearance to the women at the tomb (Matthew 28:1-10), 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.

 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.  Today's reading follows in sequence the reading from Monday (see Who do you say that I am?).  In that reading, the disciples made their confession of faith (through Peter) that He is the Christ, and Jesus also revealed to them His suffering that is to come, and spoke of each one who would be His follower taking up his or her own cross daily.  Eight days is symbolic of what is called the "eighth day"; that is, the day of the Lord's Kingdom, the day we commemorate His Resurrection.  In the early Church, Sunday was frequently referred to as the "eighth day."

As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  God is light (1 John 1:5), and the presence of an extraordinary light permeated this transfiguration experience is a sign of the presence of God, and a revelation that Jesus Himself is God.

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 the Law and the Prophets, and also the communion of saints.  (Note that they are immediately known to the disciples without any apparent communication.)  Moreover, Moses represents all those who have died, while Elijah, who did not experience death, represents those who are alive in Christ.  Jesus' decease (which is literally the word exodus, meaning "departure" in the original Greek) refers to His death, which He has just predicted to His disciples (see Monday's reading).  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).  It adds that the Greek term exodus reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, and is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.

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.  Peter's slightly inchoate response to what he was witnessing makes sense in terms of the associations he has made between his perception of the presence of the Kingdom and the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the feast of the coming Kingdom, during which Israel's time in the wilderness was commemorated, when the people dwelt in tents (or tabernacles) and the Lord's presence went with them in the tabernacle of worship.  The tabernacles at the feast serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  Note again the presence of glory; light pervades this whole experience upon the mountain.

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.  This is a manifestation of the Trinity, or what is known as a theophany.  Christ is transfigured and revealed as divine and beloved Son, the Father speaks from heaven, testifying to Jesus' identity, and the Spirit is present in the form of the cloud and the dazzling light which surrounds Christ and overshadows the whole mountain.  When the voice had ceased, Jesus is found alone, just as He appears in worldly form.  But these disciples will not forget what has been revealed to them here.

It's interesting to think about the small, closed circle of disciples to which the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis in Greek) has been revealed, and the eventual revelation to all of this event.  In going up to the mountain in the first place, Jesus takes only His closest circle of disciples, Peter, John, and James.  These are the disciples with the strongest faith, the same ones He took with Him for the resurrection of Jairus' daughter at a time when all others were ridiculing Him because she was dead (see this reading).  It reminds us of Jesus' teaching, given in quite another context (as a warning to His disciples against hypocrisy) that "there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops" (12:2-3).  In that case, Jesus was warning the disciples against the "leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."  But the same saying applies to that which is revealed in today's reading of the Transfiguration:  the mysteries of the Kingdom may be initially revealed to very few, but what is given is the truth which is eventually revealed to all, and for all in the edification of the Church.  In his second Epistle, St. Peter writes about the revelation in today's reading, saying, "We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."   In the "light" of today's reading, we are also reminded of the shepherds of Bethlehem in Luke's second chapter, and the appearance to them of an angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord that shone all around them, and the good tidings of great joy for all people given to them (see Luke 2:8-20).  What is given by the Spirit finds its way for the illumination of all, and the help of the whole of the body of the faithful, past, present, and future.  In this we should take great heart and great hope, because the light that shines for one who may be truly illumined by God is meant for all those faithful who will profit by it, and with whom it may be shared.  In this we take our own glory and understanding, for we also are in turn so gifted.  Let us rejoice (as the shepherds were told) in this light that shines in a dark place, as St. Peter puts it, the light that we are promised and given today through the revelation of Transfiguration.  It is given to us all, and we who follow as disciples also seek in this example our own transfiguration, or metamorphosis, in His light.  So may we all find ourselves and our true identities in His way.