His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." 

 

 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.  Today's reading gives us the story of the Transfiguration (He was transfigured before them).  The root of this word is the Greek metamorphosis/μεταμορφωσις.   It is a major feast day of the Church.  The phrase after six days gives us a sense of fullness.  This is the time elapsed in between the time Christ taught the disciples of His Passion in response to Peter's confession that He is the Christ (see this reading).  Therefore this is the fullness of the "eighth day," a notion echoed by the Resurrection itself, the eighth day which would become the "Lord's Day" on which we commemorate with Eucharistic services.  (The Sabbath - or what we know as Saturday in English -- was the seventh day of rest in the Genesis story; Christ's Resurrection commemorated in Sunday is understood as the day of the new creation, or eighth day.)  So, on this "eighth day" we're given a high mountain experience, similar to the revelation of God to Moses on the high mountain (Exodus 24:12-18).  In today's reading, we are given what is called a theophany, or revelation of God.  One of the first sign of God's extraordinary presence is the light that shines from Christ's clothing:  shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  This is because God is light (John 1:4-9).  There are several elements in today's reading that combine to show us that light, understood as a sign of His uncreated, divine energy, which we will read further along as well.  

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.   Peter's seemingly confused answer is a reflection of the events that took place at the Feast of Tabernacles, commemorating the time when Israel wandered in tents (or tabernacles) toward the Promised Land, known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom.  Peter sees this event as a sign that this Kingdom has come, so he asks to build tabernacles as at that feast, symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  My study Bible says that Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- since he did not experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  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, my study Bible comments.  Additionally to that, the presence of Moses and Elijah manifests the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).  Both are immediately recognizable to the disciples, and they were talking to Jesus.  This is important in terms of the disciples' understanding of Christ's later statement (in today's reading) regarding the coming of Elijah.

And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"   Here the Father bears witness from heaven concerning His Son.  As another aspect of light, God the Father indicates that this divine glory is Christ's by nature, according to my study Bible.  It says that from infinity past, infinitely before Christ's Baptism and Transfiguration, Christ is God's Son, and fully shares the essence of the Father:  Jesus Christ is God of God.  My study Bible comments that the Transfiguration not only proclaims Christ's divine sonship, but also foreshadows His future glory when He as the Messiah will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.  The bright cloud recalls temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  The light coming from Christ's clothing, and His very transfiguration in the light, all demonstrate together that Christ is God.  In some icons, this light is shown as beyond white (such as no launderer on earth can whiten), a blue-white, ineffable color, which indicates its spiritual spiritual origin.  Therefore, the Holy Trinity is present here, as Christ is transfigured, the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Jesus' divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of a dazzling light surrounding Christ's person ("His face shone like the sun" - Matthew 17:2), and which overshadows the entire mountain (Matthew 17:5). 

 

 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."   In Matthew 17:13, we're told that, in this discussion about Elijah's return, the disciples then "understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist."  My study Bible comments that because of this experience of Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ, the disciples are ready to understand that when Jesus says "Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him," He is in fact referring to John the Baptist.  My study Bible says that their eyes have been opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) refers to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself. 

In Luke's version of the story of the Transfiguration, we're told that Jesus spoke with Elijah and Moses of His "decease" which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31).  In the Greek, this word is more powerful, it is exodus/ἔξοδος.  This word literally means "departure" and in this context it refers to Christ's death.  Hence, my study Bible comments, Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, as He is glorified through His death (John 12:23).  It adds that this term exodus/ἔξοδος reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.  The Transfiguration therefore comes soon after Christ's revelation to the disciples both that He is the Christ, affirming Peter's confession, and also that He will suffer and be killed, and after three days rise again (see Tuesday's reading).  Therefore, for the disciples it serves as an unforgettable experience and revelation of Christ's divinity.  This will stand them in good stead for the events that would be coming, especially for His rejection by the nation.  The brilliant light of the Transfiguration will always serve to remind them, and us, of the glory of Christ, revealed in such an astonishing way.  For us, the Transfiguration gives us a glimpse of the meaning of our own lives in Christ, in which we also are meant to be "transfigured" through the divine power of Christ and of the Holy Spirit at work in us through our baptism, as well as the spiritual experience and participation in Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection through our faith, as given to us in the Eucharist through our worship practices.  We're not simply silent bystanders to the story of this eye witness report of the Transfiguration.  Instead, we are given a vivid portrayal of what is at work in our faith, what is expected to work in us, and how we in our own lives might yet have revealed Christ's divine power at work in us in many and unpredicted ways.  The disciples themselves will go on from this point to lead lives that no doubt will surprise them, many of them traveling over the world bringing Christ's message to the world, establishing the early Church all over the known world of the time. Of all the Twelve disciples, John is the only one of whom we're told he was not put to death for his faith, and yet he would also suffer for Christ throughout his own long life.  So the elements of Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection come to play in the lives of the apostles, and also in our own, in one form and/or another.  The Transfiguration reminds us that even when we are in the depths suffering for our faith, or feeling losses in our lives, or even struggling with our faith at times, all of this is part of the journey of glory in the sight of God when we participate in the life of Christ.  The Transfiguration has to tell us about the light that shines through even (and at times especially) in the difficulties of our lives, because to take up our own crosses, (as He taught in yesterday's reading, above) following His teachings, is also to participate in His glory.  Can we possibly imagine the transcendence of the truths He came to teach us?  The Transfiguration, in which Jesus discussed His "exodus" with Moses and Elijah, tells us this is so, even in the depths of the most difficult changes we will go through, and in all the sacrifices we might make for our own faith.  May the light of His life shine through our own, even when we're in the midst of doubts or struggle.