This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!

 

 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 Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  When He 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.   The event described in today's reading is known as the Transfiguration.  In Greek, it is Metamorphosis/Μεταμόρφωσις.  It is a change of form revealing an inner reality, and clearly indicates the presence of God.  This is what is called a Theophany, or manifestation of God, and reveals the divinity of Christ.  The light which plays such a powerful role is a display of Christ's uncreated, divine energy (as it is understood in Orthodox theology), and this experience is made present, "shown forth" to the three disciples Jesus takes with Him up on this high mountain.  This light is expressed in Christ's shining clothes, which are exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  See 1 John 1:5.

 

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.   Here in the appearance of Elijah and Moses, talking with Jesus, make clear the presence of the kingdom of God, and most especially the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1).  That the disciples can recognize them immediately also gives us to understand the presence of this communion which has no limit of time nor barrier to understanding.  My study Bible says that Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- as Elijah did not himself experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  So, therefore, 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.  

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.   Because of all the visible signs of God being extraordinarily present, Peter associates what is happening with the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of the coming Kingdom.  It commemorates the time when Israel wandered toward the promised land and lived in tents, or tabernacles.  So, He suggests to build tabernacles as at the time of the feast, symbolizing God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  It's quite notable that once again, we view Peter's impulsive nature in that he feels prompted to speak, and that all three disciples were greatly afraid.  But what he says tells us that he is grasping the significance of what is happening.  

 

 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"   Here is the completion of the Theophany.  It is the manifestation of the Holy Trinity in the Father's voice, the declaration that Christ is the beloved Son, and the radiant cloud overshadowing the mountain and dazzling light surrounding Christ's person reveal the presence of the Spirit. 

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."  When the disciples witnessed and recognized Moses and Elijah talking with the Lord, it prepared them to understand Christ's words here that Elijah has already come.  Because of what they have seen they know this refers to John the Baptist. My study Bible says that their eyes have become 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.

According to Strong's definitions, the Greek verb that describes what happens to Christ in today's reading (metamorphose) is structured as follows:  "from  /metá, 'change after being with' and /morphóō, 'changing form in keeping with inner reality' – properly, transformed after being with; transfigured."  We note the nuance in the explanation "transformed after being with."  This is important because it teaches us what it means for us to truly imitate Christ, and why the Transfiguration has significance for each of us.  Certainly it reveals the realities of Christ and the realities of the Kingdom that are necessary for us to understand and even to experience over time as part of our faith.  But there is a deeper element to the Transfiguration in its meanings for each of the faithful.  For we are also meant to be transformed, or transfigured, into our true nature through time and through the exercise of our faith.  That is, our own faith in Christ is meant to produce a transfiguring growth in us through time and through our lives, in which our own true nature is revealed as a child of God by adoption.  This is also understood as "true self" in the sense of who we are in the image of Christ that is created for us.  "Being with" Christ, praying to Our Father, in the Holy Spirit, we are transformed through faith.  Moreover, in the saints of the Church who have themselves been transfigured in this sense we also see the revelation of who they are in Christ, and this is why they are understood to dwell in holiness as is meant by the word "saint."  To recognize the communion of saints in today's reading is to understand how we, also, can dwell in this Kingdom even in our worldly lives, and be touched by that experience to reveal something truer and deeper within us.  Moreover, we're meant to grapple with the things we find within that stand in the way of that true self and its revelation, to discard the stumbling blocks, false beliefs, and misguided desires we have that would obscure and hinder that process.  This is part of the understanding of the practices of Lent and the traditional emphasis on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  We learn to give of ourselves, to give up things that we're better off without, and to seek the true light that Christ shines for us within and live that life He offers.  Sometimes this is more difficult than one thinks, when friends and acquaintances, or even loved ones, are used to the person who needs to change and find that change unacceptable or difficult.  Sometimes the things we're called to which reflect a deeper understanding of love or grace than we previously had seem odd to people who have different assumptions, or live by more worldly cultural values than the ones we're led to in faith.  Our own lives may even seem somewhat strange to us, when we let go of goals which no longer seem truly worthy of all of the effort we put into them, and seek less tangible goals instead.  The wisdom of valuing things more subtle than previously understood is not always obvious to others, or even those close to us.  The greatest example of all is Christ, whose suffering was in itself transfiguring to the world.  In fact, in Christ the Passion transfigured suffering itself into something having deep meaning and purpose.  The greatest symbol of transfiguration is the Cross, which was the most dreadful punishment of the Roman Empire, but was used to defeat the "prince of this world," and to usher in this period of the end time in which we live and await the judgment.  The coming of the Holy Spirit brings to us all this gift of transfiguration in God's grace, supplying us with inspiration and hope, strength and joy, and the courage necessary to participate in this process and in the life of Christ for the world.  So let us think about transfiguration, and the dynamic power of this light through which we are called to find out who we are as well.  For it is there with the saints in the kingdom, with Christ at the Cross in His true glory, where we may find our own way to participate for the life of the world.