And when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with 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 we read that it happened, as He was alone praying, that 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.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.   The event described in today's reading is called the Transfiguration, as Christ's appearance is altered.  My study Bible calls this occasion a theophany -- meaning a manifestation of God, especially of the divinity of Christ, through a display of His uncreated, divine energy.  The light reflected in all aspects of the visual display to the disciples is seen as a heavenly light, rather than light of an "earthly," created origin.   Jesus' face takes on a different appearance (just as it did in His post-Resurrection appearances to His followers; such as in John 20:14), and His robe became white and glistening.  As God is light (1 John 1:5), my study Bible says, so the light reflected here expresses that Jesus 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.   My study Bible notes that Christ's decease (Greek εξοδος/exodus; literally meaning "departure") is a reference to His death.  It says that Christ's death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, as Christ is glorified through His death (John 12:23).  In the liturgical cycle of the Orthodox Church, the Feast of the Transfiguration is August 6th, coming forty days before the feast of the Holy Cross (September 14), showing the connection between Christ's glory and His Cross.  This term exodus used here reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover; it is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation, liberation.  Moreover, my study Bible adds that this revelation of divine power confirms that Christ's coming death was not imposed on Him, but is a voluntary offering of love.  No arresting soldier could have withstood such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53).   Additionally, there is the presence of the kingdom of God here.  My study Bible remarks 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 declares 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.  This also manifests the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1).  Both men are immediately known by the disciples, and they speak with the Lord.  Now the disciples will be able to understand Christ's word that "Elijah has come already" (Matthew 17:12) as referring to John the Baptist.  They will understand that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) refers to one who comes "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17) rather than to Elijah himself.  

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 sees Christ's glory, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah (whom he recognizes) as a sign that Christ's Kingdom has come.  He knows that the Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of the coming Kingdom, and so asks to make three tabernacles, as at that feast, as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  

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 cloud recalls temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present, my study Bible says.  It notes that the dazzling light surrounding Christ gives us the presence of the Holy Spirit, coupled with the Father's voice bearing witness to Christ as God's beloved Son, makes an appearance of the Holy Trinity.  My study Bible asks us to observe that the Father doesn't say, "This has become My beloved Son," but rather "This is My beloved Son," which indicates that Christ's glory is His by nature.  From eternity past and infinitely before Christ's Baptism and Transfiguration, He is God's Son.  He fully shares in the essence of the Father.  Thus the Creed declares Jesus is "Light of Light, true God of true God."

What is glory?  Let us think about this word.  The disciples, when they became fully awake, saw His glory.  Certainly Christ's glory shows in the divine light completely surrounding His entire person, reflected in His white and glistening robe.  The text says that Moses and Elijah also appeared in glory, and so this glory indicates a heavenly origin, a sign of holy presence.  If we look at the word "glory," we see it connected not so much with an appearance such as radiance but rather with a reality surrounding a person in a different sense.  In its core definition, the Greek word (δοξα/doxa) means opinion (in a good, positive sense); Strong's also gives the definitions of praise and honor.  So Christ's glory appears evident, manifesting as something visibly real -- most certainly in the glistening light that seems to have surrounded this whole mountain, including Moses and Elijah and the cloud that overshadows the disciples like the one that led the Israelites through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22).  Perhaps this is a glimpse of what it is to be in the presence of the Kingdom, to dwell that much "closer" to God -- we would be able to perceive glory, those things that are praise and honor in some sort of visible sign, perhaps of light.  Certainly the halos we see in depictions of Christ and the saints and angels teach us something about that.  Perhaps there are those with a sort of "heavenly" sight who view these things about certain people, and we may think, easily, that Christ and our angels who watch over us can see all these things about us.  The notion of the Kingdom being so much more visibly present, almost palpable in the ways that the disciples grasp without being told that they're in the presence of Moses and Elijah, hearing the voice of God and seeing the cloud, all tell us about the reality that dwells within the Kingdom which is not always so visibly close to us, but remains with us and within us nevertheless (see Luke 17:20-21).  Perhaps to be closer to the Kingdom, or even to dwell in that Kingdom, means that we will see what is unseen and usually invisible to us.  Like Abraham and his wife who "entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2), we may be living and interacting with those who have a glory we can't see or perceive, honor and praise from the only God, who truly sees (Genesis 16:13).  Let us consider all the things that may truly be present to us, of which we are yet unaware, and the glory that shone around Christ, which He shares with His saints and those who carry the Kingdom within and among them.

 

 

And He was transfigured before them

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

 

- Matthew 17:1-13 

 

 On Saturday, we read that, following Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, from that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone 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 will find it.  For what profit is it to 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 the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; . . ..  My study Bible comments that a high mountain is often a place of divine revelation in Scripture (Matthew 5:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 19:3, 23; Isaiah 2:3; 2 Peter 1:18).

. . . and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.  My study Bible notes that the Transfiguration (for this is what this event is called) is a Theophany; that is, it is a manifestation of God.  It especially reveals the divinity of Christ.  In the eyes of the Orthodox Church, that is affirmed through this display of His uncreated, divine energy in the form of the light which appears to the disciples Peter, James, and John.  The commemoration of this event is a major feast day in the Church.  All of the elements in today's reading that indicate light:  the bright cloud, the shining of Jesus' face like the sun, and the whiteness of His garment, affirm the divinity of Christ, as God is light (1 John 1:5).  In some icons of the Transfiguration, the light is shown as beyond white, a bluish-white, ineffable color, indicating its spiritual origin.  In the Father's voice we have a witness from heaven concerning Christ as Son (notice how this comes after Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (in this reading from Friday).   The Father's statement, "This is My beloved Son" is an indication that Christ's divine glory is His by nature.  He is God's Son from eternity past, infinitely before His Baptism and Transformation this is true.  Christ fully shares in the essence of the Father; He is God of God, as the Creed declares ("Light from Light, true God of true God, of one essence with the Father").   Other elements of the Transfiguration point beyond Christ's divine sonship, and to His future glory, when as Messiah He will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.  My study Bible comments that the bright cloud recalls temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, a visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  As the text indicates, Peter sees this as a sign that the Kingdom has come.  The Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of the coming Kingdom, and hence, his seemingly senseless request to build booths, as is done at that feast to serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  Moses and Elijah appear with Christ:  Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah, my study Bible continues, 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 in the Transfiguration to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the Old Testament.  Moses and Elijah also manifest the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).  Both are immediately recognizable to the disciples, and they talk with the Lord.  In this vein, the disciples can now understand Jesus' words that "Elijah has come already" which refers to John the Baptist.  Malachi's prophecy of the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6) is a reference to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself.  Finally, and of great significance, my study Bible points out the manifestation of the Holy Trinity which takes place in this event:  Christ is transfigured with divine light, the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of the dazzling light which surrounds Christ's person, and overshadows the whole mountain. 

The power and significance of this event are clear from the comments in my study Bible, which reflect the Church's historic understanding of the Transfiguration and its central and important place as a major feast day.  It is as if the confession of faith, as well as Christ's powerful words to the disciples indicating His Passion, are all bound up in this experience which both affirms Christ's divine identity and the Kingdom to come.  In Luke's Gospel, we're told that "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" (Luke 9:30-31).  In the original Greek text, this word translated as "decease" is literally exodus (ἔξοδος), which  means "departure."  It is a clear connection to His death and Passion, but it is also a powerful reminder that the Passion is inextricably linked to the coming of the Kingdom, and Christ's fullness as the Almighty, who rises from the dead to usher it in, together with judgment.  In effect, the glory of the Transfiguration affirms for us, and in the minds of the disciples as witnesses, that Christ's Passion is necessary, and that through His death on the Cross He will be glorified (John 12:23).  The use of the term "exodus," my study Bible comments, also reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, and the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.  The Transfiguration serves as explication and signal to the disciples and to all of us that Christ's glory is bound up with what is to them the unthinkable:  His death on the Cross.  It is a sacrifice, in the words of Christ Himself, which leads to the greatest glory of all, a universal good for all.  (See John 12:24, and Jesus' metaphor for His death, in which a grain of wheat falls to the ground, but produces much grain).  In our daily lives, let us remember this event of the Transfiguration, but most of all how it affirms that our spiritual freedom, like so many blessings in life, did not come cheaply, but at the highest price, in which the truly greatest One among us gave His life out of love for us, and the willingness to liberate us.  He offers this gift to all.  Let us consider with what ignorance we would spurn or reject it -- how great the sacrifice by the greatest One of all, and for all.  When we make a choice for faith, we must consider just how much rests within that choice for that Kingdom!

This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!

Transfiguration icon, Russia, 17th 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.  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.  In the story of the Transfiguration, we begin with Peter, John, and James whom Jesus takes with Him to pray on the mountain.  This is His inner circle, the ones brought with Him to Jairus' house when Jairus' daughter was at the point of death, those whose faith is strongest.  We remember that Jesus has just told the disciples (in yesterday's reading) that He will suffer and be rejected and killed, and be raised the third day.  Peter has just made his confession of faith that Jesus is "the Christ of God."  Moses and Elijah appear, as representatives of the Law and the Prophets.  The glory that appears for the disciples confirms the understanding of the presence of the kingdom of God.  The text is translated that Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus of His decease which He is about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  The word translated as decease in the Greek is "exodus."  It refers to His death, at which He will be glorified (John 12:23).  My study bible says the term reveals that Christ's Passion is a true fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover and the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.  His glory also reveals that His suffering will be voluntary.  What arresting soldier could have resisted it?

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 Feast of Tabernacles was the feast of the Coming Kingdom, commemorating the time when Israel followed Moses and lived in tabernacles (or tents), temporary dwellings on their way to the Promised Land.   Peter's statement may seem nonsensical, but it does make sense in the context of what he knows and understands.

 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.  Here is what is called a Theophany, the revelation of God in the form of the Trinity.   The cloud overshadows them as the bright cloud of the Spirit that went before the Israelites, visible sign of God's presence (see also Numbers 11:25).   The Father's voice speaks, and Jesus is identified as beloved Son.   The command to "Hear Him!" even reflects on Jesus' identity as the Word (John 1:1).

The Transfiguration is a revelation of many things, a point from which we can understand many aspects of Christian faith.  Some suggest that as Jesus has just revealed that He will suffer and die, and be raised on the third day, it is an affirmation for the apostles of His true identity.  It is something they won't forget and will bear meaning for them after the events of the Passion, and giving more depth of understanding to the Resurrection. These men will need a strong faith to go through the events they are about to endure, and memories that will cement in place their mission as apostles.  For now, the text says, they keep all of this very quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.  This is because the events that are going to occur must proceed as they will in order for all to be given the true ideas about Messiah, the Christ.  The expectations of the people run very contrary to what will happen, and what sort of Kingdom this is going to be and how it will work in the world.  But the Transfiguration, to my mind, also teaches us about mystery.  Certainly there is revelation of Jesus' divine nature, and most importantly, of the Trinity.  But the Transfiguration also gives us an image to think about, to contemplate, as we consider the work of the Kingdom in the world.  The disciples -- Jesus' inner circle of Peter, James, and John -- are given an extraordinary experience and revelation.  But this image must also work to help us to contemplate the presence of the Kingdom in the world.  When we pray, do we enter into a place where we have a communion with God, a taste of something that permeates our world with experiences perhaps of joy, or peace, or even insight into our own dilemmas and circumstances?  The image of Transfiguration -- so often shown in icons in a blue-tinged light, meaning a glory that is beyond an earthly light -- is one which feeds us our own sense of what mystery and reality exists not just "beyond" or "after" this world or this life, but really interpenetrates our lives and touches our souls and spirits.  It is something good to meditate on, to understand in a contemplative way, how faith becomes not just about teachings and precepts, but is also experiential.  That is, an understanding that touches the heart with things we experience like love, or insight, or confidence we wouldn't have without it, a faith in what is "right" when the world puts pressure on us to make a difficult choice.  Without the Transfiguration, a sense of the holy as immanent wouldn't be so clear or secure within our faith.  It's not only about the miracles and the healings, the signs of the Kingdom Jesus does.  It's also about this image, in which God's light shines mingled and out-glowing even earthly light, but nevertheless shines for us -- for all of us.  This is what we take with us to experience as our own faith illumines what we need, and how we need it.  The mystery of the light remains, but the transfiguring power of the presence of this mystical reality works in us and those around us, even in always-surprising ways we can see and know and experience, and in the testimony of those for whom the Lord has done great things.