His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

 

 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, from that time of Peter's confession, 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).  The phrase after six days indicates that there were six days between the time of Peter's confession and Christ's warning that He will suffer and die, and this day of the event on the Mount of Transfiguration.  Therefore this is the "eighth day" from Peter's confession and Christ's first warning of His Passion and Resurrection, a significant understanding for the revelation of the Transfiguration.

. . . and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  The first thing we're drawn to in this picture of the Transfiguration is the light that emanates from Christ.  It's a brilliance that we're drawn to in this language:  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  In 1 John 1:5 we're told that God is light, and in all the light expressed in the picture of this event we see a demonstration that Jesus is God.  My study Bible points out that in some icons this light is illustrated as beyond white -- a blue-white, ineffable color, which indicates its spiritual origin.  

 

 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."   Another sign of the Kingdom being extraordinarily present is the appearance of Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ.  Time is suspended, for although these all lived in different time periods, they are simultaneously here together and speak with one another.  Moreover, St. Peter clearly perceives their identities as well, so all are known to one another (1 Corinthians 13:12).  Moses and Elijah also represent the Law and the Prophets, gathered together in the presence of Christ.  My study Bible adds that Moses represents the Law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- as he did not experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  The law and the prophets, the living and the dead, therefore, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.   It is also an image of the communion of the saints, the reality of the kingdom of heaven, an affirmation of Christ's teaching that "all live to God" (Luke 20:38).  Peter's suggestion of making tabernacles is reminiscent of the feast of Sukkot, also called the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, commemorating the time Israel wandered in tents (or tabernacles, also called booths), following the bright cloud and pillar of fire toward the Promised Land. 

 

 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.  Again there is an image of light int he bright cloud that overshadowed Christ and the disciples, and that bright cloud is also reminiscent of the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, a visible sign of God being extraordinarily present and reminder of temple worship.  Here, also, is the Holy Trinity, in the voice of the Father, testifying to God's beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit present in the dazzling light surrounding Christ, and the bright cloud overshadowing the whole mountain.  

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.  With their immediate apprehension of Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ, the disciples are now able to understand Jesus' words testifying that Elijah has come already, as 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 the power of the Transfiguration is revealed the divinity of Christ.  It is a strong affirmation of the confession of faith of St. Peter that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (found in Friday's reading), and it will also serve the disciples as an unforgettable image of Christ's divinity through the terrifying events that are to come at Christ's Passion.  As a Theophany it is a manifestation or appearance of God.  In Greek, this event of the Transfiguration is called Metamorphosis, indicating a change of form or appearance, as does the word "transfiguration."  So while this drastic, unforgettable change of appearance serves the disciples in a number of ways -- as revealing the true nature of Christ to them, and so much more that comes with Him and His divine nature -- so also we are called to be transfigured as well by Christ and by the divine power that works in Him and through our faith to reveal who we are in His image of us as well.  We watch through the Gospels and the life of the early Church through Acts and the Epistles the great change in the disciples, such as St. Peter, and we see the transfiguring power of faith in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit active in these men.  We learn of the early apostolic missions and even the transfiguration of the whole world through the work of establishing the early churches, and it speaks to us of the power of faith and God's work in the world and what it does.  So, indeed, the Transfiguration is a model about our faith in so many ways, and it teaches us so much.  Perhaps we should also think about how that model of Transfiguration is also at work within us and among us.  How has your life been changed through the practice of prayer and your own faith?  Do you find that your faith -- and Christ's transfiguring power -- has changed you?  How has your faith evolved in your life, and the work of the Holy Spirit worked in you and your own perceptions of life?  Do you see things in a different way than you used to?  For myself, I can particularly testify that over the course of decades my faith has truly changed many things in my outlook.  Much of what I write today would have been about things incomprehensible and inconceivable to me in the past, but the reality of the internal transfiguration of faith and Christ's work, and the mercy of the Holy Spirit -- even the communion of saints -- has worked in me to entirely transfigure my own outlook and way of seeing life.  This is been more despite me than any result of my own wishes or will; this has been the surprising journey of faith and the power of God.  If the Transfiguration has given us so much of the fullness of our faith and what it has to teach us, then one can only imagine what the transfiguring journey of faith means for us as communities, as individuals, and even for our world.  How can we know what our own true nature is until we can begin to see it through the eyes of the Creator who leads us and heals us?  Let us not forget that this also includes the communion of saints, and what their prayer with us has to offer.  These are just some of the things to think about when we come to the transfiguring light of Christ, and ponder why we are given these experiences of the disciples in our Scripture.  Metamorphosis is also a part of taking up one's own cross, even the suffering involved in letting go of the things God wants to change in us.  May we be blessed in God's light of illumination for us. 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 come sin 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.  After six days indicates that the events of the Transfiguration took place on the seventh day.  We recall that seven is the number of fullness, of perfection.  And what happened before those intervening six days?  Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus' revelation of the nature of His messiahship:  that He will suffer and go to the Cross.  (See yesterday's reading, above.)  Today's reading tells of of the events of Transfiguration (Metamorphosis in Greek).   The first indication of what is happening is light -- the fullness of the light spectrum in the exceedingly white, like snow brightness of Christ's clothing, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  There are other elements of light in today's reading, and all point to the revelation of Christ as God.  In some icons, this radiant light around Christ is shown as beyond white, a kind of blue-white, ineffable color, which is meant to indicate its spiritual origin.

 

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.   Here in the appearance of Elijah with Moses, and in their talking with Jesus, are revealed a number of things.  First of all, they show the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1), as they are recognizable to the disciples, and all converse together.  My study Bible comments 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.  It says that their presence show 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.  In his astonishment, Peter responds with what he knows.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is the commemoration of the time Israel wandered toward the Promised Land, and dwelt in tents or tabernacles.  At the festival, they were built to symbolize God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  He grasps the presence of the Kingdom, and so suggests the tabernacles built at that Feast of the Coming Kingdom.  Note that Moses and Elijah are recognizable and known to all who witness.

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 a revelation of the Holy Trinity, and thus the Transfiguration is called a Theophany (a manifestation of God).   In the cloud which overshadows recalls the presence of the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness; as my study Bible puts it, "the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present."  The Father speaks from heaven, testifying to Jesus' divine identity as Son, adn the Spirit is present in the dazzling light which surrounds Christ's person and overshadows the whole mountain.  

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."  Because they were able to recognize Elijah speaking with Christ, they now understand that Jesus is speaking of John the Baptist, who came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), as fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6.

Do you ever experience a kind of transfiguration in your life?  Sometimes we might suddenly feel we've been given a manifestation of God, a sudden recognition, a way of knowing that is not given to us through discursive reasoning or conventional sorts of proofs.  The Transfiguration is a manifestation of what is true, yet not obviously understood or known through conventional perception of the physical senses.  It is a revelation of the truth of the identity of Christ, and of various realities present to us through faith and the reality of the kingdom of God.  These things may be given to the disciples because of what they were going to experience, and through the terrible events of Christ's Passion, they would recall this experience and revelation they were given of His divine identity.  These elements of revelation or manifestation here are also gifts to us, so that we have this understanding of our faith and the Person of Christ.  But the power of transfiguration is also a part of our faith.  That is, through the divine action of grace, we are also given glimpses of what is possible for us, and the image in which we were created, which we also may manifest and fulfill through the providence of God and Christ's work in us.  We understand the notions of fulfillment and perfection inherent in the symbolism of seven days, and so we also understand our lives of faith as that which is meant to grow and evolve, as did the disciples, and also to heal, for all things must come to their fullness in Christ (Ephesians 1:10).  In this experience, Jesus reveals to the disciples not simply His own identity, but also the realities in which they will not only participate, but seek to bring into the world.  It is through these disciples that we have been brought the understanding of the Holy Trinity, and through this experience given to them by God that we can affirm Christ's divinity as well.  What we might take with us through their witness is the hope that there will be times when we are also taken to the high mountain, and to us is also revealed a sense of this great mystery in which we also participate through our faith.  Let us consider, in this context, the revelation of the communion of saints, the sense in which we are a part of a communion unbound by time or space, or even death itself.  We are a part of something which holds great mysteries,  and yet we can experience and be a part of it in very personal ways that can uplit and inspire and fill us with a sense of God's love and care.  For these gifts let us be grateful!

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear 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 which we read about today is called the Transfiguration (in Greek, Μεταμορφωσις/Metamorphosis).  This "altering" of His appearance is a transfiguration.  The specific type of change here gives us a sense of what is being revealed, for this is what is called a theophany, a revelation of God.  In particular this indicates the divinity of Christ, through a display of His uncreated, divine energy.  The white and glistening light from His robe is not a reflection of the sun, but a showing forth of something that is natural to Christ Himself.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" and St. Peter confessed, "You are the Christ of God."  Here, my study Bible points out, several elements of the Transfiguration show that Christ is Messiah and God.  Let us note that this is about eight days after that confession of Christ, and also Christ's first warnings to the disciples about His Passion to come.  This is one hint about what is revealed here, for often the Resurrection is referred to as the eighth day, the beginning of a new kind of life, a new time.  Because God is light, my study Bible says, the light all around demonstrates that He 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 give us the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1), all those who live to Christ.  Moses represents the law and all those who have died; while Elijah represents the prophets and -- as Elijah did not experience death (2 Kings 2:11) -- all those who are alive in Christ.  My study Bible comments that 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.  There is a lengthy note on what is translated here as Christ's decease.  In Greek this word is exodus/εξοδος which literally means "departure" or "road out."  It refers to Christ's death.  My study Bible says that His death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, because Christ is glorified through His death (John 12:23).  The term "exodus" reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, and that it is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.  My study Bible adds that this revelation of divine power confirms that Christ's death will not be imposed upon Him by outside forces, but will be a voluntary offering of love -- no arresting soldier could have withstood such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53).  And this will be the understanding that the disciples take with them.  

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.  Note that Moses and Elijah are recognizable to Peter, also affirming the communion of saints in Christ.  My study Bible tells us that these aspects of the Transfiguration are seen by Peter as confirmation that the Kingdom has come.  He knows that the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, which incidentally takes place this week) is the feast of the coming Kingdom, and so he asks to build tabernacles (also called booths, or tents), as was done at that feast, to serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  This event makes possible the understanding of John the Baptist as one who came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" at the time of the Messiah (Luke 1:17), rather than a return of Elijah himself, which many expected as an interpretation of Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6).  

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.  Finally, the Holy Trinity is manifest here at the Transfiguration.  The Father's voice is heard from heaven testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of the white and glistening light surrounding Christ's person, and the cloud overshadowing the whole mountain. 

The Transfiguration presents us with a kind of "fullness" about who Christ is.  This event, occurring about eight days after Peter's confession, and Jesus' affirmation that He is the Christ, together with His prophesy of His Passion, more fully reveals what it is to be the "Christ of God" (see yesterday's reading, above).  We're given a theophany, a revelation of God.  And this is God in a complete sense -- not that all possibilities and manifestations of God are present in explicit detail for the disciples, but that God the Holy Trinity is here, Jesus revealed as divine Son is here.  These are all stunning and vivid images that the disciples will take with them as they proceed together with Jesus toward Jerusalem and His Passion.  This vision will sustain them through what will unfold, and it informs the experience of the Passion from the correct point of view -- giving to the disciples, and to we faithful who follow, the correct picture of Christ's voluntary sacrifice, His defeat of death and sin, and the power of the Cross.  For it is not only Christ who is transfigured in this event, but this event defines the very power of Christ in our world.  His death on the Cross will forever transfigure death and suffering, turning the most dreaded instrument of the Empire's punishment into a symbol of Resurrection and the power to conquer evil.  Transfiguration is the very act which characterizes Christian faith, for redemption and salvation have the effect of transfiguring us, the divine power of God helping us internally to turn away from sin, to become transfigured in the image of Christ into those faithful who may produce spiritual fruits (Galatians 5:22-23).  The revelation we're given through the Transfiguration gives us the fullness of the picture of Christ's identity, which we must take with us through His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- especially through His suffering on the Cross.  We can take away from Him neither His humanity nor His divinity, for both inform us of His voluntary suffering on our behalf, His willingness to lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13), and His Ascension through which our humanity becomes a part of heaven, preparing the way for the end of the age.  Let us consider His transfiguring power in us, for this is part of the work of faith in the One revealed to us.  

 

 

He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that from the time of Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, 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.  The events in today's reading describe what is called the Transfiguration (ιn Greek, Μεταμορφωσις/Metamorphosis.)   This event is what is called a theophany in Greek, a manifestation of God, especially the divinity of Christ, through what is a display of God's uncreated, divine energy.  This is a major feast day in the Church.  My study Bible explains various elements of this event which describe or make explicit that Christ is Messiah and God.  First of all, because God is light (1 John 1:5), the shining light radiating from His face which shone like the sun, the brilliant white light of His clothing, and other elements of light in today's passage, such as the bright cloud in verse 5, demonstrate that Jesus is God. In many icons, my study Bible points out, this light is shown as beyond white, given a blue-white tinge, an ineffable color which indicates its spiritual origin.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  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, who is the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  The presence of Moses and Elijah also manifest the communion of the saints of which St. Paul speaks in Hebrews 12:1.  Both are immediately recognizable and they speak with Christ.  

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."  Knowing that the Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of the coming Kingdom, Peter asks to build booths (tents, or tabernacles) which was done at that feast, commemorating the time Israel wandered toward the Promised Land, and which symbolize God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.

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!"   The Father bears witness from heaven concerning Christ the Son.  He doesn't say, that Jesus has become His beloved Son, but rather "This is My beloved Son."  It is a revelation that the divine glory on display in the various images of light is Christ's by nature.  From eternity past, my study Bible says, infinitely before Christ's Baptism and Transfiguration, Jesus is God's Son, fully sharing in the essence of the Father:  Jesus Christ is God of God (as the Creed states).  Moreover, the bright cloud recalls the temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, a visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  Peter's response, to build three tabernacles, comes as he sees this as a sign that the Kingdom has come.  Finally, this is a true theophany in the manifestation of the Holy Trinity:  Christ is Transfigured, the Father speaks from heaven in testimony to Jesus' divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the dazzling light which surrounds Christ's person, and overshadows the whole mountain in the bright cloud.

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.  Because of the revelation of the communion of the saints and their capacity to know and recognize Moses and Elijah, the disciples now can understand Christ's words that "Elijah has come already" as 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 today's reading we might contrast two important concepts of our faith.  The Transfiguration is called a "theophany," meaning a manifestation of God.  We might think of this as a revelation, but the word for revelation is "apocalypse" (ἀποκάλυψις).  In the Greek, that means to uncover something, to reveal something.  But Christ's Transfiguration reveals not by unveiling but by manifesting something, by showing forth something, by presenting us with signs and symbols of His identity; specifically, of His divinity.  The things that manifest here are the various forms of light which is an expression of God, the true uncreated light that is God (1 John 1:5, as referenced by my study Bible).  Included in this is the bright cloud that overshadows everything, such as it did when Israel wandered in the wilderness.  Moreover, there is the voice of the Father identifying the reality that Jesus is the Son.  All of these things are signs, manifestations of a reality that was always true and always present, but showing forth on this occasion to the apostles in ways they can understand.  Even the presence of Moses and Elijah, and the discussion between them and Jesus, although they all come from different periods of time in an earthly sense, is a manifestation of the communion of saints, always present to us in Christ.  These things reveal by showing forth, by manifesting.  Jesus' Transfiguration, as with all things in the story of Christ, is also meant for us to understand something about ourselves and about our faith.  As we each bear an image of Christ, so faith is meant also to transfigure us.  Christ asks us to bear fruit -- to bear the good fruit of His vine, which is built upon faith (see John 5:1-16).  In this sense, our own "transfiguration" comes through the bearing of this fruit, the signs that Christ is present with us and within us, the things that we do or manifest which give glory to God, the true products of our faith (Matthew 5:16).  One of the properties of God which is frequently overlooked (often in the West) is beauty.  We understand qualities of God to include Beauty, Truth, and Goodness, and beauty can be a manifestation of God.  What do we beautify?  A beautiful gesture is one of loving care and compassion which we extend to others, no matter how small the occasion nor how much it goes unnoticed by others (Matthew 10:42).  An act of beauty can be an act of kindness, a smile or a good word that encourages.  To clean up garbage from a property and rehabilitate it, showing forth a manifestation of the joy of the beauty that God brings us in what we can see might be one more sign of our faith, God's presence with us encouraging us to delight in what God provides that is beautiful, such as good order, or a garden, or helping to care for a child or an elderly person in their home.  All of these things can be the fruits we manifest through our own transfiguration in faith through Christ, and Christ's kingdom and the Spirit dwelling within us.  St. Paul writes, " But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  These are manifestations of our own transfiguration in the faith of Christ; they "show forth" fruits that are borne of the Spirit, and they glorify God in showing the world what our faith and what we faithful are all about.  These create beauty in the world; they manifest beauty and show it forth, they add to creation in the Spirit of the Creator that works through us in faith.  Let us consider what we show forth, how we glorify God, what our own transfiguration in His image is meant to be all about.  

 

 

 

 

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

 

Icon of the Transfiguration/Metamorphosis

 

 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.   Jesus' radiance is a sign of divine light, which includes in its reality wisdom, truth, goodness, and beauty.  This light is also a sign of His identity as Logos (written extensively in the language in John's Gospel; see for example John 1:1-5).  This color of Christ's clothes, described as shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them is often portrayed in icons with a blue tinge, indicating it is an ineffable hue, normally not discernible to human beings, beyond white, and hence of spiritual nature.   It would not be amiss to remember that white light is a combination of the whole known color spectrum of light, and that this light goes beyond the spectrum we know to include that which we don't commonly know and cannot perceive.  This is a sign that what these disciples witness is a theophany, or manifestation of God, through a display of Christ's uncreated, divine energy. 

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.   The presence of Moses and Elijah is representative of the Law and the Prophets, respectively.  My study bible says that Moses not only represents the Law but also all those who have died.  Elijah did not experience death (2 Kings 2:11), and so represents all those who are alive in Christ.   Their presence therefore shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, the Messiah.  

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.   It is noted here that Moses and Elijah are immediately recognizable to Peter, therefore an indication of the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).   Both speak with Christ, showing that normal boundaries of time and space are not present in this communion.  Peter's confused and stunned statement is not as disjointed as we might think, as he innately understands the presence of the Kingdom.  The Feast of Tabernacles, commemorating the time when Israel wandered searching for the Promised Land is known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom.  A tabernacle is a tent, symbol of temporary dwellings of the people and the tabernacle of the Lord at that time.  My study bible calls these structures symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.

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.  These actions describe a theophany, a manifestation of the Holy Trinity.  The Father bears witness concerning the Son, and the statement is an expression of the timeless reality of Christ as Son.  My study bible suggests that this event not only proclaims Christ's divine sonship, but also foreshadows His future glory when, as the Messiah, He will usher in the long-awaited Kingdom.  The bright cloud recalls the temple worship and the cloud going before the Israelites in the wilderness, as the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  The Father speaks, Jesus is revealed as Son, and the Spirit is present in the form of dazzling light which surrounds Christ's person, and overshadows the whole mountain.   And seemingly just as suddenly, this manifestation is gone.

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."  My study bible makes note that the disciples, having witnessed Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ, can now understand Jesus' words that "Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him" as a reference to John the Baptist.  It 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. 

If our lives as Christians are meant to live "in Christ" and to participate in that life, then how does the Transfiguration apply to us?  How are we to live this exalted moment of Christ's true glory manifesting to the disciples?  In Greek, the word for this Transfiguration is Metamorphosis.  Jesus' sudden change in appearance to the disciples is a manifestation of the truth about Him, the true inner nature of Christ and at the same time the reality of the Kingdom.  And this is our life in Christ, our life in the ongoing action of worship and prayer and the practices that the Church has set down for the care of our souls, that our true nature be manifest through it and the synergy of grace at work.  Our "true image" is in the One who has created us, and whose truth sets us free to become that true self.   The Greek word "metamorphosis" indicates a change that is a result of "being with" (meta-), and changing form in keeping with an inner reality (morpho).   Therefore it is a manifestation of true inner reality or identity, but happening for us through some form of agency or action, with which we cooperate or accept at a very deep level of the heart.   At times, it seems to me, I am not even aware of the deep level of the soul at which this "yes" to grace takes place.  Like the butterfly which matures out of the chrysalis, our own nature evolves out of this action of transfiguration which is possible through our faith in Christ, the communion which we enter via faith.  It is a divinely mysterious reality that our prayer can build, something that happens when we are truly touched by our faith and grow in it.  It is the same sense in which we may become carriers of that Kingdom within us and into the world.  When we overlook this event, or fail to grasp its meaning, we might choose to think that somehow our faith in Christ is simply akin to a set of values or principles, a philosophy which we work out to the best of our abilities and intellectually claim to represent His word.  But the Transfiguration defies all of that realm of the pure intellect, and puts us within an entirely different kind of framework for our faith.  This is a framework that is all-inclusive, and not only includes the intellect and the rational process and information we already have in our own minds, but puts us in the realm of the unknown, of participation in the life of Christ, of the divine, with all its attendant spiritual help and energies and reality.  That this Transfiguration event manifests to the disciples the communion of saints, the timeless eternity of the Kingdom and its presence to us in full, as well as the Trinity itself, teaches us that to walk in the light of Christ is far more than to symbolically take communion or consider His teachings as moral dicta.  We enter into the unknown, and its energies and grace slowly reveal to us, through a mysterious process, the equally mysterious reality of who we are through time, and through our lives in faith.  The early Church understood this right from the beginning, our earliest theologians proclaimed it so from the start.  Our is a mystical reality that permeates the known cosmos, right down to the details of our inner life of the heart in the present moment, the blades of grass, the very hairs of our head, and the small sparrows.  It is all at once, a reality that expands far beyond anything that we know, and down to the unknown details of life at our fingertips and below the line of our sight.  Through the mystical life of the Church, through our ongoing prayer and worship, all is included in the loving embrace of God.  The real question is whether or not we can, through faith, accept it, and move on into its embrace, giving up the things we cling to that keep us outside of where it would lead.  This event, the Transfiguration, is all about what they the disciples, or you or me, or anyone else might be missing when we think we have it all within our grasp and the construction of our limited sight and knowledge.  God would lead us to something much grander, beyond what it is we think we know now, into a place of sharing God's vision in God's love for us.  And this is what Christ came into this world to do for us.

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!

Bulgarian icon of the Transfiguration

 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

Yesterday we read that, from the time of Peter's confession that He is the Christ,  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 coming."

 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.  Luke's report says, "about eight days after" (Luke 9:28).   Both give us a clue about this event.  Matthew is possibly speaking of the number of days between Jesus' revelation of His suffering and this experience of the Transfiguration.  Six days was the number of days in Genesis in which God created all things, and rested on the seventh.  The eighth day is a term understood as the day of Resurrection, the new time born through the ministry of Christ.  The Transfiguration would be an experience of that for these three apostles, Jesus' inner circle of faith.  Jesus transfigured means that His divine nature was revealed and shown through His appearance.

His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. The Transfiguration is what is known as a Theophany, a Greek word meaning a manifestation of God.   This theophany is characterized by light, as God is light (1 John 1:5).  In these images of light -- his face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light -- we're given an expression of Jesus as God.  Oftentimes icons will depict the Transfiguration light as having a blue tinge to it, indicating its otherworldly, divine origin:  beyond this world, impossibly white, brighter than the full spectrum of earthly sunlight. 

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  In Luke 9:31, we're told that Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus about His decease or departure, which in the original Greek is literally exodus.  My study bible says that Moses represents the Law and all those who have died, while Elijah represents the prophets and, as he did not experience death (2 Kings 2:11).   My study bible says that their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, who is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament.  Their presence also is a manifestation of the reality of the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).  Both are immediately recognizable by the disciples, and they speak with Christ. 

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."    The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated the time that Israel wandered in the desert following Moses to the promised land, living in temporary structures (tents, or "tabernacles").  It is also called the Feast of the Coming Kingdom.   In Peter's mind he has put together an understanding of the manifestation of the Kingdom there present with Christ, Moses, and Elijah, in which he and the other apostles also able to participate at this moment.

 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!"  God the Father bears witness from heaven to the identity of Christ as Son.  My study bible points out that the Father does not say, "This has become My beloved Son," but "This is My beloved Son."  It is a revelation of what has always been, an unveiling of spiritual reality for human perception.  As Christians, we affirm in the Creed that Christ fully shares in the essence of the Father, the Son is "true God of true God."   This bright cloud, my study bible reminds us, recalls temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, the "visible sign of God being extraordinarily present."  This is what Peter has seen to signal that the Kingdom has come when he makes his statement about building tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  At the Feast of Tabernacles, such booths or tabernacles or tents were built to serve as symbols of God dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  This verse is also the full expression of Theophany, as the Trinity is revealed here:  Christ is transfigured and revealed as Son, the Father speaks to testify of Christ's sonship, and the Spirit is present in the dazzling light that both surrounds Christ and overshadowed the entire mountain.

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.   These verses speak to us about the experience of spiritual revelation.  It might be only momentary, but it is eternal in its dimensions and also unforgettable, sparking deep feeling and response.  Christ's words, "do not be afraid"  are those spoken on many occasions by Himself or by divine messengers to the faithful in the Gospels and the entire New Testament.  To open their eyes and see Jesus only is once again a reaffirmation that "It is I; do not be afraid" (14:27).

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.   After this taste of eternal reality, and their ability to understand Elijah and Moses speaking with Christ and alive in the communion of saints, the disciples are now able to understand Jesus' words that Elijah has come already.  They perceive that He's speaking to them of John the Baptist and 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 Elijah himself.

Have you ever had a "mountaintop" experience?  Jesus has led the apostles on a high mountain for this experience of the Transfiguration, just as He spoke upon a mountain when He delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  These are experiences of closeness to God; perhaps we could say "touching God" in the sense of getting a taste of heaven or the heavenly life.  We might find those moments in our own prayer, or read about them in the experience in the lives of the saints.  We might find glimmers or lights of understanding as we browse through the Gospels, and suddenly a light is cast on a difficult situation in our personal life, helping us perhaps to make a decision we could not make before.  These are moments of clarity, in which the light from heaven can shine in our own lives and illuminate our minds, giving us an understanding to take us forward in life.  Without them we are depleted of our real inheritance, for we are taught by Jesus that we, too, are "sons of God" although not in the same ways that He is.  Nevertheless, this is our inheritance we are given as heirs of the Kingdom.  It is the bounty and the beauty bestowed upon us by Christ in His mission into the world, incarnate as Jesus, and living with us -- even dwelling among us as did God in the Old Testament time of the wilderness when Israel followed Moses.  In fact, there is another allusion made in the Gospels to this time and to the festival that still commemorates it for the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).  John 1:14 tells us that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  In the Greek, the word "dwelt" means literally "tented" (or tabernacled).  At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' final words to the disciples are "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (28:20).  The Transfiguration -- and the mountain top experiences we're given in the Gospels -- reveal to us a place of eternity, where there is no space or time.  John, Peter, and James understand Jesus speaking directly with Moses and Elijah.  Each understands immediately who the others are.  These moments of participation in Christ remain possible and available to us through this reality of Jesus still dwelling among us, and His promise that He is with us always.  In the icon above, as is traditional in many Transfiguration icons, the light around Christ appears in what is called a mandorla shape. This shape is an indication of the "space" of this mountain top experience, the place where we connect with the living Christ, where understanding comes and the presence of Christ lives for us.  This is the place where there is no space and time, and nothing bars us from Christ.  Let us take His word and invite it into our hearts to meet in the place where He dwells and is always with us.  This vivid experience, which will remain with the disciples through Christ's Passion and death on the Cross, is also shared with us through the Gospel.  When we see dismaying things in the world, let us keep it vividly in mind as well, so that we know and understand to whom we pray and with whom we also dwell.  Above all, let us remember the command of the Father to "Hear Him!"

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

St. Photini speaks with Christ at Jacob's well.  Manuel Panselinos, c. 1300; fresco.  Protaton Church, Karyes settlement, Mt. Athos, Greece

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the man, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

- John 4:27-42

In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"    The disciples marveled not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but also that He spoke with an unaccompanied woman, something which was potentially scandalous.  My study bible refers us to further instances John's Gospel gives us of Christ's dealings with women:  7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the man, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  This Samaritan woman becomes an early evangelist, as she testifies to the advent of Christ, and also brings others to Him (see the last verses of today's reading).  According to an early tradition, my study bible tells us, after the Resurrection she was baptized with the name Photini, which in Greek means "the enlightened one."  Along with her two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the Gospel.  Eventually she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero by being thrown into a well.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is another incident in which Jesus uses a metaphor, and misunderstandings serve for gradual illumination of His expressions and teachings.  My study bible says that He fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father.  Therefore this is His food.  It also teaches us that we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares (6:27; see also Matthew 4:4, 6:25-33).

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Jesus' command to look was given because the Samaritan townspeople were approaching, ready and eager to believe in Him.  Christ compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  This command, my study bible adds, is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone who wants to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity.

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  Again, according to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, those who sow and those who reap are, respectively, the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles.  The prophets, my study bible says, sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, but they did not see Christ's coming and thus did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but they will draw thousands to Christ in their own lifetimes.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  My study bible comments that the fact that these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world is evidence that the gospel is for all people in every nation.

The story of Christ's ministry is all the more interesting because of its seemingly meandering unfolding.  It's almost as if the ways in which it expands, and the surprising ways in which people open up to the Gospel, are all unexpected.  Certainly for the disciples, this opening up to the Samaritans must have been a complete surprise, even possibly a kind of a shock.  When they are set out on their first apostolic mission, Jesus tells them neither to go to the Gentiles nor the Samaritans, but "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6).  But here, because they are passing through Samaria on their way to Galilee, Jesus has taken the strange and unusual opportunity to speak alone with this Samaritan woman alone at Jacob's well, and she has brought an entire town to faith through listening to His word.  The Gospel opens up in strange ways and at strange intervals, always surprising.  When we forget about this surprising nature of faith, and the surprising nature of the work of God in the world, we lose our sense of mystery and that dimension of understanding that is so necessary to knowing what we are about.  While we might have great evil in the world, and experience hurt and hardship and the sadness of pain in the world, there are also moments of great beauty and insight, times when the truth will surprise us.  Suddenly there are things that bloom and unfold like flowers that blossom unexpectedly.  New developments shatter the assumptions of the past, and open up and broaden the word of God to shed new light on its facets and greater aspects than those to which we were already accustomed.   This is the surprising way of the new covenant that unfolds as Jesus' ministry in the world, and it might also be the surprising way in which faith also works in our own lives and through the journey of our own way of following Him.  Our faith can't be bottled into easy formulas, because the mystical reality of God is always present and at work.  Jesus says to Nicodemus of the Holy Spirit:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (3:8).  Let us note Christ's words:  "So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Our own baptism is a type of "sign" that opens up new worlds of creativity, insight, wisdom, and the work of God in us.  This is the way of the Holy Spirit, and these Samaritan believers are a part of that harvest of God's work in the world to which Jesus introduces His disciples in today's reading.  How are the fields ripe for harvest in your life?  Is there a surprising way to go forward that opens up for you?  While some doors close, Christ always finds a new and surprising way to go forward.  So is God's work in our own lives.  Let us bear in mind that, like the disciples, we are laborers for that harvest, and there is always work before us.  We need simply open our eyes, as does St. Photini.

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.