Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Accounts of the event are described in each of the three synoptic gospels (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; and Luke 9:28-36); and alluded to in John’s gospel (John 1:14) and in Peter’s second letter (2 Peter 1:16-18).
The Transfiguration takes place at a point in Jesus’ ministry where he is beginning to make it clear that he will have to suffer. Peter has just correctly identified Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. Only then does Jesus provide them the details of what will soon happen to Him, and it does not correlate with their expectations. They expect that He will enter Jerusalem to the crowds shouting, “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Yet Jesus tells them that He will ultimately leave Jerusalem through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. All this was not what they expected and is beyond their comprehension.
About a week after Jesus plainly told His disciples that He would suffer, He takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray. While praying, His personal appearance is changed into a glorified form, and His clothing becomes dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. Peter, not knowing what Jesus is saying and being in awe, offers to put up three shelters for them. This is undoubtedly an allusion to the booths that were used to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, when the Israelites dwelt in booths for 7 days (Leviticus 23:34-42). Peter expresses a wish to stay in that place, where Jesus’ glory is so evident. Then a cloud envelops them, and a voice says, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen, whom I love; listen to Him!” The cloud lifts, and Moses and Elijah have disappeared. Jesus is alone with His disciples who are still very much in awe. Jesus warns them not to tell anyone what they have seen until after His resurrection.
Undoubtedly, the purpose of the Transfiguration of was to provide His “inner circle” a greater understanding of who Jesus is. Christ underwent a dramatic change in appearance in order that the disciples could behold Him in His glory. The disciples, who had only known Him in His human body, now had a greater realization of the deity of Christ, though they could not fully comprehend it. That gave them the reassurance they needed after hearing the shocking news of His coming death.
Symbolically, the appearance of Moses represents The Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets. But God’s voice from heaven – “Listen to Him!” – clearly shows that both the Law and the Prophets must give way to Jesus. The One who is the new and living is replacing the old – He is the fulfillment of the Law and simultaneously the fulfillment of the countless prophecies in the Old Testament. In His glorified form, the disciples see a preview of His coming glorification and enthronement as King of kings and Lord of lords.
What really stands out to me in this story is that God gives Peter, James, and John “something to hold onto.” He knows that they will need something. He knows that they are struggling, so he pushes back the veil of heaven and provides them with a glimpse of his glory and a reminder of his eternal purposes. This demonstrates to them that Jesus’ suffering is not incompatible with his glory. The work of Moses and Elijah is continuing to move forward in Jesus. God is making a way for people to be in eternal relationship with him. That is the larger story of which Peter, the other disciples, and even us today, are a part.
What does this have to do with us? I think that there are several lessons we can learn from this scene. Consider these truths:
- As we follow Jesus, he will prepare us to face the next situation in our lives. He is the great I AM who is for us and will be with us.
In the same way that he was preparing the disciples for what was going to happen in their lives, even though they were not able to fully grasp it, Jesus is constantly preparing us for what is in our days ahead. He gives us “something to hold onto” as well.
- As we follow Jesus into our unknown future, it would benefit us to also “listen to him,” as the voice of God commands. His words are for us.
The disciples had preconceived notions of how their future, and that of Jesus, was to unfold, but they were wrong. They needed to place their hopes and expectations in Jesus. We must also put aside our preconceived notions and put our hope in Jesus. We need to listen to him. Peter, who witnessed the transfiguration stated, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21). We might like God to show up in his glory at our backyard barbeque, but Peter claims that what we have is “the prophetic word more fully confirmed.” Listen to his word.
- Life is bigger than what our eyes can see.
The disciples were no doubt going through the busyness of life and forgetting that God was at work in the world, accomplishing his purposes. They could easily live AS IF GOD IS NOT. God steps in and gives them a big reminder that there is more going on than meets the eye. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus have a little chat about what God is going to accomplish in Jerusalem through Jesus. This moment serves as a reminder to the disciples to live AS IF GOD IS. They needed to abandon their petty little life agendas and turn their attention toward the greater work that God is doing. We must also honestly pay attention to how Jesus is acting our own lives. We can be prayer-less, full of anxiety, despairing, looking to created things to bring us life, angry at being wronged or not appreciated, frustrated, lacking faith, etc. We, too, can be living AS IF GOD IS NOT. Despite what events happen in this world, Jesus is still in his glory, seated at the right hand of our Father, and he is moving everything forward to accomplish his purposes. We, too, are reminded to live AS IF GOD IS. So let us live in light of the bigger story.
- This glimpse of Jesus in the transfiguration reminds us that this world is not our final home.
In the same way that eternal God’s glory breaks into the kingdom of this world and Jesus is transfigured for just a moment, one day the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord. But not yet. Now, this world is fallen. Now we face disease. Now we face death. We live in the throes of sin and feel the effects of it daily. We sin and we are sinned against. There is pain and suffering and sorrow. The Transfiguration shows us that one day these will be no more, and we are to live with this in mind.
So, in the days ahead, let us live with glory in view. God has given us “something to hold onto” as we await the soon return of Jesus. May you be encouraged by being reminded of the bigger picture of what God is doing and may you remain faithful and focused until he completes his purposes, and the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord.
Why, then, did the Transfiguration happen? Surely so that we could see and understand that Jesus is at once one of the prophets AND the one that was prophesied about; and that Jesus is God, and lives for all eternity in a blaze of dazzling and unapproachable light. The true miracle of the Transfiguration is not Jesus revealing his glory for a few minutes, not the glowing face, and not the dazzling white garments. The miracle of the Transfiguration is the fact that for the rest of the time Jesus hid his glory so well.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!