2025.03.02 | Transfigured
Scripture reading: Luke 9:28–35, Matthew 17:6-8
Good morning, Beloveds!
Moments ago, you heard the recounting of the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. What an amazing and powerful account it is! This vision, this experience that Peter, James and John had is considered “the mother of all epiphany stories,”1 and is found in all 3 of the synoptic gospels. Through their eyes we get see how Jesus’ identity as the Christ was revealed to his core disciples and, through them, to us. They were allowed to witness these events in order to strengthen their faith and ours. The passage is rich in imagery, with multiple layers of meaning, harmonizes with other scriptures and carries profound theological significance. It is a revelation that continues to unfold. There is far too much to unpack and I have had to leave out much of what the Holy Spirit shared with me, but I pray that you will find this reflection edifying.
Will you pray with me...
--------------------------
A lot has been written about this scripture over the years as believers and theologians have contemplated this profound vision. According to the Miriam Webster dictionary, the word Transfigure means to “give a new and exalted or spiritual appearance, implying a change that exalts or glorifies.” As Jesus’ is praying, he becomes luminous and his radiance is understood to be the moment where his true divine nature and glory are revealed to his disciples for the first time. It also parallels the story of Moses’ shining face when he descended from Mount Sinai. And His shining garments foreshadow the white robes he will leave behind in his empty tomb.
The presence of Moses and Elijah are significant. The prophet Moses was the one who God used to deliver the Jews out of bondage in Egypt, who received the tablets of the law and the commandments from God and who’s story is recounted during every Passover meal. The prophet Elijah was considered to be the most prestigious prophet “whose return would signal the imminent end of the age. Together, then, Moses and Elijah personified “the law and the prophets,” (in) the sacred scriptural tradition (that) the risen Jesus (would) later interpret for the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:27).”2
Jesus is seen casually conversing with these two ancient prophets who are standing “in glorious splendor” beside him. There is a sense of familiarity, as if this is part of a continuing conversation. They are discussing the impending departure (or exodos in Greek) that Jesus “was about to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31 NIV). The “new exodus” they are discussing is Jesus’ coming death, resurrection, and ascension through which a new deliverance, and new victory and new liberation would be coming.
Then there is the voice of God coming from the cloud. It evokes memories of God calling to Moses from Mount Sinai and echoes the baptism of Jesus when the voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son; with (whom) I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22).
As the disciples shake off their sleepiness, they are astonished by what they are witnessing. There is a sense that they are seeing a different reality, a glimpse into a mysterious heavenly realm, perhaps the kin-dom of heaven that Jesus has told them “is spread upon the earth but people do not see” (Gospel of Thomas, saying 113). They are overwhelmed.
What they had gone there to do was pray. Throughout the gospels, Jesus would go into mountains to pray, but he usually did so alone. On this day, he invited these 3 disciples to go with him. But this was not the kind of prayer time they were expecting. This was “a special event in which God allowed certain apostles to have a privileged spiritual experience.” This was theophany!
What is a theophany? It is a manifestation or appearance of God to humans...it is a mystical encounter with the Divine. And THIS was an “astonishing, mysterious mountaintop vision...that was meant to validate Peter’s assertion that Jesus was “the Christ of God” and strengthen their faith ahead of the challenges they would (soon) face.”5 It was a glimpse of Glory to sustain them on the road to Golgotha and beyond.
The Bible contains many accounts of theophanies, accounts of God revealing God’s self to people. The first accounts can be found all the way back in Genesis when God appeared to Abraham in chapter 12, with visiting angels in chapter 18 and an angel that wrestles with Jacob in chapter 32. Of course, there’s the burning bush in Exodus 3 and the pillars of cloud and fire that appear in Exodus 13. In the New Testament, angels appear to Mary the mother of Jesus and to her soon to be husband Joseph. We also read about Jesus overtaking Paul on the road to Damascus as well as to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. But the one described in the transfiguration is far more complex and theologically poignant.
In the bible, some of the phrases that are be used to signify a theophany are “the Lord came down,” or the “angel of the Lord appeared.” The phrase the “glory of the lord” also reflects a theophany as can be found in Exodus 24 when God calls Moses up to Mt Sinai to receive the stone tablets. It reads:
15-16 “The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.”
This is remarkably similar to the cloud manifestation we heard described in today’s scripture from Luke:
34 a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
I began to see that there is a lot of cloud imagery present in Luke’s gospel that I hadn’t noticed before. There is another parallel at the beginning of Luke in the account of Mary’s Annunciation where the scripture says:
35 ...the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you...”
Then there are the accounts of Jesus’ Ascension in Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9 where Jesus is described as being taken up to heaven hidden in a cloud. The “son of man, coming in clouds of heaven” is prophesized in Daniel 7. And finally, Jesus’ eschatological return “in a cloud with power and great glory” is prophesized Luke 21:27.
So, as I said, there is a lot of complex theological symbolism in this brief passage with references stretching back to the Exodus story right through to the eschatological return of Jesus. But there’s even more going on here!
As noted, Jesus doesn’t seem phased by any of these events. He is speaking with Moses and Elijah like it is not at all unusual, with familiarity, almost as if resuming a conversation. As they do so, the three of them are said to be in “glorious splendor” and there’s nothing to indicate that they find this is out of the ordinary either.
Another curious thing that is easy to miss is that the 3 disciples recognize that the two people with Jesus are Moses and Elijah. Now Moses lived 13 centuries earlier and Elijah some nine centuries earlier than the time of this event. How is it that the disciples “recognized” them? It never even seems to be a question.
Then there is the sequence of events that is curious. They go to the mountain to pray together and as they are doing so, Jesus starts to glow – his face changes and his “his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” And...they start to fall asleep? During this apparent sleep, they manage to understand the gist of the conversation Jesus is having with the two prophets. Maybe they were simply in a meditative state where they were more receptive to unusual stimuli? Perhaps the news about Jesus’ impending exodos startled them awake? But it’s only then that they notice the two prophets?!
Then there’s Peter’s curious reaction once he starts waking up. His response seems inappropriate, completely out of sync with transcendence of the moment. He doesn’t seem to realize that he is in a heavenly realm, standing on holy ground. If we are being generous, we can applaud Peter for having a gracious sense of hospitality and offering to create accommodations by building tents.
A more straightforward reading would be that he wants to prolong this encounter and hopes to extend their stay on the mountain. Or perhaps he is just overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do, and simply wants to hold onto the moment.
Before he can complete his thought though, we are told that the cloud overtakes the disciples and they hear the voice of God speaking to them, telling them to listen to Jesus. ONLY then that they became afraid and fall on their faces. I love how when they were terrified, Jesus went to their side and comfort them saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”
As I considered all of these things, I could not help but reflect on my own experiences. I have been fortunate to experience some profound theophanies in my own life. I don’t think this makes me special, nor do I think the experience is as uncommon as I used to. Attending a Metho-Bapti- Costal church for many years opened me to the possibility of such personal encounters with the Divine and taught me not to be afraid of being “overcome by the spirit.” Given those experiences, there is a lot about the Transfiguration account that rings true for me.
The first major theophany I experienced occurred one afternoon while I was attending an event at a church in the Sunset district of San Francisco. I was at a concert where we were alternately singing and praying. Near the end of the concert, I was praying with my eyes closed and in a deep state of praise when I slipped out of my body and was suddenly transported to another place. I found myself in what I recognized as the radiant, glorious light of Holy Spirit that I sometimes experienced during worship in my home church. My focus, however, was on the man who was walking toward me. There was no physical recognition of the person whose face I had never seen before, but every cell in my body told me that it was Jesus. The form was human, but I have never seen a human face look like that. I can't really describe it in words, but I will NEVER forget it. All this had occurred in just seconds and I was stunned, in awe and hadn't had a chance to react when He began speaking to me as He walked toward me.
I won’t share the things that were said to me because they were meant just for me. But He wrapped His arms around me and gave me a long, loving hug. I was simply speechless in my gratitude and I held on for a long while, not wanting to let go. I could have stayed there forever.
He took a step backwards as if to leave and I felt sorrow in my heart that I would no longer be in His presence. Then He smiled and seemed to both grow and recede simultaneously while saying "For I Am the great I Am. I am love and I am always with you."
And then I was back in my body. I opened my eyes and the first thing I focused on was the 20 foot tall, "classic" stained glass image of Jesus above the altar. I laughed out loud as I wiped the tears from my eyes and I thought, "that doesn't look like Him at all".
It never occurred to me to offer to build a tent.
Anyway, the things that ring true for me as I read the Transfiguration story - and even Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus – are these:
sudden overcoming of the Spirit of God,
the sense of seeing another dimension while bodily present in this one,
the unqualified recognition of persons that cannot possibly be known,
the awesome glory of the presence of Christ
the power of the voice and touch of the divine,
being given a charge and assurances for the road ahead.
In my case, I can say without hesitation that my experience changed me forever. Like Paul, there was a before and then there was an after. I lost all doubt: there is nothing can shake my belief in or my reliance on Jesus. I lost my fear of death because feel like I have been in the Divine presence and tasted Divine love. I received the peace of Christ. It is something that I wish there was a way I could truly share with all of you.
I am disappointed that Peter seems to have been changed by his mountain top experience, but did not lose his fear – otherwise, he would have been able to keep his oath and not deny Jesus 3 times before he was crucified.
The Transfiguration story serves as a glimpse into the kin-dom of heaven on earth, of the powerful, unflinching faithful glory of Jesus, of how we might become more open to the reality of God’s presence all around us. As it was intended for the disciples, we can hold onto the theophany of the transfiguration in order to strengthen our faith and help us with the challenges before us. It is a glimpse of Christ’s “glorious splendor” that can sustain us on the road.
Amen.