How Do We Celebrate the Transfiguration?

"The Transfiguration" by James Tissot

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After six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down the mountain, He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead (Mark 9:2-9).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Transfiguration reveals to us the glory of God. The glory that, in Christ, is hovering just beyond the surface of this world.

Jesus takes His disciples with Him up into a high mountain. They have traveled with the Messiah for a while now. They have seen Him go to solitary places to pray. This is not an odd detour or a strange experience. It is just another day with Jesus on another mountain, as He makes His way through another region as they follow the best they can.

One moment, they are in the familiar presence of Jesus, and then, the next moment, they wonder where they are at. The familiar suddenly becomes unfamiliar. They have not changed. Their surroundings have not changed. But Jesus has. He shines, not with reflected light, but with light that emanates from within Himself.

Jesus shines with the glory of His divine nature, which otherwise has been veiled (cf. Philippians 2:7-8). This is the glory that the disciples might have envisioned in Mark 9:1, the sort of sign that Jesus could have given to overwhelm the sneering Pharisees (Mark 8:11).

The overall experience of transfiguration (Mark 9:2) is focused here on His brilliant clothing, though other aspects of Jesus’ appearance might also have changed. Only Mark speaks of the bleach, a paste made from clean clay (fuller’s earth) in which white cloth was soaked and stretched out to dry in the sun. Once dry, the clay paste was washed away. By this, Mark stresses that Jesus’ glory was beyond any king’s glory. Jesus’ clothes reflected His divinity as one would expect of the only Son of God.

As they look at Jesus, the three disciples see the sun rising in a person. His garments gleam, not by their own power, but by His. He is the dayspring from on high (Luke 1:78), breaking through clouds of mortal flesh. Suddenly, their solitary space is peopled by prophets. Jesus is surrounded by figures: Elijah and Moses. Silence gives way to sound as familiar conversation breaks out, and the disciples realize these men are not strangers but friends.

Moses’ forty days of meeting with God on Mt. Sinai and returning with his face shining because he talked with God (Exodus 34:29-30) is an Old Testament prelude to this divine meeting. Elijah had met with God on a mountain as well when he had fled from Jezebel. Moses and Elijah had confronted the wicked leadership of their day—Pharaoh and King Ahab, respectively. They were threatened with death and yet lived long by the rescue of God. Their conflicts parallel Jesus’ upcoming battles against Herod and Pilate. However, while Moses and Elijah were miraculously rescued, and Elijah never tasted death, the Son of God will face the cross and suffer being forsaken by the Father.

Moses comes as the representative of the Law. The Law, or Torah, meant not only the commandments but God’s entire good and gracious will, including the Gospel (see Genesis 3:15 and Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Elijah was the great prophet who, by the power of God, succeeded in bringing many in Israel back to God at a time when God Himself said, “I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18). These two prophets’ presence and words assure the disciples that God’s purpose is being fulfilled in Christ precisely as Christ had told them.

Their presence also has an important message for us today. It shows that Christianity is not a new religion—a breakaway from the Old Testament faith. It is the continuation and fulfillment of the Old Testament. Christianity began in the Garden of Eden and will climax on Judgment Day. Those who reject Christ reject Moses and Elijah, even though they may use their words in their religious ceremonies. Moses and Elijah are on the side of Christ.

The disciples’ ability to see these two saints is a gift. It is as if time has opened a door and, for a moment, eternity has come in. Prophets from different times and places hold conversation in this time and place. And Jesus, for a moment, shines like the dawn.

Have you ever had that moment in your life of discipleship—that moment when suddenly, with great clarity, the wonder of God breaks upon you? It may be when you first held your baby and were amazed by God’s fragile gift of life. It could be when the psalm you have read for years suddenly breaks through with a new meaning because it captures the turmoil of your heart.

The Transfiguration captures for us a promise. It is God’s promise of being there in life with us through Jesus. In a moment, His presence can change everything, and we are struck by the wonder of God.

Sunrises, however, do not last forever. One second, the sky is brilliant with colors. You fumble to get the phone out of your pocket to capture the moment, but by the next second, it has already faded to a muted blue. As the disciples stare in wonder, a cloud overshadows everything. The brilliant vision disappears into obscurity.

In the Old Testament, the presence of divine glory was often associated with clouds in the wilderness, overshadowing mountains, the tabernacle, and the temple (cf. Exodus 13:21; 19:9; 33:9; 40:34-38; 1 Kings 8:10-11). The cloud demonstrates God’s over-arching power and His messages of Law and Gospel. The clouds of the Flood and the darkness covering Mt. Sinai with Moses conveyed God’s judgment. However, after the Flood, the cloud with its rainbow was also His promise of mercy (Genesis 9:12-17).

The Father’s voice speaks with crystal clarity from the clous: “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” The Father repeats the announcement from Jesus’ Baptism for the disciples. The centurion will affirm this truth at Jesus’ crucifixion. This announcement completes Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29). More than an anointed prophet, Jesus is the true Son who, as the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), has all the fullness of God in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).

When life returns to normal, when the vision fades away, when suddenly the familiar closeness of God seems distant, we are not left alone. God’s voice continues to speak to us with crystal clarity. Jesus is God’s beloved Son. Listen to Him.

This Word from God shapes how we respond to the Transfiguration.

When Peter saw the wonder of the Transfiguration, he tried to prolong it. He wanted to build booths, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. But Peter was wrong on two counts. First, Jesus is greater than Moses and Elijah, not equal to them. So, there should not be three booths, but one. But even then, there is a second problem because the Transfiguration is not something you prolong. It is here for a moment and then quickly passes away.

Of course, we can try to capture and prolong the Transfiguration, but that will end in frustration. God cannot be boxed into our timetables and our life plans, bringing precisely the kind of help we think we need at precisely the moment when we think we need it. God is more mysterious than that. He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16), and His ways are beyond our understanding (Isaiah 55:8). So, prolonging the experience or bottling it up to bring it out on just the right occasion is not an option.

When the wonderful experiences cease, the visions of graciousness fade away, and the power and mercy of God seem distant, we are tempted to walk away, despondent and empty. But the Father’s voice reminds us that Jesus is God, and not just in moments of transfiguration. He is God amid the clouded portions of our lives as well. His voice remains with us wherever we go, and we live by listening to Him. The voice of God has the power to transfigure our world.

On Mount Calvary, Jesus hangs on a cross. Although the sun should be shining, it is dark in the middle of the day. Creation itself is losing its light. Christ’s once gleaming clothes are now part of a game of dice. Jesus is naked, His body bruised and bloody, a piece of sport to the mockers who pass by. He is joined in death, not by two prophets, but by two criminals. Their presence, however, turns our attention to God’s Word. They fulfill God’s prophecy. Jesus would “be numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).

In this place of darkness instead of light, of bloodied flesh instead of gleaming garments, of criminals instead of prophets, we listen to God’s voice. Jesus is the “suffering servant” who takes our sins away. His death brings life. His broken body brings healing. His Word brings direction to those who have lost their way. There is no need to prolong the Transfiguration because the love which has come in Jesus is powerful. It is transformative. It transfigures the world.

In the Word preached and taught, our Lord speaks to us through the voice of His called and ordained servant. He calls us to repentance and faith; we receive forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.

In Holy Baptism, the triune God places His holy name on us and adopts us as His dear children. Christ gives us His Holy Spirit, who continues to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify us, remaking us into the image of Christ. Baptism works forgiveness of sins, rescues us from death and the devil, and gives salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

In the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ feeds us His true body and blood, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. In a foretaste of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, we participate in the glory of Christ and His eternal Kingdom.

How do we celebrate the Transfiguration? We listen to Jesus. His words bring forgiveness and life that transfigure our world.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.