That was powerful! Jesus was glowing like the sun, and suddenly Moses and Elijah showed up, in person. I’m not surprised the disciples were afraid, left speechless. It would be like having the best dream ever. Not only was Jesus there, but Moses, the key figure in Exodus through Deuteronomy, often regarded as author of the first 5 books of the Bible. And Elijah was a very faithful prophet who God whisked away one day in a fiery chariot. Oh, the stories they could tell!
This whole experience is known as the “Transfiguration.” My Google dictionary defines transfiguration as “a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state.” Jesus was already perfect, so what the disciples witnessed was a revelation of Jesus’ deeper identity. In that moment, the glory of the Lord shone all around. Jesus wasn’t hiding his majesty. He was transfigured long enough for the three chosen disciples to see.
Did you find it odd that Jesus only invited three of the disciples (Peter, James, and John) to the mountain that day? Jesus had his reasons. It is likely they were his “inner circle.” Jesus must have known that these three were great leaders among the group and would be even better evangelizers after he was no longer with them.
Again, we see Peter’s impulsive yet enthusiastic response. His fear led him to an outburst of offering hospitality. It was a kind gesture, but not appropriate for the moment. We can learn from Peter that sometimes the better choice is to stand back in awe, looking for the lesson to be learned, rather than forcing ourselves to say something just to fill the silence.
In a split moment, the vision was gone, and the mountain returned to being just a mountain. I suppose that is where we come up with the phrase “mountain top experience” when we want to describe a great spiritual breakthrough in our lives.
Jesus wanted to keep what happened a secret for the time being. Can you imagine how hard that would have been to return to the rest of the group and not say anything? It was highly likely those three would have been hounded repeatedly by the others to tell them what happened on their excursion with Jesus.
The disciples were still processing what they saw, long after they came down off the mountain. You can’t live through something like that and not be changed. So many questions would be running through my head. It’s probably better that Jesus gave them the assignment not to share about this. The disciples could put off telling their friends until some unknown time in the future. They still didn’t understand the resurrection part.
What is the significance for us today? Listening to Jesus seems to be the main purpose of this message. God wanted to make sure those disciples heard that loud and clear. God’s voice rang from heaven, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” Listening to Jesus is what we can take away. We can listen and follow Jesus’ teaching. We can also listen for his response to our prayers.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, what a splendid display of your majesty! I love that you gave us a glimpse at what is to come. You are God’s Son, and I want to listen to you. The world tries to distract me and fill up the airwaves with contrary messages. Give me the discernment to avoid temptation and evil. You are King of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
