The Transfiguration of Jesus

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in only four places in the New Testament, Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36, and 2 Peter 1:16-18, where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain.  In the gospel accounts, Jesus and three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, go to a mountain to pray.  On the mountaintop, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light and then the Old Testament figures, Moses and Elijah, appear next to him and he speaks to them.  They symbolize the Law and the prophets.  The voice of God then proclaims Jesus as “Son”:  This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him (Mark 9:7). 

The Transfiguration is considered by some as “the greatest miracle” that happens to Jesus himself.  It is one of the five major milestones in the gospels about the life of Jesus, the others being his baptism, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.  Some consider the transfiguration as the point at which human nature meets God, with Jesus acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.  It is also considered the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy that Elijah would return after his ascension.  His return would hold out hope for repentance before judgment and he would appear alongside Moses as a representative of all the prophets who looked forward to the coming of the Messiah.
 
The Transfiguration is also considered as a preview of the future, when the Son of Man will come in glory.  But, this future can only come through his death and resurrection.  Jesus knew this, and he warns the three disciples to “tell no one of the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead” (Matthew 17:9), thus fulfilling Old Testament scriptures.
 
The Transfiguration was a special event in which God allowed certain disciples to have a privileged spiritual experience that was meant to strengthen their faith for the challenges they would later endure.  We, including me, may still not fully understand; but we, and others, are often given special experiences of God’s grace that strengthen our faith.
 
Bill Wilds