Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It is a Feast which commemorates one of the pinnacles of Jesus’ earthly life, when He revealed His divinity to three of His closest disciples by means of a miraculous and supernatural light.
The Gospels record that, before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ climbed Mount Tabor with His disciples Peter, James, and John. While Jesus prayed atop the mountain, His appearance was changed by a brilliant white light which shone from Him and from His clothing. During this event, the Old Testament figures of Moses and the prophet Elijah also appeared, and spoke of how Christ would suffer and die after entering Jerusalem, before His Resurrection.
Specifically, Luke 9, 28-36 says “a cloud came down and covered them.” This was not just a change in the weather. To the Biblical mind it spoke of only one thing – the presence of God Himself. And then out of the cloud came a voice from heaven, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” This is, in a sense, the supreme endorsement of the Son by His Father: “Listen to Him.” We, too, are commanded to listen to Jesus, even when He says things that we don’t like, or things that we do not yet understand.
The Transfiguration, then, is a confirmation of all that has gone on before – the real identity of (a) who Jesus is, (b) the reliability of everything that He says will happen to Him, and (c) what is expected of all who seek to follow Him. It is a special moment of encouragement which helped the Apostles and which will help us make it through any difficult days in life. The Transfiguration gives us the answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?” But now we have to learn the answer to a more important question, “What kind of Messiah is Jesus going to be?” The Apostles could not fully appropriate that until after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, when they would boldly continue His mission and not hesitate to carry their Cross in doing so. Shall we follow in their footsteps? How can we not?
