I find the Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration to be some of the most fascinating reading in all of
Scripture. The clarity with which they’re written show that this wasn’t just some symbolic attempt to
tell us who Jesus is, nor was it some kind of altered state of consciousness for which the disciples
used the only words they knew in trying to describe it. No, this was a visitation. It was an other-
worldly, supernatural event that sent out ripples of awe and hope that lap onto the shores of our
own lives even today.
It’s no accident that this all happened shortly after Jesus explained his destiny of suffering, death
and resurrection to his disciples. You remember that this was when Peter, as he was prone to do,
blurted out, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” And Jesus rebuked him, or
perhaps the one speaking through him, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”
So on the heels of this emotional scene, Peter, James and John are shown a window into something
that, up to that point, had only teased the edges of their imaginations. And in the process, any
doubts as to Jesus’ absolutely unique status are chased away like shadows in the light of His
transfiguration. Listen again to the words of Matthew: “Jesus was transfigured before them, and his
face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.”
And then Elijah and Moses suddenly appear and begin talking with Jesus. In Luke’s account of the
same event, he writes that they’re talking about Jesus’ upcoming trip to Jerusalem and his imminent
departure from the earth. Regarding their appearance, Luke writes only that they appeared “in
glory.” It would appear that they shared something of Jesus’ strikingly brilliant appearance.
The disciples are being allowed to see a supernatural manifestation that words labor even to
capture. But why? The short answer is that it was for their benefit and for ours. It was for them
because, after being told of the horrifying reality that awaits Jesus, Peter, James and John needed
some tangible encouragement. They were troubled, and probably not a little baffled by Jesus’
prediction of his upcoming suffering and death. They all probably had, on some abstract level,
some idea of the resurrection of the dead. And they all knew that Jesus was a very special person.
They believed that he was the Christ, the Messiah. In answer to Jesus’ question as to who the
disciples said he is, Peter had said just six days prior, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Now Jesus was showing them just a little of what this means. He shows them that there’s more than
just this life. That there’s a glorious future, the trail to which Jesus is about to blaze for them. He’s
indeed facing suffering and death, and he’s indeed going away. But He will be returning, and in a
way they couldn’t even have imagined: as King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Peter wrote decades later, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” And
John writes in his Gospel: “The Word became flesh and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
In His Transfiguration, his Resurrection, and then again in His coming again in glory, Jesus is the
prototype of the new, improved life we’ll all share—a life coming from the living water given to us by
Jesus. Jesus says it’s a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. He promises all believers this
glorious, new life. And Paul tells us: “We have been buried with Christ in baptism into death, so that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness
of life. For if we have been united with him in a death life his, we will certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his.”
There’s a new, brilliant life coming in which the colors will be dazzling and pure, and the whole
atmosphere will be charged with an electricity that invigorates and restores us to the way we were
always meant to be. The Transfiguration is a brief and tantalizing window into this world. It’s a first
glimpse into the new heavens and new earth. It’s kind of like a sneak preview, or the best movie
trailer you can imagine! A preview of coming attractions, and I, for one, can’t wait for it to hit
theaters around the world.
This experience was shared with the disciples to encourage them, and they’ve shared it with us so
we, too, will be encouraged.
The other unmistakable reality about the Transfiguration is that it broadcasts clearly who Jesus is.
He’s not some mere prophet or teacher. In fact, the one who represents the giving of the law—
Moses—and the one thought by many to be the greatest prophet—Elijah—show up and converse
with Jesus about his destiny. The Law and Prophets join together in witness of Jesus. And Jesus is
clearly distinguished from Moses and Elijah. Listen again to Matthew’s words: “While Peter was still
speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my
Son, the beloved; in him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
This wasn’t about either Moses or Elijah, but about Jesus. The voice said, “Listen to him!” because
He’s God’s beloved Son. Here’s what St. Leo the Great wrote about this passage: “Listen to him. I
am manifested through his preaching. I am glorified through his humility. So listen to him without
hesitation. He is the truth and the life. He is my strength and wisdom.
‘Listen to him’ whom the mysteries of the law foreshadowed, of whom the mouths of the prophets
sang. “Listen to him” who by his blood redeemed the world, who binds the devil and seizes his
vessels, who breaks the debt of sin and the bondage of iniquity. “Listen to him” who opens the way
to heaven and by the way of the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent into his kingdom.”
Wow. They could preach it back in the Fifth Century! Jesus is above all. He’s king of kings and
Lord of lords. Elijah was a great prophet, but was seen as the forerunner to the Messiah by the New
Testament writers. And Moses was the great lawgiver, but the writer to the Hebrews says, “Jesus
has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater
honor than the house itself.” Do you hear that? Jesus is the builder of the house. Like we’ve seen
over recent weeks, he is the eternal Son of God, through whom, before his incarnation, all the
universe was created.
My friends, the Builder of the house is with us here this morning. It is He through whom the
sacrament of Baptism bestows its inward spiritual grace. And it is He through whom we will all one
day enter into the glory of which we’ve seen a glimpse through the eyes of his disciples at the
Transfiguration. Amen.
Scripture. The clarity with which they’re written show that this wasn’t just some symbolic attempt to
tell us who Jesus is, nor was it some kind of altered state of consciousness for which the disciples
used the only words they knew in trying to describe it. No, this was a visitation. It was an other-
worldly, supernatural event that sent out ripples of awe and hope that lap onto the shores of our
own lives even today.
It’s no accident that this all happened shortly after Jesus explained his destiny of suffering, death
and resurrection to his disciples. You remember that this was when Peter, as he was prone to do,
blurted out, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” And Jesus rebuked him, or
perhaps the one speaking through him, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”
So on the heels of this emotional scene, Peter, James and John are shown a window into something
that, up to that point, had only teased the edges of their imaginations. And in the process, any
doubts as to Jesus’ absolutely unique status are chased away like shadows in the light of His
transfiguration. Listen again to the words of Matthew: “Jesus was transfigured before them, and his
face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.”
And then Elijah and Moses suddenly appear and begin talking with Jesus. In Luke’s account of the
same event, he writes that they’re talking about Jesus’ upcoming trip to Jerusalem and his imminent
departure from the earth. Regarding their appearance, Luke writes only that they appeared “in
glory.” It would appear that they shared something of Jesus’ strikingly brilliant appearance.
The disciples are being allowed to see a supernatural manifestation that words labor even to
capture. But why? The short answer is that it was for their benefit and for ours. It was for them
because, after being told of the horrifying reality that awaits Jesus, Peter, James and John needed
some tangible encouragement. They were troubled, and probably not a little baffled by Jesus’
prediction of his upcoming suffering and death. They all probably had, on some abstract level,
some idea of the resurrection of the dead. And they all knew that Jesus was a very special person.
They believed that he was the Christ, the Messiah. In answer to Jesus’ question as to who the
disciples said he is, Peter had said just six days prior, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Now Jesus was showing them just a little of what this means. He shows them that there’s more than
just this life. That there’s a glorious future, the trail to which Jesus is about to blaze for them. He’s
indeed facing suffering and death, and he’s indeed going away. But He will be returning, and in a
way they couldn’t even have imagined: as King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Peter wrote decades later, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” And
John writes in his Gospel: “The Word became flesh and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
In His Transfiguration, his Resurrection, and then again in His coming again in glory, Jesus is the
prototype of the new, improved life we’ll all share—a life coming from the living water given to us by
Jesus. Jesus says it’s a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. He promises all believers this
glorious, new life. And Paul tells us: “We have been buried with Christ in baptism into death, so that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness
of life. For if we have been united with him in a death life his, we will certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his.”
There’s a new, brilliant life coming in which the colors will be dazzling and pure, and the whole
atmosphere will be charged with an electricity that invigorates and restores us to the way we were
always meant to be. The Transfiguration is a brief and tantalizing window into this world. It’s a first
glimpse into the new heavens and new earth. It’s kind of like a sneak preview, or the best movie
trailer you can imagine! A preview of coming attractions, and I, for one, can’t wait for it to hit
theaters around the world.
This experience was shared with the disciples to encourage them, and they’ve shared it with us so
we, too, will be encouraged.
The other unmistakable reality about the Transfiguration is that it broadcasts clearly who Jesus is.
He’s not some mere prophet or teacher. In fact, the one who represents the giving of the law—
Moses—and the one thought by many to be the greatest prophet—Elijah—show up and converse
with Jesus about his destiny. The Law and Prophets join together in witness of Jesus. And Jesus is
clearly distinguished from Moses and Elijah. Listen again to Matthew’s words: “While Peter was still
speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my
Son, the beloved; in him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
This wasn’t about either Moses or Elijah, but about Jesus. The voice said, “Listen to him!” because
He’s God’s beloved Son. Here’s what St. Leo the Great wrote about this passage: “Listen to him. I
am manifested through his preaching. I am glorified through his humility. So listen to him without
hesitation. He is the truth and the life. He is my strength and wisdom.
‘Listen to him’ whom the mysteries of the law foreshadowed, of whom the mouths of the prophets
sang. “Listen to him” who by his blood redeemed the world, who binds the devil and seizes his
vessels, who breaks the debt of sin and the bondage of iniquity. “Listen to him” who opens the way
to heaven and by the way of the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent into his kingdom.”
Wow. They could preach it back in the Fifth Century! Jesus is above all. He’s king of kings and
Lord of lords. Elijah was a great prophet, but was seen as the forerunner to the Messiah by the New
Testament writers. And Moses was the great lawgiver, but the writer to the Hebrews says, “Jesus
has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater
honor than the house itself.” Do you hear that? Jesus is the builder of the house. Like we’ve seen
over recent weeks, he is the eternal Son of God, through whom, before his incarnation, all the
universe was created.
My friends, the Builder of the house is with us here this morning. It is He through whom the
sacrament of Baptism bestows its inward spiritual grace. And it is He through whom we will all one
day enter into the glory of which we’ve seen a glimpse through the eyes of his disciples at the
Transfiguration. Amen.
Transfiguration
Matthew 17:1-9
Matthew 17:1-9
February 3, 2008
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton