Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them.
˜ Mark 9:2
The Transfiguration is another one of those wonderfully visual stories where it is relatively easy to put ourselves into the scene and imagine it happening right in front of us. The Transfiguration is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark and Luke — and it provides us with another glimpse into the unfathomable nature of God.
Jesus asks Peter, James and John up to a mountaintop, and there they see Jesus transformed into blinding white light. Moses, who also went onto a mountaintop and encountered God in the flaming light of a burning bush, appears along with the prophet Elijah. Jesus speaks to Moses and Elijah as Peter, James and John stand awestruck. Peter wants to make three tents to contain the three, just as the Israelites made a tent and then the temple for the presence of the Holy of Holies. Just then, though, God's voice declares that Jesus is his beloved son just as he did at Jesus' baptism.
In this story, as in yesterday's reading, Jesus is revealing who he truly is in stages. First, he asks, "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter recognizes him as the Messiah. Then he speaks of God's will for him in the cross and resurrection, and now he appears to them in full glory, which leaves them no doubt about the enormity of their situation.
Our own journey of faith also involves getting to know Jesus in stages. When I was a child, growing up in the Southern Baptist Church in the late 1960s, I thought of Jesus as a cool, laid-back hippie cousin of mine. Jesus was my buddy. I talked to him. We prayed to him at church, and everything was positive and easy. We did not observe Holy Week at our church — just Christmas and Easter with all the candy and celebration.
As I matured in my faith, however, I began to understand the deeper meaning of Jesus' identity. When I became an Episcopalian, I avoided going to Holy Week services because they were too upsetting to me. When I finally decided to face the uncomfortable feelings of Holy Week, my faith deepened significantly, and I began to comprehend the Good News of Jesus Christ: God has power over death.
Reflect: Who was Jesus to you as you grew in faith? How has your concept of Jesus changed since you first began to believe?
This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development