Transfiguration Sunday

Raphael -- Sketch for the Transfiguration

• Exodus 24:12-18  • 
• Psalm 2 or Psalm 99  • 
• 2 Peter 1:16-21  • 
• Matthew 17:1-9

​Depending upon the date of Easter, the season of Epiphany can vary in length. But regardless of length, in the Revised Common Lectionary, the final Sunday in Epiphany always has the ‘Transfiguration’ as its theme. This year the Gospel reading comes from Matthew; in the other two years of the cycle it comes from Mark and Luke. But there is an unusual degree of unity in all three accounts. Indeed, the Transfiguration is one of very few episodes in the life of Christ that gets substantial confirmation across different Gospels. In all three, a key connection is forged between Jesus and two highly venerated prophetic figures – Moses and Elijah. It is the connection with Moses that this year's Old Testament lesson picks up, recounting from Exodus the episode in which Moses is given the tablets of law.

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Chagall -- Moses Receives the Tablets of the Law

It is this prophetic connection that gives the event its special significance. ‘Teachers of the Law’ were a common sight in Palestine, and they all attracted followers. But now, for the first time perhaps, the disciples understand that Jesus is different. He is to be placed in the company of the very greatest of prophets. This is powerfully confirmed by a second feature that all three accounts share -- the reference to dazzling light.  Such light is the sign that the revelation given to them is of divine origin. On the top of Mount Sinai, Moses alone experiences the fire-like glory of God, and when he descends with the Ten Commandments, the resulting light that shines from his face is unbearable to those who witness it. For Peter, James and John, though, the dazzling light transfigures Jesus in their eyes.

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One point on which the Gospel accounts differ slightly is worth noting. Luke tells us that the disciples resolved not to tell anyone about what happened on the mountain top. Matthew,  even more emphatically than Mark, is clear that Jesus ordered them  to keep silent. “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” From this we may infer that ‘transfiguration’ in the eyes of his followers is not key to his mission. Rather, it is a preparation for what really matters – the transformation of death to life in the Resurrection. The passage from the second Epistle of Peter puts the point effectively. “You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Holding on to this thought gives the approaching season of Lent a special coherence. We should be attentive to the little lights of fasting, learning and giving so that we are prepared to apprehend the Resurrection light.