And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
Jesus intentionally "took Peter, James, and his brother John" up the mountain so that he could be transfigured "before them". He shines before them. He becomes white as light before them. He does this for them. Moses and Elijah appear, not because so much because Jesus needs to see them, but because Jesus wants Peter, James, and John to see them. The voice from the cloud doesn't speak to Jesus but rather to everyone else.
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
Even years later we can tell how profoundly Peter treasures this experience.
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
Peter, James, and John are given this vision to strengthen them. Jesus wants to convince them of who he is. He is the one about whom Daniel prophesies in the first reading.
One like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
They need to be convinced. They are about to witness this one who is now radiant with light and glory condemned, tortured, and put to death upon a cross. Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus about this (cf. Luk. 9:31) and Peter and the rest overhear it. Now, facing the desolation of the cross, they can look back to this event. This revelation, this theophany, can convince and convict them. It can give them the strength to turn back to Jesus when they would otherwise be overwhelmed by despair.
At first, the memory is just for them. But even at the time we see that they will eventually be telling the vision to anyone who will listen. The grace of the revelation is first for them. But Jesus lives. He is risen. The grace of the transfiguration is now for all. It can convince us and give us hope the same way it does for Peter, James, and John.
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
It proves to us that the "prophetic message" is "altogether reliable" even when we face the crosses of our own lives.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
And so, even amid our own suffering we are now empowered to proclaim the kingship of the LORD most high.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
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