And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
The transfiguration was not simply superfluous special effects. The transfiguration was a revelation, and there was a reason for the revelation.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
Just as the events of Jesus's life were about to accelerate toward the passion so too would his self-revelation to the disciples now be accelerated. They would need that experience in order that they not be crushed by the passion. Jesus was never one to brag or to plead his own cause. Here in the transfiguration Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of the glory that Jesus had received and shared in from the Ancient One. The glory of the Ancient One, clothing bright as snow, illuminated from the inside out, was also the glory of Jesus. God himself peeled back the veil of physical reality just enough for them to see something of who Jesus really was, the Son of man, the one whose dominion is everlasting, whose kingship shall not be destroyed.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
We imagine that we desire to see revelations as explicit as the transfiguration. But what we don't realize is that such a revelation would be more terrifying than entertaining. It would certainly be a blessing. But it would not likely be a blessing in the saccharine way we might imagine. It would be a blessing because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It would not be something comfortable nor even necessarily pleasant. It would be beautiful, to be sure, but a fearsome beauty in the presence of which we would be at an utter loss.
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
There was, as we said, a reason for the revelation of the transfiguration. And once we realize what the transfiguration is not, that is, entertainment or special effects, we can come to understand that reason more clearly. Seeing something of the glory of Jesus transfigured did something to the spirits of those who saw it. It is as though, once illumined by Jesus, they began to glow with his own light. It is in seeing and knowing Jesus that we are transformed. This is why John tells us that it is when we see him as he is that we will become like him (see First John 3:2). Such a revelation as this takes a transformation already begun to the next level and prepares us for the mission to come.
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
We can see what a pivotal moment this was for Peter in particular from the way he wrote of it after the fact. It was precisely the transfiguration that gave such deep assurance of his own faith, and gave such conviction to his preaching.
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
There was a reason for the revelation to Peter, James, and John. But we need this revelation too, though for us the mode of receiving it will be different. We face our own crosses as well. We too must first give our lives in order to receive them back in the resurrection. We can only do this by following Jesus himself to the cross. This in turn is only possible if we know and sufficiently trust in who he is. Just as Jesus himself revealed and manifested his glory to Peter and the others so too does he want to manifest it to us by his presence in his Church. It is not wrong to pray for this revelation to be given to us, once we become clear about what we mean by the request. The Scriptures themselves can reveal this light of glory to us. They can move us to the fear and awe before a God of unimaginable beauty. That light can be enough to guide us, no matter how dark the valley through which we walk.
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.
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