The event that we have come
to know as the ‘transfiguration’ is one of the spectacular moments in the
Gospel story. It simply does not fit normal experience. Jesus took three of his
closest allies, Peter, James and John, on what we would describe as a retreat.
This is different from the usual tactic of jumping on a boat to escape the
crowd. These four go on a long and arduous walk, mountain-climbing. In doing
so, they escape not just the crowd, but the rest of the disciple group. This is
quality time away from their usual busy lives, with the crowds pressing to get
close to Jesus.
What happened, though, was
clearly a major surprise and an experience which they struggled to understand.
This was massively beyond anything that they had previously seen. The clothes
that Jesus is wearing turn dazzling white and two of the greatest figures in
Israelite history, Moses and Elijah, appear beside him. No wonder that Peter
wanted to construct somewhere for them to stay, as they could then hold on to
this fantastic experience. I wonder what wonderful experiences we have wished
would not come to an end. But I wonder also what it would have been like if they
actually had not ended.
This one did. The dazzling
light is replaced by a cloud. Then comes a voice that affirms Jesus. But then
it is all over.
This event offers a
significant contrast with the everyday encounters which comprise a significant
part of the gospel story, and it is interesting how it just happens. There is
no comment from Jesus. This scene is a reminder that Jesus is both human and
divine – and that we need to see sometimes ‘the glory of the Lord’. As Lamar
Williamson Jr. (Mark) says – “The Marcan Jesus, for all his
miraculous power, remains intensely human. He feels pity, anger, hunger, and
weariness. Even in so epiphanic a scene as walking on water, Jesus takes a very
human interest in his disciples’ distress in rowing. In the transfiguration,
however, Jesus expresses no emotion, takes no action, and on the mountain
speaks no word. Rather, he appears in glory, the passive object of a
metamorphosis that reveals his inner nature to his innermost circle of
disciples.”
I wonder where we might
find a ‘mountain top’ experience. I wonder where we might see the glory of the
Lord.
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