Word to the Wise
Sunday, August 6, 2017 - Aug 6: The Transfiguration of the Lord
[Dan 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; A: Matt 17:1-9 B: Mark 9:2-10 C: Luke 9:28b-36,54]Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. [Matthew]
The event of the "transfiguration" of Jesus is reported in all three of the synoptic gospels, each one in its own way. Today we have the account from the Gospel According to Matthew (since we are in Cycle A of the Sunday scriptures). In Matthew's account, location is important: the location of the account itself in the gospel and the physical location of the event up on a mountain top.
The first "location" - in the text - is important because the event follows Jesus' first of four predictions of his passion and death in Jerusalem. The transfiguration will show that he is more than mortal and will triumph through resurrection over his suffering and death.
The second location on a mountain top is important because it reinforces Matthew's portrait of Jesus as a "new" Moses. Moses received the law from God on Mount Sinai. The appearance of Moses and Elijah in the scene is symbolic of his fulfillment of the law and the prophets. But the voice from heaven takes his identity further by identifying Jesus as "my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." We may recall the Sermon on the Mount and, at the end of the gospel, Jesus departure takes place on a mountain top.
The prediction of the passion and the transfiguration go together to remind us that Jesus is God and Human. St. Peter tries vainly to discourage talk of the passion, but Jesus rebukes him. The transfiguration was such a powerful event that it was only recalled after Jesus had risen from the dead, but when something appears in all three synoptic gospels we can know that this experience is important for understanding who the Lord is. AMEN
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