Readings:
Matthew 17:1-9;
2 Peter 1:16-21
What’s this transfiguration all about?
Shall we try a dictionary definition to get us going?:
Transfiguration:
-A marked change in form or appearance; a metamorphosis. (eg: caterpiller to butterfly)
-A change that glorifies or exalts.
-Transfiguration in the Bible. The sudden emanation of radiance from the person of Jesus that occurred on a mountain. (see Matthew 17)
-The Christian feast commemorating this event, observed on August 6 in the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, on August 19 in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and on the Sunday before Lent in most Protestant churches.
It’s this event that we are talking about, but how do we relate to it and relate it to us? It was a wonderful experience for Peter, James and John, and that could be that, but they talk about it as though it is relevant for us as well.
For Peter it was a confirmation of all the Prophets had written; confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah – the Holy One God sent to save us; confirmation that he was right, for he had just claimed that Jesus is the Messiah. And in his letter Peter gives this as confirmation for us all. “We were there, we saw it, we beheld His glory. We are completely confident of the truth of what we teach. We’ve made none of this up. You can trust it.”
Good for Peter. Our sceptical generation (actually everyone else) says, “How come you get to see this and we don’t? Why can’t we have this assurance, this experience?” Maybe we can, maybe we do, but each person’s experience is a little bit different. The transfiguration of Christ with Moses and Elijah is the epitome of what has come to be termed a ‘mountain-top experience’ – a super spiritual experience – an experience involving one’s whole being, of being ‘high’ with, close to, one with God.
At a course on the experience of God each of the students described their mountain top experience:
Total joy!
I saw God in all creation.
An experience of such deep peace.
I felt an overwhelming love for everyone.
I hardly recognized myself in the mirror…..I was beautiful.
I was one with all.
I shone!
Almost all of them confessed that they never shared this occurrence with anyone….they were afraid they would be considered crazy. Nevertheless, most declared that this incident changed their lives. “What immediately followed was a time of revelation. I developed an insight into the meaning and purpose of life with a new, profound spiritual understanding of the Scripture,” stated one of the students.
Although the Transfiguration of Jesus with Elijah and Moses was unique, a mountain top experience has also been experienced by many of us. It is the sort of state that one wants to have continue for ever. But, as glorious as those moments are, Jesus didn’t stay on the mountain top, and nor did the disciples. They came back down into the valley and fulfilled their life ministries. I think this holds true for all of us.
What did the Transfiguration look like? What was it like for Peter, James and John? We have very little with which to recreate the experience. It wouldn’t be good for us to try. God treats each of us uniquely – equally but differently – and our own experience is good for us.
Dave Perry has had a go with pictures. Have a look at http://visualtheology.blogspot.com/ his post on February 21 for a visual reflection on this subject. (Copy and paste this address; it is not a link.)
That’s what mountain-top experiences do – they change something inside us. They change our perceptions, our motivations, our confidence our energy levels. And they can last a long time. Eventually we may need a top-up but meeting with God has quite a dynamic effect. Now we may understand why we come back to this again and again.
Think for a moment of a time when you have experienced the presence of God in a truly significant way.
For most of us the mountain tops are few and far between. Can we think of why this is and of ways we can ‘climb the mountain’ and put ourselves in places where God can reveal his presence to us?
The practice of taking a day alone with God is one I recommend. It can be half a day or even an hour. The point is that we can have a date with God and we may never be the same again. It’s the kind of thing disciples of Jesus do. Try it; expect the unexpected.