Remembering Who God Is
a reflection on the Transfiguration
This week, I went to hear Beth Moore teach, and while the attendees in a given weekend conference never know which scripture she’ll focus on in advance, you can always depend on taking something away that will help in your spiritual walk. Beth’s focus this time was on the Transfiguration, an event which definitely answers the question Jesus offers to the disciples and to all of us in all three synoptic gospels: “Who do you say I am?”
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Luke 9:18-20
When we read a scripture or hear it proclaimed over and over, it can be easy to miss the weight of it, but the Transfiguration is one of those events that deserves a deeper look. After all, in these 200 or so words, quite a lot happens. Centuries-long dead heroes appear in glory out of nowhere, there’s a supernatural cloud and Voice blooming from the heavens, Jesus’ face and clothing are transformed, and if all that weren’t enough, Peter in this passage delivers one of the all-time funniest lines in scripture1.
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. Luke:28-36
It would be impossible for anyone who witnessed this event to ever forget it, yet Peter, John and James continued to get things wrong, to let fear and misunderstanding guide their actions, and at times to try to take control of the whole operation. And don’t we do the same?
In these days in which evil seems to be winning on too many fronts, I often question where all of this is heading. I get tripped up by my fear, and I’ll want desperately to see the Hand of God move into situations and places in the exact ways in which I’m praying. But if this Jesus who took three friends up a mountain one day and showed them Moses and Elijah, who talked about His departure like it was all part of a plan, who let them see His face and clothes transform in front of their very eyes, and who made the way for them to hear the Father’s voice booming from the heavens – if this Jesus is still on the throne as I believe He is, then there’s only a couple of things left for me to do.
Become fully awake2 and
Listen to Him3.
So, who is this Jesus, for you and for me? He’s Who He was, Who He is, and Who He ever shall be. When we revisit the story of the Transfiguration, we’ll know it for sure.
Raised Catholic rewind:
Find 200 episodes of Raised Catholic on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for continuing to recommend these episodes to friends who might find them helpful on their journey.
What I’m listening to/reading/recommending this week:
Podcasts, video, Bible studies, books and more: Beth Moore’s Living Proof Ministries
Prayer:
Lord, help us this week to encounter you, to lift our eyes, and to remember Who You are. For us and our dear ones we pray in the name of Jesus and wrapped in the mantle of our Mother Mary, amen.
Don’t you just love Peter’s reaction? :)
Luke 9:32
Luke 9:35