Biblical meditation on the fourth mystery of the rosary of light (Part 1)
P. Vojtěch Brož
In all three synoptic gospels, the event of the transfiguration of the Lord is located in the middle of the evangelist's narrative. This placement in the center of the text structure speaks to the central importance of this unusual event in Jesus' public life. For the disciples who were allowed to witness this transfiguration of Jesus, it was a moment of pre-Paschal revelation of Jesus’ divinity, Jesus' glory. Apostle Peter still refers to this experience in his second letter to justify his faith in Jesus as the mighty Lord: "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain." (2 Pt 1:16-18).
All three accounts of the event of the transfiguration agree on the basic details: Jesus took three of his disciples, namely Peter, James, and John, to a high mountain, and was transfigured before them: he appeared in a new light, in glory, alongside Moses and Elijah. Peter commented on the vision and wished to capture it, but this soon ceased, and instead, a voice from the Father proclaimed Jesus as his Son and recommended him to the obedience of the disciples. The individual gospels then contain special elements of their own, which fully align with the theological line of each evangelist. In the following interpretation, we will start with Mark. We will note the special elements of Matthew and Luke that are additional compared to Mark. Finally, we will include a mention of the “transfiguration” in John's gospel.
Mark (9:2-10)
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
The excerpt begins with a proverbial indication of time: after six days. This is the seventh day since Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi (8:27-30). Both events are closely linked. On the way, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples collected the summary opinions of the people: “John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked his disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter, answering for them all, said: “You are the Christ!” In the scene of the transfiguration, it will be revealed who God considers Jesus to be. Since the beginning of Mark’s narrative, the pressing question has been: “Who is Jesus?” Here we are truly at the heart of Mark's gospel, as this question receives the most successful human answer (Peter's), which is then confirmed and surpassed by God's answer on the mountain of transfiguration.
Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John. These three disciples are also present with Jesus at the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (5:37) and then in Gethsemane (14:33). All three, along with Andrew, are also found on the Mount of Olives (13:3) as recipients of Jesus' eschatological discourse. They are thus privileged witnesses of Jesus. Their preferential and exclusive presence with Jesus at these mentioned occasions links these events together, as we will mention further.
He led them up a high mountain. Since the time of Cyril of Jerusalem, this mountain has been identified with Mount Tabor. However, in the gospel, the name is not mentioned and thus takes on a symbolic function. On this mountain, on the mountain of transfiguration, the entire ancient tradition of encounters between various people and God seems to culminate. The mountain is in the Old Testament the preferred place of God's revelation and thus a place of meeting with God. And not only in the Old Testament. In many religions, mountains are a sacred place where people intuitively seek encounters with divinity. A mountain is the highest point in the landscape; higher is only heaven. From the mountain, one is therefore closest to heaven. It is also a place that lies outside the realm of everyday life. To get there, one must leave their usual environment, work, and people, and embark on a strenuous journey upward. When one ascends the mountain, they rise above their daily grinding life. They are “above it,” gaining perspective, able to view the landscape of their mundane life from a different perspective, seeing everything in broader contexts, clearly seeing where the paths, often winding and unclear, that they take every day lead… One can simply breathe, elevate oneself, gain distance, liberate oneself. Their everyday life is illuminated and transformed for a moment. Such an experience can partly be granted by mountain hiking as well. But here it is about more. On the mountain of transfiguration, one truly undergoes a transformation.
How we all long for some transformation! We are always searching for what to change in our lifestyle: to buy something new, to learn, to visit unknown places. We change our hairstyles, clothes, homes, jobs, life roles; some even change partners... Many people believe in reincarnation and the transmigration of souls. A person is driven by a desire to be someone else. We play games, theater. This allows us at least for a moment, at least in play, to become someone else. Behind all this lies a subconscious belief that we are not who we should be, we are not in the place we should be, we have not yet achieved what we desire, we do not have what we should have. In our hearts, there gnaws a constant dissatisfaction that pushes us toward a perpetual search, continually relativizing everything we have already managed to achieve. We have unrest in our souls, filled with the hope that things will get better. Time brings changes, and we hope to see them… A person without faith expects change simply from the passage of time. If one understands that time as a physical entity may not bring any change, they may fall into apathy, resign. Or they wait for some chance. Or they determine the goal of their desire themselves and, on their own, often recklessly, pursue it.
And he was transfigured before them. When Jesus ascended the mountain to be transfigured, he fulfilled the entire history of God's revelations on mountains, fulfilling humankind's desire for an encounter with God and for personal transformation. On the mountain, Jesus was transfigured. Mark’s expression is a theological passive, divine passive, i.e., a passive with a hidden agent, which is God. God transformed Jesus. It was not Jesus alone, with his skill and ingenuity, with his strength and power, who lifted himself beyond himself. Jesus was transformed by God. In doing so, he fulfilled the human desire for transformation. This desire can already be seen in ancient Greek myths, which also know transformations. The gods take on human or animal forms there. A person can also transform into an animal or vice versa. However, a person never becomes a god. In the gospel, however, it is something completely different. Here, the person Jesus shines as a heavenly being. Yet, he does not change form in such a way as to cease being human. Jesus remains himself, a man, yet he is transformed. What kind of transformation is it specifically?
His clothes became radiant, intensely white. Clothing in the Bible – and not only in it – always has a deep symbolic meaning. One not only covers oneself with clothing but also expresses oneself through it. Clothing belongs to a person insofar as this person presents themselves to the view of others, characterizing and identifying them in communication with others. Jesus’ clothing is radiant white. Light and whiteness are attributes of God. The supernatural whiteness of Jesus' garment is emphasized by the remark that no one on earth could bleach them so white. His whiteness is otherworldly. It is also the color of the Risen One or his messengers (Mk 16:5). The transfiguration reveals Jesus’ divinity and foreshadows his future glory in resurrection. On the mountain, Jesus appeared to the disciples as risen. He thus showed them the goal of the Son of Man's journey.
Elijah appeared to them with Moses. Primarily as representatives of those to whom God revealed himself on the mountain. Perhaps also to show by their presence next to Jesus his heavenly nature. After all, both were considered heavenly beings according to popular belief, for they were taken up to heaven. They did not come to the mountain but “appeared,” which presupposes their heavenly state. It was believed of Elijah that he was taken up to heaven alive in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11). Of Moses, it was known that he was dead, but it was not known where his grave was (Dt 34:6), which gave rise to speculation about his ascension, as also testified by the apocryphal work The Assumption of Moses. Moses was invoked in the faith of the people as an intercessor, "to plead for sins and intercede for the people" (Josephus Flavius). When both now appeared next to the transfigured Jesus and talked with him, they cast light on Jesus’ transfiguration: Jesus belongs to their world, to the otherworldly, heavenly realm. It is curious that Elijah is named first, which contradicts both chronology and the order given by Matthew and Luke. The reason for this peculiarity is that for Mark, eschatology is more important than history. It was believed that Elijah would come at the end of time as a forerunner of the Messiah (Mk 9:11-13). There is very little documented belief that Moses would also come at the end of times. However, the joint coming of both is undocumented. Elijah's companion was supposed to be Enoch, who was also taken up to heaven alive (cf. Gen 5:24). Moses seems to have a different function here than Elijah. Moses is a model and forerunner of the Messiah, while Elijah is his eschatological companion. The presence of both nonetheless reveals Jesus as the true Messiah, whose coming heralds the end of time, the eschatological age of salvation. At least Peter understands it this way.
“It is good that we are here!” Peter, upon seeing Jesus’ glory, experiences a fulfillment that every person desires. That inner unease, which causes that we cannot stay anywhere for long, suddenly dissipates, and Peter feels that he has nowhere else to go. Everything has been fulfilled. Now is the time to stop, for it is good to be here. Peter truly wants time to stand still. He wants to make three tents. By this, he does not want to hold this moment in time but is convinced that the end of time has come. Peter feels that fulfillment has arrived, which the Jews anticipated and celebrated during the Feast of Tabernacles (cf. Lev 23:42; Dt 16:15). They believed that at the end God would dwell with his people, as he had been with them during the desert journey when the Israelites dwelled in tents. Peter understands that the last, eschatological Feast of Tabernacles has now arrived. It is not just about capturing the moment; it is not about earthly feasts, but about heavenly tents (cf. Lk 16:9). That is why he wants to build three tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and not for himself and the other two disciples.
Mark evaluates Peter’s proposal as an expression of ignorance. It lies neither so much in the desire to capture a moment that must yet pass, nor in wanting to build earthly tents for heavenly beings, nor in placing Elijah and Moses on the same level as Jesus (after all, Peter is speaking with Jesus!), but most of all, in that he was opposing Jesus’ prediction of suffering. Peter wanted eschatology without soteriology (from stauros = cross), glory without the cross. Peter’s suggestion to build three tents is an attempt to capture the premonition of glory and evade the suffering that Jesus had already foretold and which Peter does not understand and cannot accept (8:32). Peter wants to preserve, to permanently hold the revelation of heavenly glory and thereby bypass suffering. Peter wants to remain here. But that is impossible; it would contradict the call of a disciple to follow Jesus on the way of the cross. Peter stands against suffering. This is a typical reaction of a disciple before Easter, just as the terror of all three disciples is a general human reaction at an epiphany, a divine revelation.
Then a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. And a voice came out of the cloud. The cloud and the voice interpret the vision and correct Peter’s reaction. Usually in the Bible, a vision requires an interpreting word. Peter attempted to interpret what he saw himself. However, his interpretation is not sufficient. God himself now gives his interpretation.
The cloud signifies God’s presence. It descended on Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16; 24:15,18), also descending on the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex 33:9-10; 40:34-38), and filled Solomon’s temple on the day of its dedication (1 Kings 8:10-11). Ezekiel saw God’s glory in the form of a cloud that filled the house of the Lord (Ez 10:4). Such a revelation of glory was expected for the last time: “At the end of time the Lord himself will show this place, and his glory will be revealed along with the cloud that appeared over Moses and for which Solomon asked to make this place very holy” (2 Macc 2:8). Now, a cloud of God’s glory overshadows the transfigured Jesus and the two heavenly figures. God is doing, in his way, what Peter wanted to arrange humanly, earthly: shading with a cloud, a sign of his presence and glory. By this, he designates Jesus as the new tabernacle of meeting, the new temple, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells.
The voice from heaven provides the authorized interpretation of the vision: “This is my beloved Son!” Thus, the Father himself introduces the Son to the three disciples. The most important question of Mark's gospel is: “Who is Jesus?” The only decisive and valid answer to this question can only be given by God. We are at the heart of the gospel. Peter’s confession at Caesarea is closely linked to the transfiguration. At that time, Jesus asked the disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?... And who do you say that I am?” Now we learn who God considers him to be. The Father proclaims him as his own Son, just as he did at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan (1:11). Jesus is the Son of God. In the title of Mark's gospel, Jesus is introduced as the Son of God (1:1). Thus, he is from the beginning. However, this fact has so far been gradually revealed – in Jesus’ mighty deeds. The miracles he performed, however, were not unambiguous revelations of his divinity; they rather raised the question: “Who is this?” God’s voice at the transfiguration answers this question definitively and reveals to the disciples the truth about Jesus, announced already in the title of the gospel. At the end of Mark’s gospel, this same truth is also confessed by a pagan centurion (15:39).
The transfiguration is associated with Jesus' baptism in the Jordan. The links are the cloud and the voice from heaven. Both are found at the beginning and in the middle of Jesus’ ministry. The presence of the three disciples connects the transfiguration with Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane. There – uniquely in Mark – Jesus addresses God: “Abba, Father!” (14:36). This address – along with the unconditional acceptance of the cup and submission to the Father’s will – represents Jesus’ response to the twofold testimony of the Father about him. Jesus identifies himself to God as his Father and demonstrates his filial devotion to him, just as the Father has claimed him as his Son. The connection with Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane places the transfiguration in direct relation to Jesus' suffering. The event of the transfiguration is surrounded by the immediate context of Jesus’ prediction of his death. However, Jesus is transfigured as if already glorified by immortality. Thus, both – suffering and resurrection, humiliation and glory – are intimately intertwined here. The transfiguration is a prophetic foreshadowing of the resurrection. For a moment, the disciples are shown Christ in his ultimate definitive form. The suffering that lies between will be transitional and will ultimately lead to glory. Whom did the disciples actually see? The risen form of the Son of Man. During the journey to suffering, the goal was shown to the disciples. The image of the transfigured Jesus should remain before their eyes, and in this light, they should see him when they encounter him powerless and humiliated, so they may understand that it is still he, that he is still the glorious Lord and the Son of God.
“Listen to him!” The Father reveals not only who Jesus is for him, namely the beloved Son, but also who he is for the disciples, namely the absolute authority. Jesus is the promised Prophet, of whom Moses said: “You shall listen to him!” (Dt 18:15). He was announced in the future; now he is given by God as present. Now every word of Jesus is confirmed and authorized by God. In context, this particularly refers to Jesus' predictions of suffering and resurrection. Listen to him – him who is now speaking of suffering.
As they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. The command to remain silent belongs to the messianic secret. However, this silence is time-bound: until the moment when the Son of Man rises from the dead. Then it will be possible to speak of the transfiguration, because it is only the resurrection that will show this event in the right light. The transfiguration is yet before suffering. Without suffering, it is not possible to properly understand the transfiguration. And the suffering will only be understood through the resurrection.
The transfiguration is located at the center of Mark’s gospel. To all its readers applies – just as to those three disciples – the call: “Listen to him!” Listen to him as the risen one, even though you are still on the way to suffering.
