Mysteries Of LightSample

"The Transfiguration"

The fourth mystery is the most obvious one for revealing the nature of Jesus, but is probably one of the most fascinating stories in the gospels if not the whole Bible.

We will look at Matthew’s account, but Luke's and Mark’s accounts are very similar. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all place the story after Jesus has been talking about taking up your cross and following him. (Mark and Matthew say it was six days later, and Luke says eight days later, but I don’t think there is any significant meaning to be found in the particular passing of time.)

Jesus has also been talking about the nature of his redemptive mission, the fact that he and, thus, by implication, us will need to offer sacrifice in order to save the world.

The story encourages us to live with the duality of God’s nature - to enjoy the relationship with the human, approachable, fun loving, best friend Jesus, but not to forget the enormous, unfathomable nature of his divinity.

We must try to maintain the ‘fear of the Lord’ which is a holy and Spirit-given gift.

When we look carefully at the text, we notice that the disciples become afraid when the cloud and the voice of God occur, not when Jesus is transfigured, or when Moses and Elijah were there.

Were the disciples afraid because they had a sense of the divinity of Jesus, or an encounter with God the Father beyond our human comprehension?

Take some time to reflect on your images of Jesus and God the Father.

Sometimes we make them too small, too safe, too simple.

Pray a simple prayer repeatedly for a few minutes and try to stay with the enormity of God.

We sometimes get a glimpse of the enormity of God and thus our own insignificance in the created universe. It is then that Jesus comes to us and touches us, initiating the relationship and showing his ‘simple’ human side, the side of his nature that we can relate to.

The voice of God, our heavenly Father, confirms that Jesus is to be listened to, and we remember that what he was talking about was his and our sacrifice.