The Feast of the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36)

Two prominent figures from the Hebrew Bible show up and talk with Jesus in the lesson this morning. Moses represents the Law, and Elijah the prophet. Jesus’ encounter with them is to symbolize the new role of Jesus that he not only integrates both the Law and the prophetic tradition but suggests a new way of living. This somewhat magical appearance of Moses and Elijah tends to draw the most attention in the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. 

This time, however, I would like us to pay attention to the context of Jesus’ transfiguration. What was he doing before he was transfigured? What was he doing before Moses and Elijah showed up? What is the context? (We ask these questions not to investigate what happened but to be transfigured like Jesus. Information that connects to other information is knowledge, yet this knowledge is useless if it doesn’t change us. When it does, then it is transfigured to wisdom.)

Jesus “...went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying…” It’s the context of prayer that his face changes and his clothes become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear in the place of prayer. During his prayer, Peter, John, and James hear the voice from the cloud. We do not know what exactly Jesus goes up on the mountain to pray about but we do know that he worships in spirit and truth. He prays through his breath with unforgetting ardency in the Breath of Unforgetting in the Spirit of truth (τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας). 

This act of prayer requires aloneness. In this aloneness, we might feel lonely or experience our minds filled with unfiltered thoughts and feelings. Often when these thoughts are filtered, anxiety around uncertainty may tend to dominate. This is when our breath becomes an anchor so that we are NOT helplessly lost in unregulated thoughts and feelings. We unforgetfully keep this breath in mind as we remind ourselves that the very source of our breath comes from the breath of God. 

The only way for us to be transfigured is when the light of the Spirit shines upon us. This light shines from within. The inner light doesn’t come from outside. Yet one cannot see it unless one goes beyond the cluttered mind. This going beyond is like listening to the voice from the cloud. As the inner light of God cuts through the dark, the voice speaks through the cloud. 

Jesus then is declared as God’s chosen in his prayer through his breath with unforgetting ardency in the Breath of Unforgetting. We are also to hear we are God’s chosen. This chosenness is not the modern doctrine of “You are so special, and you can do everything you want.” Quite the opposite. It’s about knowing we cannot do everything we want and we aren’t more special than others. Rather, this chosenness is our recognition and realization that I freely accept to become God’s choice to be beneficial to others and the world. 

I want to leave you with the following poem by Jennifer Welwood as a way to reflect on the Transfiguration. So, you can in aloneness discover the inner light dwelling in you and hear the voice from the cloud that you are God’s choice for God’s will or goodwill in this world. 

“Unconditional” by Jennifer Welwood

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I gain the embrace of the universe;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me,
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.
I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game;
To play it is purest delight;
To honor its form – true devotion.